This is our second UK list in the Happydance series celebrating the best EVP examples by sector and market, following our Top 10 in UK tech. This time it is UK financial services: banks, building societies, insurers, pensions and the fintechs that are reshaping them. If you want the US view, see our Top 10 in US financial services.
As always, this is a celebration, not a teardown. Every point of praise is tied to something you can read on the brands’ own careers pages today. I scored each EVP with the Happydance EVP grading framework, built on the two books behind our approach, Give & Get Employer Branding and Sell The Truth. Both start with the question every candidate is really asking: “Do I have what it takes to thrive at your organization?”
Each EVP is scored from 1 to 5 on eight criteria taken directly from Give & Get Employer Branding and Sell The Truth, for a total out of 40: the Give and Get, the whole truth (harsh realities named plainly), story proof, employee voice, distinctiveness, audience fit, alignment and proof. Ties are broken by the Give and Get, then the whole truth, then story proof.
I only scored what is public. Every quote below was copied from the brand’s own pages on 30 October 2026, and each entry links to its source. A lower score on one criterion is a note about what was visible on the pages I reviewed, not a judgement on the culture behind it.
1
Admiral
34/40
The EVP as published: “Where You Can Be You, Grow and Progress, Make a Difference and Share in our Future.”
Admiral writes like a company that knows exactly who it is. “Ours is an open, honest, and low-ego culture that enables you to flourish.” Even its guidance on using AI in an application is warm and straight: “We want real honest people over perfect applications.” And it is proud of where it comes from: “Admiral was founded back in 1993 as a Welsh motor insurance start-up with just 57 people.”
The Give and Get
The Give is put plainly by Karen Harris, External Communications and Sponsorship Lead: “As long as you work hard and aren’t afraid to take on challenges, you’ll be fine.” The Get is one of the most generous in the sector: “Every single person, across every role and every department, automatically qualifies to be an Admiral shareholder after 12 months of working here, with a free share allocation of up to £3,600 each year.” Dan Davies, a Contact Centre Representative, shows what that means in real life: “I used my last dividend to pay for return flights to Ibiza with my friends!”
The story proof
Cath’s story is a lovely example of change. She studied music, then “quickly learned that performance wasn’t for me”, spent ten years teaching around the world and joined Admiral Law as a Case Handler. “It was the beginning of a career that has taken a few unexpected turns.” She is now Data Projects and Process Lead at Admiral Money. On the careers homepage, colleagues from the contact centre to communications speak in their own words, including Jeremy Williams: “As a gay man, I’ve always felt comfortable being myself and expressing my identity, my colleagues accept me for being me!”
What we can all learn
Make the Get personal. A share scheme is a line in a benefits grid until a colleague tells you what their dividend paid for.
How to get more from the careers website
The colleague testimonials sit in a carousel on the homepage. Give them a page of their own, linked to fuller stories like Cath’s, so candidates for contact centre, tech and data roles can each find someone like them.
Wise tells the whole truth about what it is like inside a company that is changing an industry: “We’re revolutionising an industry so it can be chaotic and challenging. Sometimes we fail, and that’s okay. It’s a great way to learn.” Its values are short, specific and testable: “We can’t do this hanging out in our comfort zones.” and “We respect others’ worldviews and challenge arguments, not individuals.”
The Give and Get
The Give is stated clearly, including for new starters: “We expect that new joiners will be in the office most days to build connections and learn from colleagues for their first six months.” And accountability is shared: “We should all be able to stand up in front of our company and explain how our work helps our customers.” The Get is real ownership: “We take ownership of what we do. This thing belongs to all of us.”
The story proof
Riine Heinsalu’s Product Academy story has real conflict in it. As a backend engineer, “The tipping point for me was when after 2 years of building a solution it turned out that it wasn’t solving the problem.” Her lesson is one every candidate will remember: “It doesn't matter how clean or scalable your code is, if no one uses it.” Mika’s story opens just as boldly: “I’m Mika, and I traded my sabbatical for an application, changed my plans, and joined Wise in June 2020.”
What we can all learn
Admit the chaos. Saying that the work can be chaotic, and that failing is okay, is the smart filter at work: the right people lean in.
How to get more from the careers website
The blog is full of strong stories, from the Product Academy to Japan. Tag them by career move, such as engineer to product manager or customer to colleague, so candidates can find the route that matches their own.
Checkout.com writes its operating principles as standards you can hold people to. “We don’t repeat the same mistake twice, because every day is an opportunity to be curious, learn and improve.” And on ambition: “there is no finish line for the people of Checkout.” Its employee communities speak in their own words, which makes belonging feel real rather than promised.
The Give and Get
The deal is set out in one line from its talent leadership: “You’ll be trusted early, challenged often, and supported by diverse, high-performing teams across the world.” The Give is pace and ownership: “We hire people who think big, move fast, and take ownership.” The Get is growth: “your career can grow further, faster.”
The story proof
Davi’s story starts with a move from Zimbabwe to the UK and two decades building a career in finance before she became Director of Strategic Planning. Her message to candidates is direct: “Your unique background is a superpower.” Zack, who helped build the US business, is honest about setbacks: “When you have failure, learn from your mistakes so that you get better and improve.”
What we can all learn
Write principles people can be held to. “We don’t repeat the same mistake twice” is a promise and a standard in one line.
How to get more from the careers website
The Voices of Checkout stories are strong. Link each operating principle on the Life at Checkout page to a story that shows it in action, so candidates see the standard and the person living it side by side.
Allica has the most distinctive values in UK financial services, each one written as a contrast: “Others measure worth by job titles, meetings and headcount. We value the outcomes you deliver.” “Others hoard information as internal currency. We believe transparency by default is faster and better.” “Others shout from the stands. We’re player-managers who lead from the front.” Candidates know exactly what they are signing up for.
The Give and Get
The Give is hands-on work at pace: “Others are hands-off. We’re on top of the data and details, and no task is beneath us.” The Get is the chance to build something: “You own it! You are part of it! You are building a bank!”, in the words of Dan Summers, Central RM Squad Lead. And the team culture is backed by a number: “Just ask the 92% who said so in our latest survey.”
The story proof
Beata Lubinska, the bank’s Treasurer, tells the whole truth about her field: “Working in finance is technical, challenging, demanding work. It’s not for everyone.” Her story is one of real change: “I was the only person in the team and building the department from scratch. Now we are a team of four treasury professionals and are still growing.”
What we can all learn
Define yourself by contrast. Saying what others do, and what you do instead, makes values impossible to ignore.
How to get more from the careers website
The values page is a gem. Bring Beata’s story, and more like it, onto the careers page next to the colleague quotes, so each value comes with a person who lives it.
Revolut is the clearest smart filter in the sector. “Revolut is for those who always strive for excellence, for those who want to become the best in the world at what they do, for those who would never settle for less. Revolut is for 10x people.” Nobody reading that is in any doubt about the bar.
The Give and Get
The Give is results and grit: “We stopped listening to excuses a long time ago - we care about results.” The Get is described with refreshing candour: “No ping pong tables or bean bag chairs, just benefits you actually want”, including “Flexibility to work from home, the office or abroad”. Even disagreement has a rule: “Logic, reason, and common sense prevail over everything else in decision making at Revolut.”
The story proof
The careers page points to Career Journeys, such as “5 minutes with Head of Engineering, Boon Pek”, but the voice on the page is mostly the company’s, which is why Revolut scores lower on story proof and employee voice. The honesty is all there; more of its people would make it complete.
What we can all learn
Say who you are for. “Revolut is for 10x people” will put some people off, and that is exactly the point.
How to get more from the careers website
Put two or three Career Journeys directly on the careers page, including someone outside engineering, so candidates hear what being a “10x” person feels like day to day.
Nationwide makes its ownership the heart of its EVP: “We are owned by our members, not shareholders.” And it backs that with proof: “In 2026 we made our fourth Nationwide Fairer Share Payment to over four million of our members.” Its behaviours are plain and direct: “We feel what customers feel. We say it straight. We push for better. We get it done.”
The Give and Get
Nationwide states the deal in so many words: “We ask you to deliver the very best for customers. In return, we reward and recognise you for the work you deliver.” The Give is specific: “If you're office-based, you'll work at least two days per week in the office”. The Get includes “between 25 and 30 days’ holiday, depending on your role”, and job listings show the starting salary.
The story proof
Mary Skinner, Head of Organisational Culture, explains the difference: “For me, I think what makes Nationwide so unique is the fact that we're a mutual and our purpose sets us apart from every other organisation.” Mark Gibson’s path from a graduate programme to the Virgin Money deal team shows the progression. The fuller stories are in video, which is why story proof scores lower on the page itself.
What we can all learn
Say “in return”. Nationwide writes the Give and Get as one sentence, and it reads like a promise.
How to get more from the careers website
The colleague stories are mostly video. Add a short written summary with a quote or two on each story page, so candidates scanning on their phones get the change in each story at a glance.
HSBC puts its people at the front of its careers website, in their own words. Lánre Adeleye, Group Brand Designer, says: “It’s humbling to think that a self-taught kid from East Leeds gets to design standards for HSBC globally.” It is the kind of line that makes a global bank feel open to anyone.
The Give and Get
The Give and Get is written as a fair exchange: “Bring your drive, ambition and curiosity and we’ll give you the scale, the tools and the training to build a career that's yours for the making.” And the scale is real: “HSBC has around 210,000 full-time equivalent employees worldwide.”
The story proof
The people stories cover very different routes. Kathy Cheng, Premier Relationship Manager: “You build your reputation one conversation, one promise and one relationship at a time.” Kash Burchett, Global Head of Carbon Removal Technologies: “HSBC has enabled me to bring together everything I've learned throughout my career.” And Ezequiel Vera, a Cybersecurity Threat Hunter, “turned his long-time hobby into his job.”
What we can all learn
Lead with a person, not a slogan. A self-taught designer from East Leeds says more about opportunity than any headline.
How to get more from the careers website
Add one or two honest notes to the stories, such as what was hardest about a move or a first year, so the opportunity comes with the whole truth attached.
GoCardless publishes pay in a way few employers dare to. “For candidates we share the full base salary pay range on our job adverts”, and it goes further, explaining where offers land: “Our approach is to offer salaries between the minimum and midpoint of the range. We want to manage expectations from the start.” That is the whole truth, told before anyone asks.
The Give and Get
The Give is explicit: “GoCardless will expect from you the proactivity to learn and develop, ownership of your career, and high performance aligned with our Values”. The Get is support to grow, plus “4 annual business-wide wellness days (‘GC Fridays’)”. And the values admit the pace: “It’s no easy task, especially when working at pace, so questions and challenges are common.”
The story proof
The CEO, Hiroki Takeuchi, sets the mission: “The internet has changed the world for the better, but somehow payments got left behind. Let's be the ones to fix it.” Employee spotlights, such as Umeadi Ifeonye’s, sit on the blog rather than the careers page, which is why GoCardless scores lower on story proof and employee voice.
What we can all learn
Publish the pay, and say where offers land. Managing expectations early is one of the kindest things an employer can do.
How to get more from the careers website
Bring a few current colleague stories onto the careers page, ideally someone who can talk about pay transparency from the inside, so the most distinctive part of the offer has a human voice.
Barclays has one of the largest libraries of colleague stories in UK banking, from apprentices to directors, and they are honest about what it feels like to start. Ifeoluwa, a Customer Care Colleague, says: “Of course, I was nervous, but the interviewers put me completely at ease.”
The Give and Get
The Give is real work from day one: apprentices join “in a real, permanent job - doing real, challenging work.” The Get is support and scale. Craig Murray, an Apprentice Software Engineer, puts the trade-off clearly: “Unlike a start-up, Barclays provides a clear support system with long-term growth potential - ideal for someone like me.”
The story proof
Jodie’s story has a turning point many young people will recognise: “Whilst studying for my A levels in sixth form, COVID-19 struck. Although I had a confirmed university place, I found I felt differently about the career I wanted to follow.” She chose the apprenticeship route instead. Ifeoluwa, who moved from Nigeria, talks about the support she has had: “I’ve received so much support and acceptance, especially when it’s come to adjustments I’ve needed for my disability.”
What we can all learn
Tell the story of the decision. Jodie choosing an apprenticeship over a confirmed university place is the moment candidates relate to.
How to get more from the careers website
The story library is broad. Add filters by entry route, such as apprenticeship, graduate and experienced hire, so a school leaver can go straight to Jodie and Craig.
Aegon UK hands the microphone to its people, and says so: “We can tell you how wonderful it is to work at Aegon - but we’d rather you heard it from our colleagues.” The stories are framed as a way for candidates to decide for themselves: “Their stories capture the unique culture we have created and can help you decide whether - and where - you’d like to make your mark with us.”
The Give and Get
The Give is ambition: the site speaks to “the best people with big ambitions”. The Get is support to grow: “We’ll invest in your talents to make you the person and professional you’ve always wanted to be.”
The story proof
Calli Wilson, who works on the Mylo team, describes the work and what it has done for her: “It’s been a brilliant opportunity for my own growth, working in a fast-paced, supportive team where I can shape my role and make a real impact.” Arlene, the Chief People Officer, and colleagues from across the business add their own stories.
What we can all learn
Help candidates decide whether, not just where. Framing stories as a decision aid is the smart filter at its kindest.
How to get more from the careers website
Add a line on what is hardest about each role in the colleague stories, so the help to “decide whether” comes with the whole truth as well as the highlights.
What we can all learn from the best EVPs in UK financial services
Side by side, these ten share five lessons.
1
Say who it is for. Revolut is for “10x people”. Beata at Allica says finance is “not for everyone”. Wise admits the work can be chaotic. Honesty filters better than any job description.
2
Show the money honestly. GoCardless publishes pay ranges and says where offers land. Admiral gives every colleague shares. Nationwide states the deal as “In return”. The Get is most convincing when it is specific.
3
Publish the turning point. Riine’s solution that did not solve the problem, Cath’s detour from music into data and Jodie’s choice of an apprenticeship are the moments candidates remember. Helping candidates see where they will thrive starts here.
4
Let your people tell it. Admiral, Wise, Checkout.com, HSBC and Barclays prove their promises with first-person employee stories where the employee is the hero. As I wrote in Sell The Truth, “These are not testimonials. They are social proof at human scale.”
5
Write values people can be held to. Allica’s contrasts, such as “Others hoard information as internal currency.”, and Checkout.com’s “We don’t repeat the same mistake twice” are standards, not slogans.
If you want to see how your own EVP measures up, run it through the free Employer Brand and EVP Grader on the Employer Brand Atlas, the Happydance community for employer brand people. And if you would like a fresh pair of eyes on your careers website, our careers website audit is a good place to start.
Frequently asked questions
What is an employee value proposition?
An employee value proposition (EVP) is the deal between an employer and its people. Give & Get Employer Branding frames it as a value exchange: what your people give, and what they get in return. The best EVPs state both sides honestly and prove them with real employee stories.
What are the best employee value proposition examples in the UK?
In UK financial services, our 2026 list is led by Admiral, Wise and Checkout.com. The best EVP examples in the UK state the Give and the Get together, say who the role is not for, and prove their promises with first-person employee stories.
Which UK financial services employer has the best EVP in 2026?
In our 2026 review of UK financial services careers websites, Admiral scored highest (34 out of 40), ahead of Wise (33) and Checkout.com (31, ahead of Allica Bank on story proof).
How can I improve my own EVP?
State what you ask of people as clearly as what you offer, then prove each claim with a real employee story. The free EVP grader on the Employer Brand Atlas gives you a quick read on where to start.
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