Freedom joins Microsoft for Startups to boost pensions

Freedom has joined Microsoft for Startups, a move that supports the pension technology company's expansion in the UK retirement market.

The company provides retirement infrastructure to pension providers. The programme will give it access to artificial intelligence tools, Azure credits and Microsoft's startup network. Freedom is looking to expand a platform designed to keep pension providers connected to members after they start drawing their savings.

The announcement comes as the pensions sector faces scrutiny over retirement engagement and decumulation. The Pensions Commission's interim report found that around three in 10 pension pots are withdrawn in full, while more than GBP £1 billion is withdrawn from UK pensions each day.

That has increased focus on how providers manage the period after accumulation, when savers begin to access their pension money. Freedom argues that many providers lose contact with members at that point as money moves into retail banking products.

Its model is built around a white-label service that pension schemes and providers can offer under their own brand. The platform includes payments, cards and open finance tools, aiming to give retirees a banking-style interface without moving assets fully outside the pension relationship.

Freedom has already integrated with Visa and named Alltrust as its first client, which it described as an early sign of market demand for provider-linked retirement services.

Market pressure

The wider policy debate has focused on whether pension savers receive the right support once they enter retirement. Large cash withdrawals and transfers out of pension products have raised concerns that people may be making decisions with limited ongoing guidance or visibility from their original provider.

Freedom's approach centres on maintaining that connection through regulated withdrawal processes while adding day-to-day payment functions. Its system is designed to let members access pension-linked funds in ways that resemble current accounts or payment cards.

David Brown, Founder of Freedom, said the company sees a gap in the market.

"Joining Microsoft for Startups is an important milestone for Freedom as we continue building the infrastructure layer for modern retirement," Brown said.

"Retirement has increasingly become a digitally connected financial experience, but much of the infrastructure supporting decumulation was not designed for how people actually access and manage money today. Freedom was born from the idea of simplifying the pensions space for both pension providers and their members. Retirement remains one of the least modernised parts of financial services, despite its importance to millions of people and the institutions that serve them.

"By bringing together pensions and banking, Freedom is addressing that challenge by connecting pension providers directly to regulated banking, payments and financial engagement tools. This allows them to remain present throughout retirement rather than losing visibility and relationships when members begin accessing their savings. We believe retirement should be an active, connected experience, not a transfer of assets from one industry to another, and Freedom gives providers an embedded infrastructure model that helps keep assets invested, visible and compliant within the pension system."

Platform build-out

The business describes its offer as Retirement-as-a-Service, aimed at pension providers rather than directly at consumers. It combines pension access with payment functions, spending tools, visibility across other financial accounts, and information on tax bands and withdrawal effects.

Microsoft for Startups is one of several routes early-stage technology businesses use to gain cloud credits and access to commercial networks. For Freedom, the practical benefit is likely to be lower development costs as it expands product integrations and signs more pension providers.

Brown said the partnership would support the next stage of the company's development.

"Microsoft's cloud and AI capabilities will help us scale our platform, continue onboarding pension providers, and deepen regulated banking and payments integration. As we expand our Retirement-as-a-Service platform, we're focused on developing new capabilities that help providers deliver a more connected retirement experience, including payments, spending functionality and greater visibility across a retiree's financial life. We believe the UK has the potential to lead the future of decumulation globally, and this collaboration helps us move faster towards that vision. This is just the beginning for Freedom as we continue building new capabilities, working with more pension providers and creating the infrastructure needed to support the next generation of retirement experiences."

Microsoft for Startups said Freedom's work reflects a broader effort to apply cloud and artificial intelligence tools to specialist financial services problems.

"Microsoft for Startups empowers founders to build fast, scale smart, and sell more. By tapping into Azure's advanced AI capabilities and enterprise-grade infrastructure, startups can accelerate innovation and bring impactful solutions to market. We're excited to collaborate with Freedom as they drive transformation in the retirement space," said Hans Yang, Vice President, Microsoft for Startups.