Equity Release Supermarket unites advisers and lenders to strengthen industry confidence amid challenging market conditions

01 July 2026

The UK’s leading independent, whole of market equity release experts, Equity Release Supermarket (ERS), part of the Equity Release Group (ERG), has called for greater collaboration across the equity release market after bringing together advisers, lenders and specialists for its annual Summer Conference.

Hosted by Equity Release Supermarket, the event welcomed leading providers including Aviva, LV=, Canada Life and Pure Retirement, alongside advisers and the Group's leadership team, to share practical insight, product innovation and best practice at a time when the sector continues to navigate challenging market conditions.

Rather than focusing solely on market performance, the conference centred on how collaboration between providers and technology can improve customer outcomes and increase operational efficiency to help firms adapt to evolving regulatory expectations.

Mark Gregory, Founder & CEO of Equity Release Group, said:

"The later life lending market continues to evolve rapidly. Whilst market conditions remain challenging, it has become increasingly clear that no single organisation has all the answers.

"The best outcomes for consumers will come when advisers, lenders and the wider industry work more closely together to share knowledge, experience and help improve processes by learning from one another.

"That was exactly the purpose of bringing everyone together."

Throughout the day, delegates explored practical ways to improve the equity release customer journey, including reducing unnecessary delays through better understanding of lender requirements, sharing product knowledge and identifying operational improvements that can make advice more efficient without compromising Consumer Duty obligations.

Sessions included updates from leading providers on product innovation and lending criteria, alongside compliance led discussions around documentation standards to improve case progression.

One area of particular focus was helping advisers better understand the subtle differences between lender propositions, enabling them to identify more suitable outcomes for individual customer circumstances.

Delegates also heard from former Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba, whose remarkable personal story of resilience reinforced the conference theme of overcoming adversity and maintaining confidence during periods of uncertainty.

The conference comes as the Group continue to outperform the wider market, Equity Release Supermarket reported a 16% year-on-year increase in applications during the first half of 2026, alongside a 29% rise in enquiries.

Mark added: "Consumer needs continue to evolve, regulation continues to evolve and our market must evolve with it.