The FCA’s latest Regulatory Initiatives Grid highlights a growing focus on control effectiveness, operational resilience, and governance across UK financial services. In this article, we explore six key themes most relevant to building societies, credit unions, specialist lenders and what they mean for day-to-day AML and compliance operations.

Regulatory expectations are rising, but capacity is not. This article explores the growing AML pressure on building societies and credit unions, and why smaller lenders need smarter, sector-aligned tools to meet modern compliance demands.

Bank Local comes to life in places like Penrith. With just one branch and around 10,000 members, Penrith Building Society shows how even the smallest mutual can compete in a digital-first world. Their journey proves that transformation isn’t about scale, it’s about agility, purpose, and the right technology choices.

Earlier this year, we were thrilled to share that The Midcounties Co-operative had selected Mutual Vision as their technology partner to deliver a new Member Investment Portal. A secure, digital-first platform enabling members to view and manage their share accounts and fixed-term investments in one place. We recently sat down with Jacob Isherwood, CIO of The Midcounties Co-operative, for a candid Q&A about the Society’s digital journey, what the new portal means for members, and his vision for co-operative technology in the future.

The Midcounties Co-operative has launched a new Member Investment Portal developed in partnership with Mutual Vision. This new portal takes a significant step forward in how members can access and manage their investments online, reinforcing the Society’s commitment to fairness, transparency, and creating lasting positive impact.