Reflections on progress and the road ahead for pensions dashboards

Following the publication of our latest progress update report, I’m pleased to share some reflections as Principal of the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP). These updates are an important moment for us, not only to report on what we’ve achieved, but also to reflect on the scale of this undertaking and the strength of the partnerships that are helping us deliver this important project.

Since our last report, issued at the end of 2024, I’m proud to say we have made significant strides towards pensions dashboards becoming a reality. This latest update shows real momentum across numerous areas of our work, such as facilitating connection to the pensions dashboards ecosystem and gaining formal approval of standards for pension providers and schemes.

These achievements bring us closer to a future where individuals will be able to view all their pension information securely, online, in one place, supporting better planning and engagement with retirement savings.

One of the major milestones we’ve reached this year is the successful connection of the first 4 of our 20 industry participants to the pensions dashboards ecosystem. In addition, 6 more have completed integration testing, with several others currently in the process or close to it.

This work has been vital to help us test our systems and processes and make improvements for the pension providers and schemes due to connect over the next 17 months. The feedback and insights we’ve gained have ensured we’re building on a foundation of real-world experience and can continue to refine the connection journey for others.

Another significant event this year has been the formal approval of the standards for pension providers and schemes by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities (Northern Ireland). This was the final stage in enabling us to publish these standards as a legally binding set of documents. This has been another testament to the collaborative spirit shown by our industry partners as we worked through consultation, development and iteration.

The development of the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard, which will be the first publicly available dashboard, is a considerable area of progress. We have started to share a prototype with industry to demonstrate what the dashboard will look like and its functionality and are reviewing and incorporating feedback into the development of a high-quality product.

This is where our plans for consumer testing come into sharp focus. We are preparing for in-depth testing of the dashboards service to ensure it works well for users of all backgrounds and levels of digital confidence. Our goal is to build a service that is comprehensive, trustworthy and useful. What we learn from this phase will influence not only the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard but also provide valuable insights for private sector dashboards further down the line.

Collaboration continues to be a cornerstone of our approach. Our strong relationships with industry, government and regulators have proven essential in working towards making dashboards available, including tackling the inevitable issues that arise in navigating such a complex and unprecedented undertaking. It’s through this collective effort that we’ve been able to maintain momentum and move closer to delivering a service that will ultimately help improve retirement planning for millions of people.

Looking ahead, I remain confident and optimistic. The year so far has shown we can achieve major programme milestones amid a complex and evolving pensions landscape. As we move into the second half of 2025, our focus will be on continuing to facilitate connection for the remainder of our industry participants and for pension providers and schemes, further developing the MoneyHelper Pensions Dashboard, and conducting consumer testing with real people looking at real data.

I’d like to thank everyone involved, from our team at the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to our partners in government, regulators and the wider pensions industry, for your continued hard work and commitment. Together, we’re building something that has the potential to transform the way people engage with their pensions for the better.