From influence to responsibility
Social media have permanently changed the playing field of financial communication. Where traditional advisors often struggle to reach young people and start-ups, finfluencers, with their personal style and creative use of algorithms, are able to connect. Their reach is vast, their influence undeniable. But with that comes the question: how do we ensure that this influence leads to reliable, transparent and honest financial information?
Outcome roundtable meeting
At a roundtable discussion on Sept. 23, 2025, organized by FFP and DSI, finfluencers, financial field experts, regulators, researchers and communications professionals engaged in conversation. Moderator Janneke van Heugten led the conversation with stimulating propositions that sharpened the debate and invited reflection. Five main themes emerged.
Outreach and responsibility
Finfluencers speak the language of young people and win their trust with a direct, recognizable style. Yet they often lack the nuance that comes with good advice. Some finfluencers inspire more, others are more product pushers, while a good financial advisor looks at the broad picture to recommend appropriate products. The central tension that echoed through the room: how do you combine the vast reach of finfluencers with the responsibility to protect young people from making the wrong choices? The potential is great, but without a connection to expert knowledge, consumers remain vulnerable.
Duty of care in the new playing field
A finfluencer who influences the financial choices of his followers also bears responsibility. Many participants argued that a duty of care should apply to finfluencers just as much as to certified advisors. But practice is recalcitrant: online content spreads at lightning speed. The question remains whether that responsibility lies primarily with the finfluencer, with the companies that hire them, or with the large platforms that enable their reach.
Transparency as a basic requirement
Another recurring theme was the need for transparency. Who actually earns from a post, video or course? For established financial institutions, the rules are clear and strict, but finfluencers often lack clarity, even though rules apply to them as well. Paid content, affiliate marketing or earnings behind paywalls make it difficult for consumers to see who is really pulling the strings. Without transparency, the risk of deception grows, reinforcing the feeling among licensed investment firms that they are bound by strict rules while finfluencers often seem to escape them.
Supervision and regulation
The current rules were largely written prior to the practice that now takes place largely online. That said, the regulations are largely technology neutral. The same rules apply to advice at the kitchen table and advice via TikTok or Instagram. It was signaled that the damage is limited for now, but the risks are visibly increasing. At the same time, it must be avoided that too heavy regulation stifles the innovative and creative nature of finfluencers.
Financial education as a foundation
The discussion made it clear that a foundation is missing: structural financial education. Currently, financial education is not part of the educational curriculum. Children and youth are very much dependent on their parents for information. In the presence of incompetent finfluencers on social media, there is a danger that young people will pick up incorrect information about money matters there. Finfluencers thus mistakenly play a role that should really lie with schools and parents. The plea to firmly embed financial education in the curriculum found widespread support. Finfluencers can inspire this, but always in addition to a solid basic level of knowledge.
Conclusion and message
The roundtable showed that finfluencers are undeniably part of today’s and tomorrow’s financial communications. Their reach offers opportunities, but at the same time requires accountability. The task now is to seek cooperation between finfluencers, subject matter experts and regulators so that consumers, especially the young, are better protected and better reached. Transparency and a level playing field are preconditions, as is the structural inclusion of financial education in education.
The message of the afternoon was clear: leverage the power of finfluencers, but it is also crucial that they, too, take responsibility for reliable, sound and future-proof financial information, working closely with the industry.
