Mortgage Strategy is proud to announce the two MS NextGen teams shortlisted for the Future of the Mortgage Industry Challenge 2026.

The teams will present their proposition (followed by a Q&A) at the Mortgage Innovation and Technology (MIT Live) conference in London in October – and a live vote will then decide the winner.

The two teams shortlisted are the Mortgage Advice Bureau supported team with their submission, ‘Mortgage Up’; and the Pepper Money supported team with their submission, ‘Mortgage Futures Network’.

A judging panel consisting of AMI chief executive Stephanie Charman, Mortgage Strategy commercial director James Prosser, and Mortgage Strategy news editor Sam Barker, shortlisted the two teams from what was a competitive field of participants made up from the MS NextGen cohort for 2026.

Mortgage Up team

Manos Kiriakakis; Evie Beaumont, Ellie Eddington, Avneet Chauhan and Aji Oluwo.

The judging panel liked the idea of practical apprenticeships, and commented on the excellent presentation, shared responsibility and team cohesion, along with how well the team had clearly researched the details of their proposal.

Mortgage Futures Network team 

Zuby Rasool, Robin Thiara, Rebecca Jones and James Lawson.

The judges praised the team’s excellent, innovative idea and that great thought had clearly been given to how all parts of the industry could contribute. They also noted strong collaboration and team cohesion and were impressed how well team members answered questions about their proposal.

MIT Live takes place on Tuesday 13 October at etc.venues County Hall, London. You can find more details and register here.

MS NextGen’s 30 Under 30 is Mortgage Strategy’s flagship talent accelerator. It is a curated 12-month programme designed to identify, develop, and celebrate the 30 most promising professionals under 30 from across the UK mortgage and protection sector.

MS NextGen 2026 has been sponsored by MAB, Lloyds Banking Group, Mortgage Brain, MT Finance and Pepper Money.