Statement from Ripon Ray, Founder of Debt Talk CIC I am delighted to announce that Debt Talk CIC has been granted FCA authorisation with limited permission as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company to provide specialist debt advice and information on credit-related services. After months of rigorous assessment and review by the Financial Conduct Authority of our governance, policies, procedures, and operational practices, we are proud to have achieved this important milestone. Debt Talk CIC was founded to tackle the impact of debt, poverty, and financial exclusion on individuals, families, and communities. While statistics relating to poverty and financial hardship within British Bangladeshi communities are often referenced in research and policy, there has been a lack of an independent national voice ensuring those communities are directly heard. Debt Talk CIC was established to help fill that gap. Alongside providing high-quality debt advice and financial education, we are commi...

  Thank you to Movimento Consumatori and Titiano for inviting Ripon Ray of Debt Talk CIC to speak at the recent round table discussion on debt advice and consumer protection across Europe. The discussion focused on Ripon’s experience of the UK debt advice sector, including how debt advice services operate in practice, the characteristics of the UK model, how services are funded, and the role of charities, regulators, and community organisations in supporting people facing financial hardship. It was also a valuable opportunity to listen to organisations from France and Austria and learn more about different approaches and best practices in supporting indebted communities across Europe. Thank you again to Movimento Consumatori for creating such an important space for international dialogue, learning, and collaboration.

Ripon Ray, representing Debt Talk CIC, was invited to a conference at  the European Parliament in Strasbourg: “Gambling as a Social Problem – The Impact of Gambling on the Risk of Over-Indebtedness.” Credit to the ECDN European Consumer Debt Network for bringing together practitioners, researchers and policymakers from across Europe to focus on this issue. It was a real learning experience — hearing how different organisations across Europe are approaching such a major challenge in different ways. From prevention to recovery, there was a lot to take away in terms of practical approaches and lessons. A key takeaway for Ripon Rat was how closely gambling and debt are linked — and how often this is still overlooked. This isn’t just about individual behaviour, but about wider systems, access to support, and the environments people are navigating. Much of what was discussed reflected what we see in communities in the UK. There is real potential in working together across countries. ...

With major wars unfolding globally, including the most recent tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the USA, the impact is being felt far beyond the countries directly involved. Even here in the UK, people are starting to see the effects in everyday life. Disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz have highlighted just how vulnerable we are. Rising fuel costs are already hitting households, and this is beginning to push up the price of essentials like food. In this month’s Debt Talk podcast, Ripon Ray explores how global conflict connects to our personal finances and why it matters for all of us. Rachel Ledwith, speaking from her work with food redistribution charities, shared how rising fuel costs are making it harder to deliver food to communities in need. With the UK heavily reliant on imported food, there are growing concerns about long-term supply chains. At the same time, charities are facing declining and increasingly stretched funding, as attention shifts toward supporting those d...

  Ripon Ray phoned in on LBC on Shelagh Fogarty’s show this afternoon to explain how he campaigned against the introduction of student loans during the initial period when the Labour government introduced tuition fees and removed student grants in the 1990s. His partner received full student grants, but by the time he started studying he had to take out loans to cover tuition fees and living costs. It took him over 20 years to pay off his debts. These included not only student loans, but also money owed to credit card companies and friends. This is his story!

Debt Talk CIC publishes its first report Breaking Point to Breaking Through reveals a hidden debt crisis affecting Bangladeshi Londoners, based on community consultations with over 45 residents, frontline workers and statutory organisations in Tower Hamlets. Despite 63% of Bangladeshi Londoners living in poverty, there is no dedicated, culturally responsive debt advice service for this community. The report shows how shame and honour (izzat), faith-based barriers to interest, informal lending, remittance pressures and intergenerational trauma combine to push families into crisis before they seek help. Participants were clear: mainstream debt services are not working. Generic advice, interest-based solutions, digital-only access and short-term funding models exclude Bangladeshi lived realities. The report outlines community-designed solutions, including Bengali-speaking advisors, trauma-informed and faith-aware support, Shariah-compliant credit pathways, holistic debt and wellbeing sup...

As we move into the next episode of the Debt Talk podcast, 'Financial Abuse & Our Communities', we do so against the backdrop of growing public concern about domestic abuse in the UK—particularly the recent cases where coercive control, economic exploitation and intimate partner violence have escalated into fatal harm. This makes our conversation with front-line experts even more urgent. Dr Clare Wiper , Assistant Professor in Criminology at Northumbria University and co-author of the report “Designing Out Economic Abuse in the UK’s Banking Industry: A Call for Action”, highlights how deeply financial systems can compound the risks victims face. She stresses that many of the changes required to protect survivors are not radical—but depend on professionals asking the right questions, recognising red flags, and putting effective, trauma-informed safeguards in place, especially when victims are trying to separate financially from an abuser. Helen Ganney from Christians Ag...

  In this month’s Debt Talk podcast, Ripon Ray explores one of the most pressing challenges in modern Britain: the real cost of digital inclusion. As technology becomes central to everyday life, what happens to those left behind? How do we bring marginalised communities into the digital mainstream without deepening inequality or compromising privacy? Joining the conversation is Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, who unpacks what true digital inclusion means in today’s society. From a student needing online tools for geography lessons to individuals struggling to upload documents or access essential services, Elizabeth illustrates the profound impact of being digitally excluded. She reveals staggering figures on how many people remain disconnected and the steep social and economic cost of bridging that divide. Elizabeth also delves into the government’s proposed digital ID initiative, raising critical questions about the price of inclusion and the potential e...

Dear Friends of Debt Talk, You are warmly invited to take part in a landmark community consultation and lunch to help establish the first-ever Bangladeshi-led Debt Advice Service in the UK, funded by Tower Hamlets Council. Detailed agenda to follow soon. Currently, no debt advice service represents the Bangladeshi community. Many residents continue to face financial struggles without a service that fully understands their cultural, linguistic, and social needs. The urgency of this work is clear. Many of us are still living with the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which left deep scars through job losses, debt, and financial insecurity. These struggles have been compounded by structural inequalities that disproportionately affect Bangladeshi and other minority communities in Tower Hamlets. This consultation is about ensuring that the new service is shaped by the very people it is meant to serve, so it reflects their lived experiences and provides the right kind of suppo...