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A transformative moment for business communications
In July 2025, the Data Use and Access Bill officially received Royal Assent, marking a significant evolution in how organisations across the UK access, manage, and communicate personal data.
After months of debate and refinement, this legislation replaces elements of the previous UK GDPR and Data Protection Act with a more UK-specific framework. While it eases some compliance burdens, it also raises new expectations, particularly in areas like digital verification, data transparency, AI governance, and the powers of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
For regulated industries like financial services, the stakes are even higher. The intersection of marketing, compliance, and customer data has never been more sensitive, or more full of opportunity.
Done right, the new framework can unlock operations, smarter customer engagement, and greater trust. But to get there, businesses need to act quickly and decisively.
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Turning compliance into opportunity
Compliance doesn’t have to be a burden. Instead, it can be a powerful catalyst for transformation and growth.
When compliance is integrated into strategy and technology, it drives innovation, helping you deliver seamless, transparent experiences that differentiate your brand and create long-term value.
Now is the time to review your data processes for compliance and identify areas where you can take advantage of new opportunities to stay ahead of the competition.
With that in mind, we’ve created a 10-step Regulatory Readiness Checklist to help you align your communication strategy and operations with the expectations of the new bill. Each action below is designed to support long-term compliance and achieve better business outcomes.
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Regulatory Readiness Checklist: 10 Key Actions to Take
1. Update Data Practices and Security
Now is the time to review how data is collected, stored, shared, and deleted. The bill allows for more flexibility in legitimate interest assessments, but only if appropriate safeguards are in place. Ensure your systems are secure, access is role-based, and audit trails are clear.
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2. Ensure Ethical AI Use with Public Accountability
If you’re using AI for decision-making, especially in marketing, credit checks, or risk profiling, you must be able to explain how it works and justify its outcomes. The bill encourages innovation but also mandates transparency. Display clear AI usage policies to your audience, rather than hiding them in terms and conditions, and give users meaningful choices.
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3. Modernise ID and Verification for New Standards
With growing focus on digital identity and data access rights, your verification systems must adapt. Ensure consent is clearly captured, credentials are interoperable, and any digital ID processes meet government-backed standards. This is particularly important for financial service providers, where customer security comes before anything.
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4. Communicate Transparently with Data Subjects
Customers want clarity, and the law now demands it. Review your privacy notices, T&Cs, and marketing opt-ins. Make sure your communications explain the purpose of data collection and how people can access or delete their data, using plain English across all channels.
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5. Enhance Multi-Channel Communication
Regulations now require data subject rights to be supported across all communication channels, whether that’s print, digital, email, in-app, or post. Ensure you’re able to manage opt-outs, DSARs (data subject access requests), and consents consistently across platforms.
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6. Educate Employees & Customers on the New Landscape
Legal change is only effective if people understand it. Create internal training programmes to brief teams, especially in marketing, IT, customer service and compliance. Empower customers with clear, simple content about their rights and what the changes mean for them.
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7. Adapt to New ICO Powers
The ICO now has enhanced powers to audit, investigate, and enforce. Ignoring this leaves your business exposed. Get ahead by proactively reviewing your data protection impact assessments and working with partners who already operate within strict regulatory frameworks.
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8. Collaborate Across Departments
Compliance is no longer just a legal or IT function. Marketing, operations, customer service and finance all play a role. Build cross-functional teams and schedule regular meetings to ensure regulatory considerations are embedded across customer touchpoints, from onboarding to offboarding. Create a shared action plan for regulatory compliance, and ensure teams are aligned between marketing strategies and business risk management.
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9. Monitor Additional Regulatory Developments
This bill is part of a broader shift. Stay alert to upcoming guidance from the ICO and sector-specific regulators, including the FCA. What’s considered reasonable and proportionate today may evolve quickly, so it’s essential to monitor regulatory updates on an ongoing basis.
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10. Innovate with Lawful Data Use in Mind
Innovation doesn’t need to stall. In fact, by embedding compliance into your design thinking, you create products and campaigns that are both high-performing and trustworthy. Use data responsibly to personalise, optimise, and transform customer experiences, all while executing safely.
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How MBA Group can help you stay ahead
At MBA Group, we specialise in executing simply powerful communications that enrich customer experiences across all touchpoints. From print to digital, transactional to marketing, we help you simplify the complex.
Whether you’re responding to new legislation, transforming your customer journeys, or updating your data handling processes, we’ve got the expertise, technology, and infrastructure to support you:
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We don’t just help you adjust to change, we help you lead it.
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Get in touch at contact@mba-group.com.
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