The Morning Briefing : united kingdom unemployment hits five - year high ; AJ Bell automates intelliflo valuations

moneymarketing.co.uk · Feb 17, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Good morning and welcome to your Morning Briefing for Tuesday 17 February 2026. To get this in your inbox every morning click here. UK unemployment hits near five-year high as wage growth cools UK unemployment has risen to its highest level in almost five years, while wage growth continued to slow, adding to evidence of a cooling labour market. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show the jobless rate increased to 5.2% in the three months to December, up from 5.1% in the previous period and the highest level since early 2021. The number of employees on company payrolls also fell, declining by 130,000 over the year and 46,000 over the quarter, reflecting weak hiring activity across the economy. AJ Bell Custody Solutions automates intelliflo valuations via FINIO AJ Bell Custody Solutions has enabled advice firms to receive automated bulk valuations directly into intelliflo for the first time, following a new integration delivered through Sprint Enterprise’s FINIO data hub. The move marks the first time Custody Solutions valuation data has been fully connected with intelliflo, removing the need for manual processes and improving the accuracy and timeliness of client records. AJ Bell said the integration will help ease operational pressure for larger and more complex advice firms. FCA whistleblowing disclosures decline in late 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority received 281 new whistleblowing reports in the final quarter of 2025, down from 292 in the same period a year earlier. The data, published on Monday (16 February), is sharply lower than the 405 reports submitted in Q3, highlighting continued volatility in whistleblowing volumes, while only a small proportion of disclosures result in direct regulatory intervention. The regulator said it assesses every whistleblowing report within its remit to help identify actual or potential harm to consumers, markets, the UK economy or wider society. Quote Of The Day Markets have been volatile as investors have erred on the side of selling first and analysing second. The sell-offs may well prove to be an over-reaction – Tom Stevenson, investment director at Fidelity International, comments on what’s driving markets this week Stat Attack Short-term focus and pressure for immediate results is the biggest barrier to innovation for fintechs, according to new global research from innovation consultancy Ayming. Key stats: 42% of finance and fintech leaders say pressure for immediate results is the biggest barrier to innovation 40% cite inefficient processes and bureaucracy as a major obstacle 39% point to a lack of skills and talent as a key constraint on innovation 36% of firms list implementing AI as a top priority 35% are focused on rolling out new tools and technologies to streamline operations 52% of firms carried out R&D overseas in 2025 32% say access to R&D talent is a key reason for offshoring innovation activity 86% of financial businesses plan to increase or significantly increase innovation budgets in 2026 48% now have innovation strategies spanning the next 10 years, signalling a longer-term approach despite short-term pressures Source: Ayming In Other News Vitality has appointed Kathryn Conniff as life underwriting service director. Conniff will lead adviser servicing across the life business, with responsibility for the end-to-end underwriting journey, including oversight of Vitality’s nationwide nurse team. She reports to Lara Fascione, adviser operations director. Conniff joins from Aviva and AIG Life, where she held senior operational roles covering underwriting, operational resilience and the Consumer Duty. Conniff has also held leadership positions at Legal & General and LV=, leading protection operations and large-scale transformation programmes. Jupiter Asset Management has appointed Piers Hillier as chief investment officer, with responsibility for overseeing the firm’s investment teams and leading the development of new investment propositions. Hillier joins from Royal London Asset Management, where he was CIO from 2015, and brings more than 30 years’ experience in investment management. His previous roles include head of international equities at Kames Capital and CIO at LV Asset Management, as well as senior European equities positions at WestLB, Deutsche Asset Management and Schroders. The appointment follows a series of changes at Jupiter to strengthen its investment platform, including the acquisition of Origin Asset Management’s investment team in January 2025 and CCLA Investment Management in February 2026. Azets Wealth Management in Bristol has appointed Simon Stygall as a Chartered Financial Planner and director. Stygall joins the top-10 accountancy and business advisory firm from Flying Colours and will focus on lifestyle planning for business owners and individuals. He will be based across Azets’ Bristol and Gloucester offices. Azets also confirmed a number of wider regional appointments, including Becky Hudson’s promotion to office managing partner in Gloucester and Vicky Fisher’s arrival as assistant manager in the firm’s Cardiff-based debt advisory team. From Elsewhere UK quietly shelves £110mn frictionless post-Brexit trade border project (Financial Times) Is Cazenove no longer a finance name to be proud of? (Bloomberg) Ireland opens probe into Musk’s Grok AI over sexualised images (Reuters) Did You See? An intuitive understanding of ‘financial independence’ suggests you are independent of a paycheck or an employer. Or perhaps independent of the markets, writes Dr Tom Mathar, head of Money:Mindshift at Aegon. This is also the central promise of the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, where the goal is to reach a “crossover point” where assets cover expenses. However, this often frames life as a race to escape the system, treating work and social contribution as a hurdle to be cleared rather than a source of value.