Analysis · No. 11 · Sectors
Fintech and financial services: technology and payments are rising.
We sorted everything government published, bought, discussed and was asked about since the July 2024 election into 39 sectors. Financial services is the 13th busiest.
We read 456,455 records across 24 sources. We placed each record in the sectors its words are about, with the same scorer that runs search on Seam. We measure activity in five strands: what government publishes, what it buys, who it meets, what Parliament asks, and who checks it. The method is at the end of the page.
Where financial services ranks
Financial services ranks 13th of the 39 sectors. The three busiest are health and social care, education and skills and local government. It is strongest in “who it meets”, where it takes 4.2% of records, about 3 times the typical sector’s share, sixth of the 39 sectors.
The busiest sectors in government
Each sector’s share of activity in the latest twelve months (Nov 2025–Oct 2026), averaged across the five strands. It shows the top 12 of 39, and Financial services. The three busiest are darker, and Financial services is darkest.
- Financial services
- The three busiest sectors
- Other sectors
- 1. Health and social care7.9%
- 2. Education and skills8.1%
- 3. Local government8.3%
- 4. Energy and utilities6.1%
- 5. Transport5.2%
- 6. Digital and telecoms4.7%
- 7. Justice and policing5.4%
- 8. Life sciences5.3%
- 9. Manufacturing3.9%
- 10. Small business3.7%
- 11. Housing3.9%
- 12. Construction3.3%
- 13. Financial services3.2%
We order sectors by their average rank on three measures: the average strand share shown here, the middle (median) strand share, and the raw number of records. Ties go to the higher average share. The table shows all three.
Show the numbers
| # | Sector | Average share | Rank | Middle strand share | Rank | Records | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health and social care | 7.9% | 3 | 8.6% | 1 | 22,613 | 1 |
| 2 | Education and skills | 8.1% | 2 | 7.9% | 2 | 22,370 | 2 |
| 3 | Local government | 8.3% | 1 | 6.0% | 3 | 13,388 | 7 |
| 4 | Energy and utilities | 6.1% | 4 | 5.5% | 4 | 15,165 | 5 |
| 5 | Transport | 5.2% | 7 | 4.5% | 7 | 17,494 | 4 |
| 6 | Digital and telecoms | 4.7% | 8 | 5.3% | 5 | 13,865 | 6 |
| 7 | Justice and policing | 5.4% | 5 | 5.2% | 6 | 10,366 | 10 |
| 8 | Life sciences | 5.3% | 6 | 3.4% | 12 | 18,079 | 3 |
| 9 | Manufacturing | 3.9% | 10 | 4.1% | 8 | 10,918 | 8 |
| 10 | Small business | 3.7% | 11 | 3.5% | 11 | 10,441 | 9 |
| 11 | Housing | 3.9% | 9 | 3.5% | 10 | 8,246 | 14 |
| 12 | Construction | 3.3% | 12 | 3.3% | 13 | 9,133 | 11 |
| 13 | Financial services | 3.2% | 13 | 3.7% | 9 | 8,066 | 15 |
| 14 | Environment | 2.9% | 15 | 2.9% | 14 | 8,254 | 13 |
| 15 | Employment | 3.1% | 14 | 2.7% | 17 | 8,299 | 12 |
| 16 | Children and families | 2.8% | 16 | 2.7% | 16 | 7,613 | 16 |
| 17 | Charities | 2.5% | 17 | 2.9% | 15 | 6,541 | 18 |
| 18 | Planning | 1.9% | 21 | 2.5% | 18 | 6,140 | 19 |
| 19 | Defence | 2.3% | 18 | 1.4% | 26 | 7,560 | 17 |
| 20 | Research and science | 1.8% | 23 | 1.8% | 20 | 4,498 | 24 |
| 21 | Tax and accounting | 2.2% | 19 | 1.0% | 30 | 5,661 | 20 |
| 22 | Farming and food | 1.8% | 24 | 2.2% | 19 | 4,403 | 26 |
| 23 | Media, culture and sport | 1.7% | 25 | 1.5% | 24 | 5,538 | 21 |
| 24 | govaffairs | 2.1% | 20 | 1.8% | 21 | 3,355 | 32 |
| 25 | Foreign affairs and trade | 1.9% | 22 | 1.3% | 28 | 4,651 | 23 |
| 26 | Aviation, maritime and ports | 1.6% | 27 | 1.6% | 22 | 4,165 | 27 |
| 27 | Welfare | 1.7% | 26 | 1.0% | 29 | 5,413 | 22 |
| 28 | Pensions | 1.5% | 28 | 1.5% | 25 | 4,134 | 28 |
| 29 | Retail | 1.5% | 30 | 1.5% | 23 | 3,743 | 30 |
| 30 | Water | 1.5% | 29 | 1.4% | 27 | 4,042 | 29 |
| 31 | Facilities and estates | 1.1% | 32 | 0.8% | 34 | 4,421 | 25 |
| 32 | Automotive | 1.0% | 33 | 0.9% | 31 | 3,413 | 31 |
| 33 | Immigration | 1.1% | 31 | 0.9% | 32 | 3,285 | 33 |
| 34 | Aviation | 0.8% | 34 | 0.8% | 33 | 1,946 | 35 |
| 35 | Artificial intelligence | 0.8% | 35 | 0.7% | 35 | 2,099 | 34 |
| 36 | Hospitality and tourism | 0.5% | 36 | 0.6% | 36 | 1,827 | 36 |
| 37 | Insurance | 0.3% | 37 | 0.3% | 37 | 998 | 37 |
| 38 | Semiconductors and compute | 0.2% | 38 | 0.2% | 38 | 668 | 38 |
| 39 | Gambling | 0.1% | 39 | 0.1% | 39 | 349 | 39 |
Where financial services shows up
Share of each strand’s records that affect financial services, latest twelve months, against the typical (median) sector.
- Typical sector
- Financial services
- What government publishesAnnouncements, policy papers, consultations, guidance, transparency releases, statistics, NHS England3.7%
- What it buysContract notices and awards1.7%
- Who it meetsMeetings ministers and senior officials hold with outside organisations4.2%
- What Parliament asksWritten and oral questions, debates, select committee letters and evidence, Holyrood and the Senedd4.3%
- Who checks itRegulators, the Information Commissioner, the public auditors, the RPC2.2%
A record can touch more than one sector, so shares across sectors add up to more than 100%.
Show the numbers
| Strand | Records in the strand | Financial services | Typical sector | Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What government publishes | 33,752 | 3.7% | 2.9% | 1.3× |
| What it buys | 98,295 | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.0× |
| Who it meets | 11,870 | 4.2% | 1.6% | 2.6× |
| What Parliament asks | 102,894 | 4.3% | 2.6% | 1.7× |
| Who checks it | 7,018 | 2.2% | 1.5% | 1.5× |
How it has changed
Since the government’s first year, financial services’ share of “what it buys” has moved most upward (+0.2 points). Its shares of “who it meets”, “what parliament asks” and “who checks it” have held steady (0 points each).
Then and now, strand by strand
Financial services’ share of each strand in the government’s first year (Jul 2024–Jun 2025) and the latest twelve months (Nov 2025–Oct 2026).
- First year
- Latest twelve months: bigger share
- smaller share
- What government publishes+0.1 pts
- What it buys+0.2 pts
- Who it meets0 pts
- What Parliament asks0 pts
- Who checks it0 pts
Show the numbers
| Strand | First year | Latest 12 months | Change, points |
|---|---|---|---|
| What government publishes | 3.6% | 3.7% | +0.1 |
| What it buys | 1.5% | 1.7% | +0.2 |
| Who it meets | 4.2% | 4.2% | 0.0 |
| What Parliament asks | 4.3% | 4.3% | 0.0 |
| Who checks it | 2.2% | 2.2% | 0.0 |
Month by month, in each strand
Financial services’ share of each strand, averaged over three months to reduce the effect of single busy weeks. Each panel has its own scale. Hover over the line to see each month.
- Higher now than at the start
- Lower
What government publishes
3.6% → 3.7%
What it buys
1.5% → 1.7%
Who it meets
4.2% → 4.2%
What Parliament asks
4.3% → 4.3%
Who checks it
2.2% → 2.2%
Meetings appear a quarter or more late, so that panel stops earlier than the rest.
How much activity affects financial services, month by month
Records affecting financial services each month, July 2024 to October 2026, coloured by strand. Hover over a column for the detail.
- What government publishes
- What it buys
- Who it meets
- What Parliament asks
- Who checks it
The busiest month was June 2026. Counts swing with the parliamentary calendar and with how sources publish (a council can post a hundred contract awards in a day). That is why the rest of this page uses shares.
Show the numbers
| Month | What government publishes | What it buys | Who it meets | What Parliament asks | Who checks it | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2024 | 54 | 0 | 69 | 159 | 13 | 295 |
| August 2024 | 45 | 2 | 27 | 51 | 6 | 131 |
| September 2024 | 54 | 3 | 68 | 145 | 7 | 277 |
| October 2024 | 89 | 1 | 98 | 324 | 15 | 527 |
| November 2024 | 78 | 2 | 71 | 235 | 8 | 394 |
| December 2024 | 54 | 3 | 44 | 276 | 18 | 395 |
| January 2025 | 107 | 7 | 64 | 316 | 13 | 507 |
| February 2025 | 50 | 6 | 80 | 360 | 5 | 501 |
| March 2025 | 60 | 26 | 64 | 453 | 23 | 626 |
| April 2025 | 57 | 40 | 70 | 338 | 11 | 516 |
| May 2025 | 54 | 64 | 66 | 330 | 20 | 534 |
| June 2025 | 70 | 51 | 64 | 433 | 22 | 640 |
| July 2025 | 96 | 68 | 98 | 309 | 19 | 590 |
| August 2025 | 66 | 62 | 18 | 116 | 9 | 271 |
| September 2025 | 83 | 57 | 102 | 305 | 13 | 560 |
| October 2025 | 66 | 82 | 88 | 446 | 15 | 697 |
| November 2025 | 83 | 81 | 83 | 391 | 12 | 650 |
| December 2025 | 92 | 97 | 54 | 310 | 16 | 569 |
| January 2026 | 91 | 74 | 70 | 418 | 13 | 666 |
| February 2026 | 76 | 104 | 66 | 349 | 8 | 603 |
| March 2026 | 121 | 150 | 85 | 458 | 24 | 838 |
| April 2026 | 102 | 92 | 28 | 259 | 12 | 493 |
| May 2026 | 92 | 87 | 32 | 226 | 16 | 453 |
| June 2026 | 121 | 127 | 75 | 595 | 15 | 933 |
| July 2026 | 134 | 105 | 0 | 398 | 11 | 648 |
| August 2026 | 108 | 187 | 0 | 227 | 12 | 534 |
| September 2026 | 128 | 303 | 0 | 324 | 17 | 772 |
| October 2026 | 114 | 287 | 0 | 505 | 1 | 907 |
What it is about
The biggest themes are banks and building societies, the Budget, Treasury and public money and fintech, technology and AI. Growing fastest: fintech, technology and AI, payments and open banking and markets, listings and investment. Fading: advice and consumer protection and fraud and scams. Parliament drives advice and consumer protection and the regulators. Contracts drive markets, listings and investment.
What financial services activity is about
Share of financial services records touching each theme, first year (Jul 2024–Jun 2025) against the latest twelve months (Nov 2025–Oct 2026). Sorted by the latest share.
- First year
- Latest twelve months: bigger share
- smaller share
- Banks and building societies13.2%
- The Budget, Treasury and public money8.0%
- Fintech, technology and AI6.3%
- Markets, listings and investment6.1%
- Fraud and scams5.7%
- Advice and consumer protection5.7%
- Lending, credit and mortgages4.6%
- The regulators4.0%
- Payments and open banking2.5%
- Money laundering and sanctions2.1%
- Crypto and digital assets2.0%
- Insurance and pensions money1.4%
A record can affect several themes, or none. 52% touch none of these, usually because the title says too little (“Lot 2”, “Provision of services”). The word lists are in the method box at the end of the page.
Show the numbers
| Theme | Records | First year | Latest 12 months | Relative change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banks and building societies | 2,054 | 13.6% | 13.2% | −3% |
| The Budget, Treasury and public money | 1,066 | 5.9% | 8.0% | +36% |
| Fintech, technology and AI | 764 | 3.0% | 6.3% | +110% |
| Markets, listings and investment | 809 | 4.0% | 6.1% | +52% |
| Fraud and scams | 948 | 6.7% | 5.7% | −15% |
| Advice and consumer protection | 1,070 | 8.8% | 5.7% | −35% |
| Lending, credit and mortgages | 636 | 3.4% | 4.6% | +35% |
| The regulators | 658 | 4.2% | 4.0% | −5% |
| Payments and open banking | 321 | 1.5% | 2.5% | +67% |
| Money laundering and sanctions | 332 | 1.9% | 2.1% | +11% |
| Crypto and digital assets | 271 | 1.4% | 2.0% | +43% |
| Insurance and pensions money | 217 | 1.4% | 1.4% | 0% |
The themes, quarter by quarter
Share of financial services records touching each theme in each quarter, in per cent. We set the shading row by row. The darkest cell is that theme’s busiest quarter. Hover over a cell for the detail.
- Quietest quarter for the theme
- Busiest quarter
| Jul–Sep2024 | Oct–Dec2024 | Jan–Mar2025 | Apr–Jun2025 | Jul–Sep2025 | Oct–Dec2025 | Jan–Mar2026 | Apr–Jun2026 | Jul–Sep2026 | Oct2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banks and building societies | 14.7 | 12.8 | 13.0 | 14.4 | 12.2 | 13.2 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 11.4 | 11.2 |
| The Budget, Treasury and public money | 5.8 | 6.6 | 5.4 | 5.8 | 5.0 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 7.9 | 8.9 | 11.7 |
| Fintech, technology and AI | 2.1 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 10.4 |
| Markets, listings and investment | 2.6 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 6.2 | 7.3 | 6.9 |
| Fraud and scams | 3.8 | 6.3 | 8.2 | 6.7 | 5.8 | 7.0 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 4.8 | 2.4 |
| Advice and consumer protection | 7.8 | 8.4 | 8.7 | 9.5 | 7.0 | 5.6 | 6.2 | 5.8 | 5.2 | 6.1 |
| Lending, credit and mortgages | 2.1 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 5.6 |
| The regulators | 2.8 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 4.7 |
| Payments and open banking | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
| Money laundering and sanctions | 1.1 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 2.3 |
| Crypto and digital assets | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 2.3 |
| Insurance and pensions money | 1.6 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Financial services records in the quarter | 703 | 1,316 | 1,634 | 1,690 | 1,421 | 1,916 | 2,107 | 1,879 | 1,954 | 907 |
The first quarter starts on 5 July 2024, the day after the general election. The last runs only to the end of October 2026. Read along a row, not down a column.
Where each theme comes from
Share of each theme’s records by strand, since July 2024. Sorted by how much comes from Parliament.
- What government publishes
- What it buys
- Who it meets
- What Parliament asks
- Who checks it
- Advice and consumer protection14%78%
- The regulators14%68%
- The Budget, Treasury and public money25%68%
- Fraud and scams24%64%
- Lending, credit and mortgages21%62%
- Money laundering and sanctions27%61%10%
- Crypto and digital assets19%10%58%
- Banks and building societies12%10%24%51%
- Fintech, technology and AI20%14%14%50%
- Payments and open banking14%31%49%
- Insurance and pensions money13%26%14%46%
- Markets, listings and investment12%40%20%27%
Themes near the top are what MPs and peers raise. Themes near the bottom are what government buys, publishes or is checked on.
Show the numbers
| Theme | What government publishes | What it buys | Who it meets | What Parliament asks | Who checks it | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advice and consumer protection | 13.6% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 78.5% | 2.5% | 1,070 |
| The regulators | 14.3% | 2.9% | 7.3% | 68.5% | 7.0% | 658 |
| The Budget, Treasury and public money | 25.0% | 1.1% | 3.2% | 67.8% | 2.9% | 1,066 |
| Fraud and scams | 23.7% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 63.5% | 7.8% | 948 |
| Lending, credit and mortgages | 21.2% | 6.3% | 6.9% | 62.4% | 3.1% | 636 |
| Money laundering and sanctions | 27.1% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 61.1% | 9.9% | 332 |
| Crypto and digital assets | 18.8% | 9.6% | 8.1% | 58.3% | 5.2% | 271 |
| Banks and building societies | 12.5% | 10.3% | 24.0% | 51.3% | 1.9% | 2,054 |
| Fintech, technology and AI | 20.2% | 13.5% | 14.1% | 50.4% | 1.8% | 764 |
| Payments and open banking | 13.7% | 31.2% | 4.7% | 49.2% | 1.2% | 321 |
| Insurance and pensions money | 12.9% | 25.8% | 14.3% | 46.5% | 0.5% | 217 |
| Markets, listings and investment | 11.5% | 39.9% | 19.8% | 27.4% | 1.4% | 809 |
Who is involved
HM Treasury publishes most, Ministry of Justice buys most, and Lloyds Banking Group is the organisation ministers and officials meet most often on financial services.
Who is doing the financial services activity
The ten bodies with the most records in each strand since July 2024. Hover over a bar for the full name and count.
Who publishes most · 117 bodies
Who buys most · 689 buyers
Who ministers and officials meet most · 965 organisations
Which departments answer the questions
Contracts went to 1,575 different suppliers. The ten busiest won 5% of them. The meetings chart counts each organisation named on a return once per meeting.
What Parliament asks
Each party asks close to its usual share of financial services questions. Written questions here take a median 8 days to answer, against 8 across government.
Who asks about financial services
Share of written and oral questions on financial services asked by each party, against its share of all questions, since July 2024.
- All questions
- Financial services: more than its usual share
- less
- Labour30%
- Conservative41%
- Liberal Democrat18%
- Reform UK2%
- Independent3%
- Crossbench1%
- SNP1%
- Green1%
- DUP3%
- Plaid Cymru1%
Based on 7,296 questions where the asking member’s party is recorded. Peers sit in the Lords. “Crossbench” members belong to no party.
Show the numbers
| Party | Financial services | All questions |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 29.5% | 29.0% |
| Conservative | 40.8% | 39.9% |
| Liberal Democrat | 17.5% | 18.4% |
| Reform UK | 1.8% | 2.5% |
| Independent | 3.1% | 3.7% |
| Crossbench | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| SNP | 1.3% | 0.9% |
| Green | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| DUP | 3.1% | 2.7% |
| Plaid Cymru | 1.3% | 0.8% |
Where the money goes
2,168 contract notices and awards since July 2024. The typical (median) one is worth £150k, against £120k across all of government.
Contracts, quarter by quarter
Financial services contract notices and awards each quarter. The figure above each column is its share of all contracts that quarter.
The last quarter runs only to the end of October 2026.
Show the numbers
| Quarter | Contracts | Share of all contracts |
|---|---|---|
| Jul–Sep 2024 | 5 | 1.1% |
| Oct–Dec 2024 | 6 | 1.0% |
| Jan–Mar 2025 | 39 | 1.3% |
| Apr–Jun 2025 | 155 | 1.6% |
| Jul–Sep 2025 | 187 | 1.3% |
| Oct–Dec 2025 | 260 | 1.7% |
| Jan–Mar 2026 | 328 | 1.7% |
| Apr–Jun 2026 | 306 | 1.7% |
| Jul–Sep 2026 | 595 | 1.6% |
| Oct 2026 | 287 | 2.1% |
How big the contracts are
Share of financial services contract notices and awards in each value band, against all contracts, since July 2024.
- All contracts
- Financial services: more common
- less common
- Under £10k1%
- £10k–100k41%
- £100k–1m35%
- £1m–10m14%
- £10m–100m6%
- £100m and over3%
Values are what the buyer published: an estimate for an open notice, the award for a closed one, and for a framework the ceiling across every buyer that might use it.
Show the numbers
| Value | Financial services | All contracts |
|---|---|---|
| Under £10k | 0.8% | 5.9% |
| £10k–100k | 40.7% | 40.2% |
| £100k–1m | 35.4% | 33.1% |
| £1m–10m | 14.2% | 13.9% |
| £10m–100m | 6.0% | 4.9% |
| £100m and over | 2.9% | 2.0% |
On the record
The most recent policy papers and consultations that affect financial services, dated by when each consultation closed or each paper was last updated. Every one is on Seam with the rest of its source.
- Policy paper · last updated 31 October 2026 · Infected Blood Compensation AuthorityFurther Interim Compensation Payments for Estates
- Policy paper · last updated 31 October 2026 · Infected Blood Compensation AuthorityInfected Blood Compensation Scheme
- Policy paper · last updated 31 October 2026 · Infected Blood Compensation AuthorityInfected Blood Interim Compensation Payment Scheme: further interim payments to living infected beneficiaries and estates
- Policy paper · last updated 28 October 2026 · HM TreasuryCo-operatives and Mutuals Champion
- Policy paper · last updated 28 October 2026 · HM Revenue & CustomsCryptoasset loans and liquidity pools
- Policy paper · last updated 28 October 2026 · HM TreasuryEntrepreneurship in the UK: Start. Scale. Stay.
- Policy paper · last updated 28 October 2026 · HM Revenue & CustomsIncrease in the banking surcharge rate for a temporary period
- Policy paper · last updated 28 October 2026 · HM Revenue & CustomsLandfill Communities Fund value for 2027 to 2028
If you work in fintech or financial services
- Know where your sector stands out. For financial services it is “who it meets”, at 3 times the typical sector’s share. That is where your sector stands out most against others.
- Follow the rising themes. Growing fastest: fintech, technology and AI, payments and open banking and markets, listings and investment. Watch these for new consultations, contracts and questions.
- Find the people already talking. The organisations in the meetings chart already have access to ministers.
How we did this: method and caveats
Data. The Seam search database: one row for every record in every source on the site. This piece uses everything dated from 5 July 2024, the day after the general election, to the end of October 2026: 456,455 records. We leave out directories (officials, bodies, councils, registers of interests) because they are lists, not activity. We also leave out ministers’ expenses, hospitality, gifts and travel. Meetings appear a quarter or more late, so the latest months hold fewer of them. Charts built on months or quarters use whole months only.
The five strands. What government publishes: announcements, policy papers, consultations, guidance, transparency releases, statistics, NHS England (62,441 records). What it buys: contract notices and awards (132,067 records). Who it meets: meetings ministers and senior officials hold with outside organisations (36,405 records). What Parliament asks: written and oral questions, debates, select committee letters and evidence, Holyrood and the Senedd (208,774 records). Who checks it: regulators, the Information Commissioner, the public auditors, the RPC (16,768 records).
Sectors. The scorer that ranks search results on Seam reads each record. It checks the record against the hand-written lexicon (word list) of 39 sectors: phrases and words for each, with words that argue against a sector. A record counts towards its strongest sector, and towards any other sector that scores at least half as much. If a record’s strongest sector scores below 2.5 (less than one decisive phrase), we leave the record unplaced. 74% of records are placed. We made three changes from the search pages, all because a count needs to be stricter than a search. First, we do not use the publisher, because a department’s name decided too many thin records on its own. Second, we switch off the machine-learned extra terms, because they placed records in sectors they were not about. Third, we remove boilerplate first, such as the “Senior official. Meetings” that ends every meeting record. We make one correction by hand. We take a record out of local government if its only “council” is the UN Security Council or a similar body.
Activity and rank. A sector’s activity is its share of each strand’s records, averaged across the five, so that no strand dominates. The biggest strand, what parliament asks, has 12 times as many records as the smallest. We rank sectors on three measures over the latest twelve months (Nov 2025–Oct 2026): that average, the middle (median) strand share, and the raw count of records. We then order them by their average rank across the three. Health and social care, Education and skills and Local government come third, second and first on the average share and first, second and third on the middle share. On the raw count they come first, second and 7th, because sectors heavy in contracts and written questions collect more records. We also tried the scorer with the publisher and the extra terms switched back on. The same sectors stayed near the top, but digital and telecoms rose sharply on meetings alone. That is the noise those changes remove.
Themes come from keywords in each record’s title and summary. For a meeting, that is its purpose and the organisation met. For a question, it is the question. The lists are below. They are a judgement, and they miss records whose titles say little.
Change over time compares the government’s first year (July 2024 to June 2025) with the latest twelve months (Nov 2025–Oct 2026). We compare shares, not counts, because the amount published swings with the parliamentary calendar.
Caveats. Counting records measures how much paper a subject generates, not how much it matters or what it costs. Some sources publish in bulk. One council that posts each school-taxi route as its own contract award can move a sector’s share of contracts on its own. The charts say so where one buyer accounts for 15% or more of a sector’s contract records. Contract values are as published. Frameworks carry their ceiling, which is why we use bands and medians, never totals.
The theme word lists
| Theme | Words and phrases in the title or summary |
|---|---|
| Payments and open banking | payment (services, systems?, institutions?, providers?, accounts?), open banking, open finance, Payment Systems Regulator, PSR, faster payments, card (payments?, schemes?), interchange, e-money, electronic money, variable recurring, cash, cashless, direct debits?, remittances? |
| Fraud and scams | fraud, scams?, authorised push payment, money mules?, reimbursement |
| Money laundering and sanctions | money laundering, AML, anti-money, economic crime, proceeds of crime, suspicious activity, OFSI, financial sanctions, sanctions |
| Crypto and digital assets | crypto, stablecoins?, digital (assets?, securities, pound, gilts?, currenc), tokeni[sz], blockchain, distributed ledger, CBDC |
| Banks and building societies | banks?, banking, building societ, credit unions?, bank (branch, branches, hubs?), ring-?fenc, deposit (protection, guarantee, insurance), FSCS, bank levy |
| The regulators | Financial Conduct Authority, FCA, Prudential Regulation, PRA, Bank of England, Financial Ombudsman, FOS, Financial Policy Committee, Payment Systems Regulator, regulatory (perimeter, framework, burden, reform), consumer duty, growth (and competitiveness )?objective, senior managers |
| Lending, credit and mortgages | mortgages?, consumer credit, buy now,? pay later, BNPL, lend(ing, ers?), loans?, credit (cards?, reference, scores?, files?), motor finance, car finance, overdrafts?, debts? |
| Markets, listings and investment | capital markets, stock (exchange, market), listings?, IPOs?, securities, investment (funds?, firms?, managers?, trusts?), asset manage, wealth manage, wholesale (markets?, financial), private markets, PISCES, Mansion House, ISAs?, retail invest |
| Insurance and pensions money | insurance, insurers?, reinsur, underwrit, pension (funds?, schemes?, investment), defined (benefit, contribution), annuit |
| Advice and consumer protection | financial advice, advice gap, targeted support, financial (inclusion, education, capability, wellbeing), vulnerable customers?, complaints?, redress, compensation, mis-?sell |
| Fintech, technology and AI | fintech, regtech, insurtech, sandbox, innovation, start-?ups?, scale-?ups?, AI, artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital (identity, ID, wallets?, banking, payments?, markets?, services), technolog, cyber, cloud |
| The Budget, Treasury and public money | Budget, Spending Review, fiscal, public finances, HM Treasury, HMT, gilts?, Debt Management, National Savings, NS&I, Chancellor |