Social commerce is booming in the UK, but the era of hyper-growth is coming to an end. Even so, social will continue gaining share of the digital wallet through 2029.

UK neobank Monzo has agreed to acquire online mortgage broker Habito as it expands its homeownership features—including tracking and brokering home loans—in its app. Neobank super apps create unique banking journeys that engage customers based on different needs as their financial lives progress. With an integrated mortgage broker, Monzo ties together its home insurance product and mortgage-tracking feature—and could debut a direct mortgage product in the future.

UK holiday spending is expected to rise 3.5% this year, according to PwC, with average spending per shopper projected to increase 2.7%, driven in part by younger consumers planning to increase their budgets. Beneath the surface, however, the outlook is less robust. After accounting for inflation, sales volumes are likely to be flat or slightly negative, as most shoppers expect to spend the same amount as last year, and higher prices shape behavior. Tepid consumer confidence and rising living costs are pushing households to manage spending more carefully, a dynamic likely to carry over into 2026 and increase pressure on retailers to deliver clear value.

45% of creators prioritize working with high-quality brands above all else when evaluating brand deals, according to a July survey from Ipsos and Publicis Media.

UK digital bank Starling is exploring an acquisition of another UK lender, per the Financial Times—in addition to a US bank. The move could help it expand quickly into corporate lending. Starling is not the only foreign neobank with US plans. Revolut, which competes with Starling globally, has held talks with investment bankers about buying a bank to secure a US license. Brazil’s Nubank applied for a US bank charter in October. But barriers to entry are rising as US challenger banks mature. Given the challenges ahead, quickly growing its loan book will be crucial to Starling’s profit plans.

Generational habits are diverging as younger audiences move deeper into video-first behaviors while older groups scale back. These shifts are reshaping where marketers can gain attention and how they compete for it.

Marketing leaders are reallocating spending toward social, prioritizing user engagement, and reducing focus on traditional SEO tactics. The shift reflects marketers’ desire for speed, flexibility, and clear ROI signals. But it also shows the growing need to balance long-term brand building with short-term, engagement-driven wins. Brands should rebalance—not replace—channel mix by defining engagement benchmarks and KPIs that tie directly to brand lift, evaluating influencer impact beyond vanity metrics, and protecting core SEO efforts that support long-term discoverability.

Hims & Hers is officially bringing its subscription weight loss program to the UK. But rising prices of some GLP-1 medications in the UK may lower the incentive for consumers to sign up for a membership with a telehealth company offering prescriptions.

Affirm expanded its partnership with Shopify, bringing Shop Pay installments to the UK, per a press release. PayPal and Klarna’s deep entrenchment in the UK will make it difficult for other BNPL contenders to make advances. Powering Shop Pay installments could help Affirm accelerate its foray into the country thanks to Shopify’s established network of merchants and brand recognition.

McDonald’s has pulled an AI-generated Christmas ad after a wave of online backlash. Upon removal, McDonald’s said to BBC News that the ad was “an important learning” for the company’s understanding of “the effective use of AI.” McDonald’s teaches a valuable lesson: Consumers aren’t yet ready for ad creative that is built entirely on AI. But advertisers still face a landscape where not using AI is a detriment to staying ahead. Balance is now a competitive differentiator.

The EU’s regulatory environment will hinder investment in AI-generated ads and agentic commerce in 2026. But TikTok Shop’s expansion will be a catalyst for live commerce.

Revolut launched “street mode,” a security feature designed to thwart transfer mugging, per a press release. Revolut users can set up “trusted locations” within their banking apps where they can transfer funds without additional security measures. Protecting users’ money should be top-of-mind for payment providers and banks. But there are key security features that banks still fail to offer—despite strong consumer demand. Twenty-eight percent of consumers in our benchmark said that blocking contactless payments was “extremely valuable,” but just one bank—Truist—delivered. Similarly, alerts for SSN breaches were the most-demanded feature (53%), but only Chase and Capital One offer it.

TikTok is rolling out an optional “Nearby” feed that lets users share their locations and helps them find things like a new restaurant close to home or discover places to explore while on a trip, per TikTok. The feature is available now in the UK, France, Italy, and Germany for users 18 and older. The Nearby feed opens up opportunities for brands to attract new customers through social discovery, without relying solely on “For You” feeds or ad placements. Brands could see increased organic exposure—especially from users engaging with search-friendly content.

WPP, once the top advertising group globally, will be retired from the FTSE 100 after almost 30 years as its market value has fallen dramatically in recent years. Removal from the FTSE 100 and a plummeting market value indicates that WPP’s struggles are deep-rooted and unlikely to vanish in the near future. For advertisers, the current imperative is to rethink partnerships, explore alternatives, and increase diligence.

YouTube and NBCUniversal are doubling down on creator-led Olympic storytelling for Milano Cortina 2026 after Paris proved how strongly younger viewers gravitate toward digital personalities. Top YouTubers will chronicle the journeys of 40 Team USA athletes, with unprecedented access inside trials, training environments, and even the Athlete Village. Nearly half of global sports fans—and 59% of adults ages 18 to 44—follow sports influencers, while YouTube captured 17% of all global Olympic engagement in 2024. For marketers, creators now sit at the center of Olympic discovery, highlights, and cultural relevance, making YouTube indispensable to Games-era planning.

Shein and Temu are under intensifying global scrutiny as US, European, and Chinese authorities tighten oversight of Chinese-affiliated ecommerce platforms. Texas is investigating Shein over forced labor and safety concerns, while Sen. Tom Cotton is urging a federal probe into IP theft at both companies. The pressure extends abroad, with Shein’s French marketplace suspended and China demanding sales data to combat tax evasion. With de minimis advantages eroding and consumer trust wavering, these platforms must strengthen marketplace quality and local partnerships to remain competitive amid rising regulatory risk.

The UK will increase the price it pays for new medicines in exchange for evading tariffs on pharmaceutical exports to the US, under a trade agreement reached between the two governments on Monday. The deal is further affirmation that Trump will use tariff threats as a bargaining tool to advance what he views as larger measures against the pharma industry: increasing domestic drug production, reducing the cash-pay prices of some expensive medicines, and bringing US drug costs closer in line with those in other affluent countries.

A group of Swedish publishers is suing Meta over scam ads on Facebook. The publishing group, Utgivarna, accused Meta of fraud, complicity in fraud, and preparation for fraud due to Facebook ads that impersonate Swedish journalists and media brands. In addition, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are investigating Meta’s role in financial scams. We’re likely to see more lawsuits from other publishers who are seeking to protect their brand, name, and ability to earn trust from new consumers.