What Money Advice Trust does

Money Advice Trust is a UK national charity, founded in 1991, registered as company limited by guarantee (No. 4741583) under charity number 1099506 and authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA reference 618928). Its mission is to prevent financial difficulty and remove problem debt from people's lives. The organisation is governed by trustees under Chair Christine Farnish CBE and led by Chief Executive Steve Vaid, with a Director of Strategy and Transformation, a Senior Influencing Manager, and a Public Affairs and Policy Officer among the named leadership; reported headcount sits between 101 and 250 staff, with the registered office in Birmingham.

The Trust operates two consumer-facing debt-advice brands. National Debtline (nationaldebtline.org, 0808 808 4000) offers free, independent and confidential advice on personal debt over phone, webchat and online tools; in 2024 it helped 118,300 people over the phone and online and 32,200 via webchat, and its website received 2.18 million visits. Business Debtline (businessdebtline.org, 0800 197 6026), positioned as the UK's only free dedicated debt-advice service for the self-employed and small business owners, helped 37,800 people by phone and 15,400 by webchat in 2024, with the website receiving 667,000+ visits. In 2025 the Trust helped 216,859 people with £2.9bn of debt and reached 391,800 with advice content. Outcomes are strong: 91% (National Debtline) and 90% (Business Debtline) of clients saw their debts reduce or stabilise, and 78% reported full or partial resolution. Supporting these are proprietary assets including the Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form (DMHEF, now Version 4 since first launch in 2008), jointly published Debt Strategy Charts, and free referral materials for partner organisations.

The commercial and sector-facing side of the business is built around vulnerability training and consultancy. The Vulnerability Academy, run in partnership with UK Finance and awarded City & Guilds Assured status, delivers a twelve-session cohort programme covering induction, graduation and ten workshops on topics from financial vulnerability and economic abuse to AI in financial services and digital channel servicing; Cohort 15 is running October 2026 to March 2027 with Cohort 16 announced. Wiseradviser provides free training to the advice-sector and is used by 85% of the UK's free-to-client money advice agencies, training 3,370 advisers across 920 agencies in the last year. Bespoke vulnerability consultancy has been delivered to over 450 regulated firms across financial services, insurance, energy, water and telecommunications since 2011, with more than 53,000 staff trained in that period. Vulnerability expertise is led by Chris Fitch (Vulnerability Lead Consultant) and Colin Trend (Lead Trainer), creators of the industry-standard TEXAS, IDEA and BRUCE tools, and is supported by a research fellowship at the University of Bristol Personal Finance Research Centre. The business model is hybrid: free consumer advice is funded by creditor partners (banks, building societies, utilities, telecoms) and government/regulatory grants; Wiseradviser is free to advice-sector partners; commercial training and consultancy are sold to firms across FCA-, Ofcom-, Ofgem- and Ofwat-regulated sectors under multi-year contracts, with proceeds explicitly reinvested into the free advice services. The organisation runs an annual Vulnerability Conference (inaugural event 2 April 2025), the Vulnerability Matters podcast (60+ episodes), and a content stream of research reports, webinars and policy consultations that reinforce its regulatory positioning.

Name

Money Advice Trust

Legal name

Money Advice Trust

Website

https://moneyadvicetrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Money Advice Trust is a UK national charity providing free personal and small-business debt advice via National Debtline and Business Debtline (helping 216,859 people in 2025) and delivering vulnerability training and consultancy to over 450 creditor firms across regulated sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Debt Advice Services

akta.pro primary industry

Credit Counseling & Debt Management Plans (DMP) (FSAKAJAH)

Keywords

• Debt advice services
• Financial wellbeing charity
• Vulnerability training
• Consumer duty training
• Debt counselling

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Funding from creditors and financial sector: The organization receives funding from creditors including banks, building societies, utilities companies and credit providers who partner with the organization. Proceeds from training and consultancy services are reinvested into helping people in debt through National Debtline and Business Debtline services.
2. Government and regulatory partnerships: The organization works closely with the UK government, devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and regulators including FCA, Ofcom, Ofgem, and Ofwat.
3. Training and consultancy services: Fee-for-service training and consultancy delivered to organizations across regulated sectors (financial services, energy, water, telecommunications). This includes public training sessions, in-house delivery, Vulnerability Academy, and tailored consultancy engagements.
4. Free advice services: National Debtline and Business Debtline services are provided completely free to consumers. These are funded through partnerships and funding arrangements rather than direct charges to service users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Money Advice Trust provides free, independent debt advice to UK individuals via National Debtline and to self-employed/small business owners via Business Debtline, delivered through telephone, webchat and online self-help tools. It complements these free advice services with a commercial training and consultancy division that delivers vulnerability training (Vulnerability Academy, Suicide First Aid, Inclusive Design), bespoke vulnerability consultancy, the Wiseradviser training programme for the free debt advice sector, and supporting resources (DMHEF, Debt Strategy Charts, podcasts, reports).

Product overview

Money Advice Trust is a national charity operating as a platform of integrated debt advice services and vulnerability training offerings. The core portfolio includes National Debtline (free personal debt advice via phone and webchat), Business Debtline (UK's only free debt advice service for self-employed and small businesses), the Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form (DMHEF) for creditors to assess customer mental health, and Debt Strategy Charts as reference tools. Complementing these are training and consultancy services: the Vulnerability Academy (in partnership with UK Finance) offering structured programmes; Vulnerability Consultancy for bespoke organisational support; Vulnerability Training Courses covering topics from mental health to suicide prevention; Wiseradviser providing free training to the debt advice sector (85% market coverage); and the Vulnerability Matters Podcast and Resources library. All offerings are connected through a shared mission to prevent financial difficulty and are supported by ongoing research and policy work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Debtline: Free debt advice service offering practical self-help over the phone and online via webchat. Helps people deal with personal debts including rent/mortgage arrears, court action support, budgeting, and debt management plans.
• Business Debtline
• Wiseradviser
• Vulnerability Academy
• Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form (DMHEF)

Products and services

• National Debtline

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of National Debtline clients saw their debts reduce or stabilise after advice
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, growth and minor.

• UK FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2026UK Finance partnership for the award-winning Vulnerability and Consumer Duty Academy. The Academy is delivered across twelve sessions including induction, graduation, and ten interactive workshops. This is the 16th cohort running October 2026 to March 2027.
• Cruse Bereavement CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to help creditors and frontline staff support bereaved customers. Around 1,500 people die in the UK each day, and 22 organisations must be contacted following each death. Developed e-learning on supporting customers through bereavement.
• National Centre for Suicide Prevention Education and Training (NCSPT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver Suicide First Aid training tailored to financial services and essential services. NCSPT is the UK's leading provider of assured suicide prevention education. Training equips frontline staff with skills and confidence to intervene when customers may be at risk.
• NilegrowthStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Nile (experts in service and experience design) to deliver inclusive design training courses. Nile is a strategic design consultancy helping organisations in highly-regulated sectors meet obligations through human-centred design. Combined with Money Advice Trust's vulnerability expertise.
• Cowry ConsultingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for 'Consumer Duty in action: using behavioural science to communicate with vulnerable customers' public training session. Cowry Consulting specialises in applying behavioural science to create better customer and employee experiences.
• Institute of Money Advisers (IMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint publication of debt strategy charts intended as quick reference guides for debt advisers. Charts cover dealing with debt strategies, priority debts, and mortgage affordability strategies. Also accessible through Wiseradviser Learner Resources.
• Money and Mental Health Policy InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in creating the Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form (DMHEF) Version 4. Also collaborated on 'The need to know' guide for creditors, disclosure guidance for mental health, and other mental health resources.
• British Medical AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvolved in review of DMHEF form that led to key changes in Version 4. Worked on ending GP charging practices for completing the form.
• Credit Services AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey stakeholder in DMHEF review process and Version 4 development. Industry body representing credit services companies.
• UK FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting partner for 'The need to know' guide helping creditors support customers affected by debt and mental health problems. Also partner for Vulnerability Academy.
• Royal College of PsychiatristscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated in creation of DMHEF and earlier vulnerability guidance including the '12 steps' guide for debt collection.
• University of Bristol Personal Finance Research CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for multiple vulnerability guides including 'Vulnerability: the experience of debt advisers', vulnerability guides for lending, and mental capacity guides. Chris Fitch is a Research Fellow at Bristol University.
• Energy UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create 'Vulnerability, mental health, and the energy sector' guide helping energy suppliers identify and support consumers in vulnerable circumstances. Response to Ofgem's modified Standards of Conduct.
• Lending Standards BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint publication of 'Supporting business customers in vulnerable circumstances' report exploring vulnerability in the small business context.
• Fair By DesigngrowthStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to launch reports helping firms and regulators understand and translate inclusive design into practical action.
• WhatWeNeed.SupportgrowthStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported partnership to contribute 10 principles for designing vulnerable consumer data-sharing programmes. Addresses national debate about data-sharing and 'Tell Us Once' approaches.
• Collaboration NetworkgrowthStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Vulnerability 2025 Conference. Collaboration Network co-delivered the event discussing FCA vulnerability review implications.
• ShoosmithsminorOthersVenue provider for the Vulnerability 2025 Conference hosted by Money Advice Trust.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Citizens Advice: National network offering free debt advice alongside broader consumer advice, with parallel training for advisers and creditor-funded partnerships. Overlaps with both National Debtline and Wiseradviser's training reach across the free advice sector.
• Money Wellness: Free debt-advice provider, part of the Intrum group, delivering telephone and online debt advice, DMPs and IVAs. Direct competitor to National Debtline/PayPlan-style services and a creditor-funded counterpart to MAT.
• StepChange Debt Charity: UK's largest free debt-advice charity providing telephone and online debt counselling, debt management plans and similar services. Directly competes with National Debtline for the same population of UK consumers struggling with personal debt.
• Christians Against Poverty (CAP): UK charity providing free debt counselling, face-to-face money coaching and money-management courses. Comparable model: free client-facing advice, charity status, funded by partner churches/organisations, and overlap with Wiseradviser's debt adviser training.
• PayPlan (community-based debt advice): Free debt-advice service funded through the Money and Pensions Service and creditor contributions, handling DMPs, IVAs and bankruptcy. Direct overlap with National Debtline and Business Debtline on debt solution delivery.
• The Money Charity: UK charity focused on financial education, money guidance and policy work. Less advice-led than MAT, but operates in the same financial-wellbeing education and stakeholder-influencing space, with comparable employer and school programmes.

Others

• UK Finance: Trade association representing UK banks and financial firms; co-delivers MAT's Vulnerability and Consumer Duty Academy. Adjacent rather than competing — acts as both ecosystem partner and counterparty for influencing the regulator.
• Lending Standards Board: Self-regulatory body monitoring consumer-credit firm treatment of customers in vulnerable circumstances. Co-publishes guides with MAT (e.g. small-business vulnerability report) and competes partially for creditor-policy advisory mandates.

Emerging players

• Money and Mental Health Policy Institute: Research and policy charity that co-developed the DMHEF with Money Advice Trust. Overlap on policy influencing, mental-health-and-debt research outputs, and creditor-facing guidance.
• Institute of Money Advisers (IMA): Professional body for UK money advisers that jointly publishes Debt Strategy Charts with MAT. Overlaps with Wiseradviser's training and resource role, but professional-membership rather than charity-training focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/money_advice
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCiJ7yBHlO3kVLF5D1EGC85w
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/money-advice-trust

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Money Advice Trust