The Intermediary – November 2025 - Flipbook - Page 30
T E C H N O L O GY
In focus
Making sense of
data: How tech can
bring clarity back
T
he mortgage market
has always been fastmoving, but in recent
years technology has
changed it more quickly
than anyone expected.
New tools and platforms promise to
transform the way advisers work,
yet for many firms the challenge is
deciding which innovations genuinely
make a difference.
Technology has huge potential
to improve the advice process, but
success depends on how it’s applied.
This is a people business. The goal isn’t
to replace advisers with soware, but
to make their lives easier, their data
clearer, and their clients beer served.
People at the centre
Technology is already part of
everyday advice. Many firms now use
automation to take care of repetitive
tasks like gathering documents,
updating records, or prompting key
actions. Done well, it saves time,
reduces errors, and helps firms stay
compliant.
The best systems are the ones that
support advisers rather than try to
take over. Advice is built on empathy,
understanding and trust, qualities that
can’t be replicated by code. Technology
should enhance those relationships,
not create distance from clients.
Advisers need transparency. They
should always be able to see what their
systems are doing and why, with the
ability to step in whenever necessary.
Across the market, more firms are
finding the right balance between
automation and control, using
technology to remove friction without
losing oversight.
Data to understanding
If automation has made advice more
efficient, data is what will make it
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The Intermediary | November 2025
smarter. Every firm holds years of
valuable information about clients,
conversion rates and protection
performance, yet too oen it sits
locked away in static reports that offer
limited insight.
The next stage of progress will be
giving advisers a clearer, simpler view
of what their own data is telling them.
Instead of having to build complex
reports or dig through spreadsheets,
they should be able to get answers
quickly and easily.
That is the direction we are moving
in. We are developing new tools that
help firms query and explore their
data naturally. The aim is to make
insight accessible, allowing firms
to make faster, beer-informed
decisions.
We’re already seeing how data
can tell a powerful story. In Q3 2025,
360 Lifecycle facilitated £10.6bn in
lending, up more than 20% year-onyear. This demonstrates the scale of
trusted advice being delivered every
day that puts people first.
It isn’t about predicting behaviour
or replacing analysis. It’s about giving
advisers an easier way to understand
their own business. Data should work
for them, not the other way around.
Using data responsibly
Every adviser needs to know their data
is handled properly and securely. The
principle is straightforward: the data
belongs to the firm, and technology
providers act as custodians who
protect it and support responsible use.
There is also potential for
anonymised, aggregated data to be
used to support the wider market.
Over time, this could help lenders,
networks and advisers gain beer
insight into emerging trends, which
could lead to more informed decisionmaking across the industry.
STEPHEN COWDELL
is head of intermediary
sales at 360 Lifecycle
Handled correctly, that kind
of collective intelligence could be
transformative, but it must always be
underpinned by transparency, privacy
and consent.
Innovation with integrity
The pace of digital change can feel
relentless, but the answer is not to
resist it. The answer is to innovate
responsibly. The firms that will
succeed are those that embrace
technology while keeping fairness,
accountability and transparency at the
centre of everything they do.
Systems must be reliable,
explainable and aligned with how
advisers work.
Technology can and should help
firms meet regulatory expectations
and deliver beer outcomes for
clients, but it only works when it
complements the adviser’s role rather
than replaces it.
Human in a digital age
The best technology operates quietly
in the background. It removes
complexity, makes processes
smoother, and gives advisers more
time to focus on their clients.
Tools that make data easier to
understand or processes simpler to
manage will continue to shape the
future of the industry. The essence of
advice will remain the same: people
helping people to make confident
financial decisions. ●
