David Ferguson: The hideous truth

The hideous truth

clock

There are four quadrants to building a great business, writes David Ferguson, but complacently listing 'building trust' among them is where some of our esteemed institutions have got it so wrong...

The accelerated emergence of transparency has gouged our financial institutions. Most of them (and I mean in the widest societal sense) are talking about how to rebuild trust. The truth is they never had it. It was actually ignorance, complacently misread as trust. This hugely fuels the start-up vibe, which is not purely a factor of scale. There are shockingly bad small companies and there are wonderful large companies. The vibe is a factor of caring and one of culture and consists of four quadrants: a refreshing purpose; a questioning mind; a complete lack of fear; and a relentles...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Wrap/platforms

Hargreaves Lansdown slashes account fees to 0.35% in charges overhaul

Hargreaves Lansdown slashes account fees to 0.35% in charges overhaul

Annual account charges to drop

Patrick Brusnahan
clock 26 January 2026 • 1 min read
AJ Bell platform AUM hits record £108bn as advised customer numbers rise

AJ Bell platform AUM hits record £108bn as advised customer numbers rise

Figures for the three months ended 31 December 2025

Jenna Brown
clock 22 January 2026 • 2 min read
Platforms in 2026: The good, the bad and the opportunity

Platforms in 2026: The good, the bad and the opportunity

'The optimist sees the donut. The pessimist sees the hole'

Steve Andrews
clock 16 January 2026 • 4 min read