Government’s new investing campaign: What savvy the squirrel means for UK savers

The UK Government’s new investing campaign, fronted by “Savvy the Squirrel”, aims to encourage more people to consider investing as part of their long-term financial plans.

By Caragh Medlicott

New

Created on: 03/06/2026

Reading time: 4 mins

Key takeaways

A government-backed awareness campaign has been launched under the name “Savvy the Squirrel”. It will be promoted alongside the Take the Next Step platform to teach investing basics through bite-sized guides, videos, and tools.
It targets the UK’s cash-heavy savers, promoting investing as another option for reaching financial goals. The campaign sits alongside upcoming policy moves like a planned cut to the Cash ISA allowance from 2027.
The campaign will involve a nationwide, education-first rollout backed by major firms, and is expected to run for 3-5 years, focussing on building financial confidence.

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What is the Savvy the Squirrel campaign?
Why now?
How the campaign works
What are officials and industry figures saying?
What does this mean for savers?

If you’ve been out and about this spring, you might have already seen the new “Savvy the Squirrel” campaign that’s been rolled out across the UK, backed by the government.

The campaign – which is part of a new public investing awareness initiative – aims to encourage more people to learn about investing and understand the role it could play in building long-term wealth.

The initiative is designed as a long-term, nationwide campaign focused on making investing feel more accessible and relevant to people who may not currently see it as “for them”.

The launch comes at a time when many UK households continue to favour cash savings over investments.

According to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) research, around 7 million UK adults hold more than £10,000 in cash saving. ^[1]

At the same time, ownership of Stocks and Shares ISAs remains notably lower. ^[2]

Compared with countries such as the United States (where investing participation is generally higher), the UK has traditionally been described as a nation of savers. ^[3]

The campaign is part of a wider effort to improve financial confidence and encourage people to explore all their long-term options.

Importantly, the initiative focuses on education and awareness, rather than encouraging risky behaviour or offering formal financial advice.

What is the Savvy the Squirrel campaign?

The “Savvy the Squirrel” campaign is a government-backed public awareness initiative designed to improve understanding of investing among UK adults.

Introduced by the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, the campaign centres around a new educational platform called Take the Next Step, which provides beginner-friendly guides, videos, and resources to help people understand investment basics.

The wider campaign is backed by a coalition of major financial firms, alongside support from HM Treasury, the FCA, and the Money and Pensions Service.

The campaign was launched in response to concerns that many people rely heavily on cash savings alone for long-term goals, despite inflation potentially reducing the spending power of cash over time.

Alongside the campaign, reports have confirmed that the government plans to reduce the annual Cash ISA allowance from 2027, lowering it to £12,000 per year for those under 65. ^[4]

While details may still evolve, the wider policy direction appears focused on encouraging greater participation in investing and long-term wealth building.

The campaign messaging is designed to make investing feel more approachable — especially for people who may never have invested before.

Why now?

The campaign arrives during a period of growing discussion around savings habits in the UK.

Research from the FCA found that:

74% of savers see investing as daunting. ^[5]
Millions of adults hold substantial cash balances. ^[5]
Almost half of UK adults hold a Cash ISA, while significantly fewer hold a Stocks and Shares ISA. ^[6]

At the same time, inflation over recent years has highlighted the challenge of relying solely on cash savings for long-term financial growth.

Wealthify’s own research and commentary has previously explored why the UK is often described as a “nation of savers”, with many people prioritising security and accessibility over long-term investment growth potential.

There are several reasons why investing participation has historically been lower in the UK, such as:

Fear of losing money.
Limited financial education.
Concerns about complexity.
Misunderstandings about how much money is needed to start investing.

The government’s campaign aims to address some of these barriers, by making investment education easier to access and easier to understand.

How the campaign works

The initiative combines digital education, advertising, and public engagement activities to encourage people to learn more about investing.

Key parts of the campaign include:

The Take the Next Step website, which offers introductory articles, videos, and educational tools.
“Savvy Cabs”, where members of the public can receive free taxi rides in exchange for conversations about investing and financial confidence.
A nationwide advertising campaign featuring the squirrel mascot across billboards, television, and social media channels from autumn onwards.

A series of regional activities such as these will be held across UK cities including Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff, Norwich, and Glasgow. These events are designed to bring conversations about investing into everyday settings such as cafés, salons, gyms, cinemas, and local markets.

Financial content creators and real-life investors are expected to play a key role throughout the campaign, sharing personal experiences and discussing common barriers such as confidence, complexity, and fear of getting started.

The multi-million pound campaign is expected to run for between 3 to 5 years initially with funding shared between government and participating financial services firms. ^[7]

The overall goal is to normalise conversations about investing and help people feel more informed when making financial decisions.

What are officials and industry figures saying?

The campaign has received support from government representatives, regulators, and several major financial organisations across the UK, including Wealthify's owners, Aviva.

Sarah Pritchard, Deputy Chief Executive of the FCA, described the initiative as an important step towards building a “stronger” investing culture in the UK. ^[8]

Meanwhile, the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has also spoken positively about the campaign, with its Chief Executive calling it: “An excellent idea which could transform people’s financial lives.” ^[9]

Some commentators have questioned whether advertising campaigns alone can significantly change long-term financial behaviour. Others, however, have suggested that improving financial education and accessibility will be key to achieving lasting impact.

Campaign organisers have also stressed that the initiative is focused on long-term education and informed decision-making, rather than encouraging short-term investing activity.

Overall, discussion around the campaign has largely focused on how to improve financial confidence and encourage informed decision-making among UK savers.

We also spoke to Jessie Kwok, Chief Financial Officer here at Wealthify, to get her thoughts on the campaign. She said:

“Many people want to feel more confident with money but don’t always know where to begin. Educational campaigns like this can help make investing feel more accessible, by breaking down barriers and encouraging people to learn at their own pace.”

What does this mean for savers?

For savers, the campaign is intended to provide more accessible information about investing and the options available for long-term financial planning.

While cash savings can play an important role for emergency funds and short-term goals, investing may offer greater long-term growth potential for some people (depending on their goals and attitude to risk).

For anyone exploring investing for the first time, starting education can help build confidence. Resources like Take the Next Step aim to explain the basics in a simple and approachable way.

These resources can help you better understand:

How investing works.
The differences between saving and investing.
The importance of long-term thinking.
How risk and returns are connected.

Investing doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Taking small steps to learn more can help people make more informed decisions about their financial future.

Read to learn more?

Explore Wealthify’s educational resources and discover simple, beginner-friendly guidance to help you take your next step into investing. Check out some of our beginner’s resources below:

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