16 June 2026 - London
Church House, Westminster
From Niche to Normal
Mainstreaming Housing Wealth in UK Retirement Planning
A leadership forum examining pensions adequacy, regional disparities and responsible integration of housing wealth into retirement planning.
A Leadership Symposium at a Critical Moment
The UK faces a structural retirement challenge.
Pensions adequacy is under pressure. Regional inequalities are widening. And housing wealth remains the country’s largest untapped retirement asset.
Launching at the event is Retirement Compass: The Later Life Finance Index, a new independent benchmark developed by the Equity Release Council in partnership with Fairer Finance.
The Index provides the first comprehensive “state of the nation” view bringing together both pension wealth and housing wealth across the UK. Combining new analysis of lending activity with original consumer research, it offers fresh insight into the financial realities facing future generations of retirees.
This edition of the Later Life Lending Summit brings together senior leaders from across government, regulation, industry and academia to explore one central question:
How do we responsibly integrate housing wealth into mainstream retirement planning?
How do we responsibly integrate housing wealth into mainstream retirement planning?
Mainstreaming later life lending is not about expanding a product market. It is about embedding a responsible funding mechanism within the wider retirement system, with trust, professionalism and regulatory confidence at its core.
Jim Boyd
CEO, Equity Release Council
Why this matters now
By 2029, our ambition is clear:
Later life lending and funding using property wealth will be recognised as a mainstream, trusted and professionally led component of UK financial planning.
But mainstreaming cannot mean dilution.
If housing wealth is to play a greater role in retirement funding, growth must not compromise:
Consumer protection
Professional standards
Regulatory confidence
Long-term sector reputation
This Leaders’ Symposium explores not only how we scale, but what must remain non-negotiable as volumes grow.
Ticket options
The following ticket options are available:
Who Should Attend
- Policymakers and parliamentary stakeholders
- Regulatory leaders
- Pension and retirement policy specialists
- Senior executives from lenders, advisory firms and professionals across the later life lending customer journey
- Financial planning leaders
- Industry infrastructure and technology partners
View the full registration terms and conditions for the Later Life Lending Summit 2026 - London.
Why attend?
This is a high-level leadership forum designed for decision-makers and influencers.
Hear from past attendees
See how professionals like you gained insights, strategies, and connections that transformed the way they approach later life lending.
"Thank you for the opportunity to attend the Summit. It was extremely informative, with sessions like L&G’s 'lazy equity' and Safe Steps providing practical insights. We also made valuable connections and left inspired to better support older borrowers."
Kevin Mowles
Beverley Building Society
"Attending the Summit was an easy decision. With the later life lending market set for significant growth, the event gave me valuable knowledge, practical insights, and strong professional connections — boosting both my skills and business credibility."
Ian McKinnon
Financial Clarity
"Thank you for the invitation to the Summit. We came away with valuable contacts, meaningful conversations, and practical considerations from both the sessions and networking breaks."
George Duffin
HM Treasury
"The Equity Release Council's Summit at Church House in Westminster was a triumph. Packed halls and breakouts, feverish excitement in the exhibition halls and a truly extraordinary keynote from Nick Lyons of Phoenix that cappped off some excellent sessions.
I can't remember learning so much in a single day at any conference ever - and I have been to a few.
It's not often that a conference works as well as this did and when it does, it needs to be called out.
And all this - carried out with immense goodwill and the espirit de corps of a professionally run trade body that is a model to many like it."
Henry Tapper
Agewage
"I am proud to be the lead sponsor at the northern equity release council summit this year. The Summit provides an excellent opportunity to bring our whole industry together to network and discover an insight into other aspects of the industry which we would not normally see. Being the first legal provider to headline the summit also raises the importance of the legal industry within our sector, ensuring that both the borrowers and lenders are protected to provide stability and longevity to the market."
Carol Nuttall
Adlington Law
Event Highlights
Launch of Retirement Compass: The Later Life Finance Index
A new annual benchmark exploring pensions adequacy, housing wealth opportunity and regional retirement disparities.
Regulatory Keynote
Insights from senior regulatory voices on consumer outcomes and expectations in a maturing later life lending market.
Policy Panel: Funding Retirement in a Housing-Rich Nation
A cross-sector discussion on the future architecture of retirement funding in the UK.
International Perspectives
Lessons from global markets where housing wealth plays a role in retirement systems.
Scaling Without Compromise
An industry leadership discussion examining growth, guardrails, reputational risk and what must remain non-negotiable as the market expands.
Leadership Lunch
A forward-looking, facilitated discussion exploring what must change culturally, professionally and regulatorily to move from niche to normal.
Join the Conversation
Housing wealth will increasingly shape retirement outcomes across the UK.
The responsibility now is to ensure it does so with confidence, discipline and public trust.
Join us at Church House, Westminster, on 16 June 2026 as we take the next deliberate step toward mainstreaming housing wealth, responsibly, credibly and with confidence.
