In the US, the pandemic and accompanying recession have put millions out of work. Faced with a convoluted benefits application system, the hardship of unemployment, and growing self-reliance, laid-off workers are turning to online communities for crowdsourced support.

Rising unemployment and ample time to spare led to a surge in stock trading among Gen Yers and older Gen Zers in 2020. Yet while the likes of Robinhood, Stash, and E*Trade have made it easy to participate in this once-opaque market, could simplified investing apps do more harm than good?

Savers are looking for new ways to safeguard their money, as interest rates drop due to the pandemic. From bitcoin to stocks, people are investing in alternate methods to avoid long-term stagnation, giving banks the chance to diversify their investment plans to include a wider range of options.

As trust in traditional financial institutions declined after the 2008 crash, challenger banks flourished. Yet while emoji passcodes and bill-splitting features may have been key selling points previously, a growing number of Britons are turning to these platforms for ethical investment options.