Retail & Inclusion | Finance Watch

Policy portal Retail & Inclusion

Access to financial services for individuals is a prerequisite for social inclusion, a decent standard of living during working and retirement age and protection in case of unexpected life events. Unaffordable offers and discriminatory practices are some of the barriers preventing many citizens from accessing the basic financial services needed to participate in modern life.

EU policymakers have a responsibility to remove these barriers and make the retail financial services market safe and fair. Rules are also needed to help citizens avoid over-indebtedness and offer a way out for those who find themselves in this difficult situation. And all of this must extend to the digital world (See also “digitalisation” under “Digital Finance“).

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17 PUBLICATIONS

Joint statement

06/03/2025

Retail & Inclusion

Consumers need fairer and safer investments: joint civil society recommendations on the Retail Investment Strategy trilogues

Civil society is calling for crucial improvements to the Retail Investment Strategy (RIS) to ensure that EU investors receive fair treatment, better protection and greater trust in financial markets.
Joint statement

10/02/2025

Retail & Inclusion

Finance Watch supports the call to protect consumers’ right to choose digital or print communications

As retail financial services become increasingly digitised, Finance Watch remains committed to protecting the vulnerable from financial exclusion.
Position paper

17/12/2024

Digital Finance

Ensuring Consumer Protection in the Financial Data Access (FIDA) Regulation

Robust regulatory safeguards for responsible data use and governance
Position paper

12/11/2024

Retail & Inclusion

A Revised Mortgage Credit Directive

A path towards affordability, fair access and debt relief in EU housing
Position paper

03/07/2024

Retail & Inclusion

Making the digital market for retail financial services safer for consumers

Finance Watch’s key recommendations for the fitness check of EU consumer law on digital fairness
Consultation response

07/06/2024

Retail & Inclusion

Consultation response: Adapting the Irish Consumer Protection Code to today’s challenges
Report

25/04/2024

Retail & Inclusion

Report: Breaking down barriers to basic payment accounts in the EU

Finance Watch releases a new study identifying the barriers to basic payment accounts for vulnerable consumers in Germany, Spain and Romania, and calls on EU policymakers to update the EU Payment Accounts...
Open letter

18/03/2024

Retail & Inclusion

Joint Statement on the EU Retail Investment Strategy

On Monday 18 March, Finance Watch, BETTER FINANCE, and the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) issued a joint statement in reaction to the compromise text for the EU Retail Investment Strategy (RIS) currently...
Policy brief

19/09/2023

Retail & Inclusion

Policy brief – Citizens are not the product

In this policy brief, Finance Watch outlines the improvements that need to be made to the EU Commission proposal on the open finance framework currently being discussed by the EU co-legislators to...
Policy brief

19/10/2022

Retail & Inclusion

Root causes of household over-indebtedness

Without strong consumer protection legislation and proper public social security systems, the risk of financial difficulty is left to chance, making people vulnerable to predatory schemes. In this short policy brief, Finance...
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The blog corner

A young woman experiencing an issue with an online payment

Retail & Inclusion

Level:Beginner

03.07.2025

How unfair commercial practices in finance put consumers at risk

Retail & Inclusion

Level:Beginner

17.03.2025

What is financial inclusion?

Retail & Inclusion

Level:Regular

08.02.2023

Gender Equality efforts in Europe have stalled. Can better Consumer Protections get it moving again?
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