Darius McQuaid

London

Reporter at Money Marketing

Reporter @_moneymarketing former reporter @capitalcom & finance reporter @Daily_Express finalist in @TheDrum awards

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Articles

David Ferguson: The tech gap is real, but the lines are blurring

2 days ago | moneymarketing.co.uk | David Ferguson |Ros Altmann |Darius McQuaid

In my last column, I fired a broadside at the pension tech market, lamenting how someone with £200 invested in their pension typically has a better experience than someone with £200,000.
The Morning Briefing: AJ Bell launches Touch app; Royal London pays £751m in protection claims

4 days ago | moneymarketing.co.uk | Darius McQuaid |Dan Cooper |Ros Altmann

Good morning and welcome to your Morning Briefing for Monday 23 June 2025. To get this in your inbox every morning click here. AJ Bell launches app-based advised platform Touch to tackle ‘advice gap’AJ Bell has launched AJ Bell Touch, a streamlined platform to help financial advisers assist clients with less money saved and have simpler advice requirements.
The case for cash for investors navigating volatile markets

1 week ago | moneymarketing.co.uk | Charles Younes |Darius McQuaid |Gillian Hepburn |Michelle Hoskin

Cash is not usually part of the asset allocation mix for long-term investors willing to take on a fair amount of investment risk. Volatility is usually baked in to long-term investment assumptions, and long-term investors should expect to encounter some periods when equities or bonds, and sometimes both, fall in value. The long-term cost of missed equity returns is usually sufficient for cash to remain an unused option in the asset allocators toolkit.
Aegon launches campaign to challenge traditional model of financial advice

1 week ago | moneymarketing.co.uk | Dan Cooper |Darius McQuaid

A new campaign that aims to ‘challenge’ the traditional, transactional model of financial advice has been officially launched. Backed by pension provider Aegon and led by Dr Tom Mathar, Money:Mindshift is a mission to reshape how people understand and engage with their financial lives. Instead, it offers a more human approach – one that recognises the emotional and psychological realities behind our money decisions.
Robert Holford: Why pensions reform may miss the mark

1 week ago | moneymarketing.co.uk | Robert Holford |Ros Altmann |Darius McQuaid |Claire Trott

The government’s final report on the Pensions Investment Review outlines a bold vision: a market of fewer, bigger, better-run defined contribution schemes capable of investing in productive UK assets and delivering stronger outcomes for savers. It is a vision that, conceptually, many in the industry support. But our recent research suggests that, across the industry, confidence in delivery remains cautious.
In Focus: Will advice firms scale back on diversity and inclusion?

1 week ago | moneymarketing.co.uk | Amanda Newman Smith |Darius McQuaid |Andy Curran |Nita Patel

The word ‘disappointed’ appeared frequently in response to UK financial regulators’ joint decision in March to not take forward diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) proposals that had been under consultation since 2023. It was hard to not look ‘across the pond’ at US president Donald Trump’s dismantling of DE&I initiatives and wonder if a similar sentiment was brewing in the UK.
iPipeline launches Advanced Underwriting to improve quote accuracy

1 week ago | moneymarketing.co.uk | Momodou Musa Touray |Darius McQuaid

iPipeline has launched a major upgrade to its SolutionBuilder platform with the introduction of Advanced Underwriting, a feature designed to improve the accuracy of protection quotes and streamline the application journey for advisers and clients. Developed over two years in collaboration with The Openwork Partnership, the enhancement addresses a long-standing issue in the protection market where initial quotes often fail to match final terms.
Gillian Hepburn: What does the Schroder Adviser Survey tell us about the value of advice?

1 week ago | moneymarketing.co.uk | Gillian Hepburn |Tom Browne |Kimberley Dondo |Darius McQuaid

Following the implementation of Consumer Duty, the price and value outcome has been identified as the most challenging for advisers. While price should be relatively easy to assess, the value of any product or service is always difficult to define – and advice is no different and perhaps more challenging as it’s an intangible. However, the results of the most recent Schroder adviser survey offer up some useful insights into the value of advice.
BoE holds interest rates at 4.25%

1 week ago | moneymarketing.co.uk | Darius McQuaid

The Bank of England (BoE) has held interest rates at 4.25%, a decision widely expected by markets and analysts. Moneyfarm chief investment officer Richard Flax said: “With inflation still at 3.4%, well above the Bank’s 2% target, the Monetary Policy Committee is maintaining a cautious stance.
UK inflation holds at 3.4%: industry reaction

1 week ago | moneymarketing.co.uk | Tom Browne |Darius McQuaid

UK inflation held steady at 3.4% in May, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. The news prompted mixed reactions across the financial sector as analysts assess the likelihood of a summer interest rate cut. May’s inflation rate matches the revised April figure, after the ONS corrected an earlier miscalculation caused by tax data errors.