UK households hold over £2 trillion in deposits with banks and building societies. That figure is growing. But how savers interact with those deposits is changing faster than many providers realise. Finova had a strong presence at the BSA Annual Conference in Edinburgh this year, and the conversations our team brought back reflected a sector grappling with exactly that challenge. Saving habits are evolving fast, and savers are no longer staying put with a single provider. If they can find a better return elsewhere, they will move.

This is a major turning point for building societies. They can’t win over customers by preferential rates alone. Rather, these large-scale institutions must become agile enough to quickly respond to changing client expectations.
 
Evolution, not revolution

While the destination is clear, the route to get there is less about ripping up the floorboards than it is about making targeted renovations, little by little, until the platform is up to scratch. 

Even if they wanted to, very few banks or building societies could replace their core systems. In many cases, they do not need to. 

For most building societies, core platforms will remain in place for the foreseeable. Instead, the way forward is to update the platform in a controlled and incremental way, working up through the different layers of the system.

This includes improving digital onboarding. Abandonment rates can even exceed 68% if journeys are too complex, and the cost is higher than it first appears. By the time a customer reaches the application stage, the acquisition spend is already committed. A poor onboarding experience does not just mean a lost application, it means a funded account that never materialises. Addressing friction in customer communications, identity verification and account activation is therefore not just a UX priority. It is a commercial one.

The forces reshaping savings behaviour

Firstly, Open Banking is transforming how money moves. According to the Open Banking Impact Report, there were 13.3 million active Open Banking users in the UK as of March 2025, up 40% year on year. This has made transferring funds between accounts much easier and more intuitive, lowering the barriers to switching providers. 

Second, savers are becoming more rate sensitive and proactive. Historically, savers would hold accounts with rates well below market-leading products. Now, savers are better informed and more willing to act on it. They read the headlines and they use online comparison tools. 

Third, savings aggregators are gaining significant ground. Platforms such as Raisin, Flagstone and HL Active Savings are making it easier for consumers to compare products and move funds across multiple providers. For building societies, this is reshaping deposit competition and raising the bar on the technology needed to remain visible and competitive in an aggregated market. 

And finally, AI is beginning to reshape the conversation around personalisation and customer engagement. From savings nudges tailored to individual behaviour, to AI-assisted customer service tools, practical applications are still emerging, but the direction of travel is clear. All of these factors are accelerating expectations around speed, relevance and convenience. 

Balancing digital with human connection 

However, the future of savings is not purely digital. Younger demographics increasingly expect fully digital onboarding and app-based account management. According to UK Finance’s Payment Markets Report, mobile banking became the most common way for UK adults to access their accounts in 2024, used by 75% of adults and overtaking desktop for the first time. For these customers, seamless digital experiences are non-negotiable. The FCA’s Consumer Duty expectations reinforce this further, requiring firms to demonstrate that their products and services deliver good outcomes, including at the moments that matter most to customers.

Yet, human interaction remains a powerful differentiator. Many customers still value the reassurance of speaking to a knowledgeable person, particularly when making significant financial decisions. This is an area where building societies retain a natural advantage, given their heritage and community focus.
The opportunity lies in combining these strengths: intuitive digital journeys alongside access to high-quality human support when it matters most.

Taking advantage of the opportunities ahead 

The future of the UK savings sector is expansive, but not entirely predictable. New products, channels and distribution models will continue to emerge, often evolving faster than traditional systems can support. 

Success will depend on striking the right balance between digital innovation and human connection, between stability and agility, and between incremental improvement and long-term transformation.
In a market where customers can move their money in minutes, standing still is no longer an option. The conversations coming out of Edinburgh this year made that very clear. Building societies must be open to change, continually adapting their operations, their technology and their approach to meet the evolving expectations of UK savers.

Finova’s latest whitepaper explores how banks and building societies are modernising savings platforms to improve agility, resilience and customer experience: Download the report