Our new Financial Services Network is a Fellows-led initiative designed to bring together those within the RSA community that want to engage and play a positive part in helping to drive a ‘Finance for Good’ agenda.
Why is the RSA launching its Financial Services Network?
The Financial Services sector is profoundly important to the wellbeing of society, economic stability and political stability, and the City of London is considered by many to be the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the UK’s commercial endeavours.
However, particularly since the Global Financial Crisis, the evidence suggests there are reasons to be concerned about the fundamental integrity of the finance sector.
People are wondering:
- Is the finance sector trustworthy?
- Has the finance sector become exploitative?
- Is it authentically committed to delivering good outcomes for its users?
- Is it serving ‘people and planet’ through a ‘sustainability-first’ mindset?
- How can we drive up the levels of financial education and financial inclusion?
- How can the voice of RSA Fellows be heard through regulatory consultations?
- What’s the actual purpose of the finance industry - and what should it be?
What are the geographical considerations for this initiative?
There will be a UK focus to begin with, but our hopes and expectations are that this collective endeavour will blossom into a major international RSA network. That’s because the Financial Services sector is hugely important right around the world, and if you don’t have a healthy financial sector, you can’t have a society achieving its true potential.
But if you’re outside the UK, are enthusiastic about this initiative and may want to get involved in the future, there’s no need to delay - feel free to express your interest now.
What’s the potential?
We believe that through this initiative, RSA Fellows can take a leading role in driving the kind of positive, progressive and purposeful reform that’s so desperately needed. There’s a chance for big societal impact here, because a network of engaged RSA Fellows with a change-making mindset that provides a focussed, agile and collective response to the significant challenges that we face, would be a powerful force for good in the world.
What’s the next step?
In the first instance, all you need to do is express your interest. We’ll be fully absorbing the views of those that step forward in this way on how the Network is to operate, what its areas of focus will be, which Fellows should play a part in leading it, and how.
So, if this might be something that chimes with you, please get in touch with the initiative’s founder, Andy Agathangelou FRSA andy.agathangelou@transparencytaskforce.org
Andy has been a Fellow since 2017, runs Transparency Task Force (a Certified Social Enterprise) and he is also the Chair of the Secretariat Committee to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Personal Banking and Fairer Financial Services