Financial wellbeing enters a new phase as fintech and benefits collide at REBA Congress 2026
Monzo’s acquisition of Habito
App-based mobile bank Monzo burst onto the UK banking scene in 2015. It is instantly recognisable for its neon cards and a brand built to resonate with younger generations.
In April 2026, it announced its acquisition of digital mortgage broker Habito, which uses an algorithm paired with human experts to search through over 20,000 mortgage products across more than 95 lenders.
The acquisition combines tech knowledge from both organisations to create a more simplified mortgage experience.
What does this mean for employers?
The cost of housing ranked among the top five financial resilience issues employers are tackling, according to REBA’s Financial Wellbeing Research 2025, with 19% planning to address it between 2025 and 2027.
Employers can add Habito to an employee benefits portal via an Application Programming Interface (API) or referral link, but it also works as a standalone service.
Employees can access a range of mortgage advice for first time buyers, remortgaging and buy-to-let plus mortgage calculators, affordability tools and application tracking.
Employees do not need to bank with Monzo to use Habito, and employees will be teamed with a dedicated adviser and case manager to help them find the right mortgage product.
The core service is free for both employer and employee.
Habito also offers paid add-ons, such as its Habito Plus package, which is a complete homebuying service that includes conveyancing and surveys. While these services carry a fee, all mortgage advice continues to be provided at no cost.
Secondsight’s Financial Resilience Scorecard
When employees lack financial resilience, even small financial shocks create stress that disrupts sleep, concentration and wellbeing.
This can lead to lower performance, higher absence and, over time, greater turnover as people seek higher pay to ease financial strain.
As employers look to understand where these pressures are most acute, attention is turning to tools that can provide clearer insight.
With financial resilience now a core component of workforce stability, organisations are increasingly seeking ways to identify which groups are most exposed and where targeted support could make the greatest difference.
What does this mean for employers?
Launched at REBA Congress, Secondsight’s new Financial Resilience Scorecard offers employers two assessments designed to measure financial resilience across their workforce.
The first is a one-minute check that tells an organisation immediately whether a financial resilience gap exists.
The second is a full corporate assessment completed by employees which generates an individual financial resilience score and report for each participant, with all data then aggregated into a single employer score and organisational report.
This can be benchmarked against peers and analysed to show employers where financial risks and pressure points sit across their workforce.
It aims to provide evidence to build a business case for investment, moving financial resilience from an additional benefit to a recognised business and people risk issue.
The Scorecard was introduced during a speaker session from Secondsight employee benefits specialist Darren Laverty, who said many workplace financial wellbeing programmes are too broad to create meaningful behaviour change.
He argued that this left employees underprepared and exposed to financial risk
Secondsight is currently offering REBA members its Corporate Financial Resilience Survey free of charge.
Salary Finance’s Open Banking tool
Salary Finance is a well-established provider of inclusive payroll loans, access to earned pay, savings, and financial education to reduce financial stress at work and make the UK workforce financially healthier and happier.
It currently supports 4 million employees across the UK with over 500 client partners, including FTSE100 employers, 80% of the largest UK supermarkets, NHS Trusts, and central government.
Most savings advice assumes employees have spare cash at the end of the month and the discipline to move it.
Salary Finance's EasySave flips this model by allowing employees to up an account in two clicks.
Money is then automatically set aside straight from pay and is instantly accessible to the employee when it's needed.
What does this mean for employers?
A financially resilient workforce is more focused, more productive and more likely to stay.
EasySave gives employees a buffer against unexpected costs, without needing to lean on willpower to save.
The product was built for employees who have tried and stopped saving before, allowing them to build savings without realising.
There’s no cost to either employer or employees and the account has a 3.8% AER.
Launching this September with a major UK retailer, EasySave is being rolled out to employer partners shortly after.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, REBA
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