The amount of money people invest when they first open an ISA has jumped by 84% in a year, according to Scottish Friendly.
The mutual’s data shows that opening values have been steadily increasing over the last four quarters, with data from the fourth quarter of 2025 and first quarter of 2026 showing a 21% increase. That jumps to 84% when comparing the opening values between the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.
Scottish Friendly said the percentage increase is even greater when looking at the opening values of female ISA investors, which have increased 96% year-on-year and 25% quarter-on-quarter.
Year-on-year, there was a 75% increase in the opening values of male investors.
Kevin Brown, savings specialist at Scottish Friendly, said: “It’s encouraging to see that those who can put money away are putting away significantly more in 2026 than they did in 2025.
“While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly why that may be, there are several broader trends that could be playing a part. Over the course of 2025, inflationary pressures were seemingly easing. But, as we have seen in the first half of 2026, global instability is putting rising living costs firmly back on everyone’s agenda. In the same breath, key global investment indices have been in and around all-time highs.
“Given that context, perhaps many households are taking a long-term approach and seeking to protect the purchasing power of their money by choosing to invest what they can. Our hope is that this is evidence of a growing understanding across the UK of the key role investing plays in securing long-term financial resilience.”
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