The Campaign Turning 14 Million Under-Saved Britons into First-Time Savers
UK Savings Week, the national savings campaign run by the Building Societies Association, has won the 2026 MAIA for Best For-Profit Adult Education, capping a remarkable year in which the campaign was also named Best Adult Education Project at the 2026 UK Gala Awards for Financial Capability, hosted by the London Foundation for Banking & Finance at Guildhall.
The need the campaign addresses is urgent. Fourteen million people in the UK have less than £100 saved, leaving them exposed to even small financial shocks. At the same time, more than £300 billion sits in bank accounts earning no interest, meaning millions are missing out on income that could materially improve their finances. Young adults are especially affected: 45 per cent have no savings account, and one in three would be unable to cover an urgent £300 expense. Yet 86 per cent say they could save more each month.
UK Savings Week exists to close that gap between intention and action.
Trust as a delivery mechanism
Launched in September 2022, the campaign was built on a behavioural insight: people are far more likely to act on messages delivered by organisations they already engage with and trust. So rather than broadcasting from the centre, UK Savings Week equips hundreds of employers, financial services firms, charities and community organisations with free, ready-to-use resources: social media content, practical guides and newsletters that supporters adapt for their own audiences.
This creates a multiplier effect, significantly extending reach and impact without duplicating effort or cost. The campaign amplifies real voices through vox pops, helping people see saving as relevant to people like themselves, and reinforces its message through webinars, media engagement and political outreach. Its evidence base is solid too: a series of independent studies commissioned from the Personal Finance Research Centre at the University of Bristol used data on thousands of UK households over a decade to test the links between savings, barriers to inclusion, and wellbeing.
Results that speak for themselves
Post-campaign evaluation shows 67 per cent of adults aware of the campaign take some positive action, rising to 83 per cent among young adults. One in four start saving for the first time, compared with just 2 per cent of those not exposed to the campaign. Forty per cent of adults with no savings took a first step towards saving, 24 per cent increased their regular saving, and 61 per cent of savings providers reported an increase in account openings during the week itself.
The campaign has secured recognition at the highest levels, including support from HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority, and inclusion in the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy. That strategy singled out the campaign’s power, noting that Yorkshire Building Society‘s UK Savings Week 2024 activity led to 17,000 members beginning to save regularly.
Looking ahead
UK Savings Week 2026 will put greater focus on young working adults, the group most likely to struggle with an unexpected expense and hold savings earning no interest, yet the most responsive to the campaign’s messages. Activity will scale up on YouTube and TikTok, with new platforms like Snapchat and Reddit being explored, and employer engagement expanding through adaptable assets, webinars and video content.
“We’re delighted that UK Savings Week has won a MAIA award,” says Andrew Gall of the Building Societies Association. “It’s recognition of a campaign that is helping people build better savings habits, strengthen their financial resilience and feel more confident about the future. The award is a fantastic milestone, but our ambition goes much further. Together, we can help more people see that even small amounts saved regularly can make a real difference, and better savings habits are within everyone’s reach. If you’d like to be part of the campaign, we’d love to hear from you.”
Find out more and get involved at uksavingsweek.co.uk.