About Us

Lafferty Councils

Lafferty Group developed the concept of a global peer group for senior industry executives around the world. The Councils have been running since 1995 as neutral forums, independent of existing affiliations, where industry leaders meet their peers in a confidential environment and work together to identify best practices.

Retail Banking Council Africa has been running continuously since 2015, and now meets four times a year in virtual session, with membership from Egypt to South Africa and Ghana to Keyna.

Lafferty Research & Advisory Service

Lafferty Group offers research and advisory services in Mobile Wallets, Credit Cards & Digital Finance, and SME Business Banking.

We can help you implement Customer Relationship Management systems and advise on the best way to integrate customer data to develop personalised offerings.

Retail Banking Institute

Lafferty Group operate Retail Banking Institute, which provides highly-regarded training and education programmes focused on retail banking across three levels of experience, along with training in digital payments. Our programmes can be delivered self-paced, with blended learning of online reading and exercises with weekly interactive live tutorials, or in-house.

Daily Briefing

Our highly-regarded Lafferty Daily Briefing provides senior executives across the banking industry with a concise round-up of the key news and sector developments driving retail banking and cards and payments markets.

Lafferty Group Policies 

1 Lafferty Research Limited: Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy

1. Purpose:

Lafferty Research Limited is committed to conducting all its business affairs honestly, ethically, and with integrity. This Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy ("Policy") sets out the company's zero-tolerance stance on bribery and corruption and provides guidelines for all individuals working for or on behalf of Lafferty Research Limited to prevent, detect, and report such activities. Adherence to this Policy is crucial for maintaining our reputation, ensuring legal compliance, and fostering trust with our clients, partners, and the public.

2. Scope:

This Policy applies to all directors, officers, employees (permanent, temporary, and contractual), consultants, agents, and any other individuals or entities acting for or on behalf of Lafferty Research Limited globally ("Company Personnel").

3. Definitions:

• Bribery: Offering, promising, giving, requesting, or accepting anything of value with the intent to improperly influence a decision or outcome, or to gain an improper advantage. This can include cash, gifts, entertainment, travel, preferential treatment, or any other benefit.
• Corruption: The abuse of entrusted power for private gain. Bribery is a form of corruption.
• Facilitation Payment: A small payment made to a public official to expedite or secure the performance of a routine governmental action (e.g., issuing a permit, clearing goods through customs) which they are already obligated to perform. These are generally prohibited under this Policy.
• Gifts and Hospitality: The giving or receiving of gifts, meals, entertainment, or other benefits. While legitimate and reasonable gifts and hospitality are part of normal business practice, they must never be offered or accepted with the intent to influence a decision or gain an improper advantage.
• Public Official: Any person holding a legislative, administrative, or judicial office, whether appointed or elected; any person exercising a public function; or any official or agent of a public international organization. This also includes employees of state-owned enterprises.

4. Policy Statements:

4.1. Zero Tolerance for Bribery and Corruption:

Lafferty Research Limited has a strict zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of bribery and corruption, whether direct or indirect, public or private. We prohibit:

• Giving Bribes: Offering, promising, or giving anything of value to any person (including public officials, clients, partners, or their employees) with the intent to improperly influence their actions or decisions.
• Receiving Bribes: Requesting, agreeing to receive, or accepting anything of value from any person with the understanding that it will improperly influence a business decision or action.
• Indirect Bribery: Engaging in bribery through third parties (e.g., agents, consultants, joint venture partners). Company Personnel must ensure that any third parties acting on our behalf are aware of and comply with this Policy.

4.2. Gifts, Hospitality, and Entertainment:

The giving or receiving of gifts and hospitality can be legitimate business practice but carries risks. All Company Personnel must adhere to the following principles:

• Legitimate Purpose: Gifts and hospitality must have a legitimate business purpose and should never be used to induce or reward improper performance.
• Reasonable Value: Gifts and hospitality must be of reasonable and proportionate value, customary in the industry, and not lavish or extravagant.
• Transparency: All gifts and hospitality given or received above a minor threshold (to be defined in accompanying internal procedures) must be declared and recorded.
• No Cash or Equivalents: Cash or cash equivalents (e.g., gift cards) should never be offered or accepted as gifts.
• Public Officials: Special caution must be exercised when dealing with public officials. Gifts and hospitality to public officials are generally subject to stricter rules and are often prohibited entirely, regardless of value, to avoid any appearance of impropriety. Specific guidance must be sought from the Legal/Compliance Department before offering anything of value to a public official.

4.3. Facilitation Payments

Facilitation payments are generally prohibited by Lafferty Research Limited, even if they are legally permissible in a particular jurisdiction. Company Personnel must not offer or accept facilitation payments. In exceptional circumstances where personal safety is at risk, a payment may be made, but it must be immediately reported to the Legal/Compliance Department and recorded.

4.4. Charitable Donations and Political Contributions

• Charitable Donations: All charitable donations made by Lafferty Research Limited must be transparent, made to legitimate registered charities, and never used as a means to conceal or effect a bribe. All donations require prior approval from the Chief Executive or Finance Director.
• Political Contributions: Lafferty Research Limited does not make political contributions to political parties, organisations, or individuals, whether directly or indirectly, in any country, except where legally permissible, transparently reported, and with the explicit prior written approval of the Board of Directors.

5. Responsibilities

• Board of Directors and Senior Management: Responsible for overseeing the implementation and effectiveness of this Policy and maintaining a culture of integrity.
• Chief Executive: Ultimate responsibility for ensuring the Policy is adhered to across the organization.
• All Company Personnel: Must read, understand, and comply with this Policy. They are responsible for reporting any suspected violations of this Policy or relevant anti-bribery laws.
• Legal/Compliance Department: Responsible for providing guidance on this Policy, conducting investigations into alleged breaches, and maintaining records of reported concerns and actions taken.

6. Reporting Concerns (Whistleblowing):

Any Company Personnel who suspects or becomes aware of a potential violation of this Policy or relevant anti-bribery laws has a duty to report their concerns immediately. Reports can be made to:

• Their direct manager
• The Legal/Compliance Department
• The Chief Executive

All reports will be treated confidentially to the extent possible, and investigated thoroughly. Lafferty Research Limited will not tolerate any retaliation against individuals who raise concerns in good faith, even if a subsequent investigation finds no wrongdoing.

7. Training:

All Company Personnel will receive regular training on this Policy, relevant anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, and how to identify and mitigate risks. New employees will receive training as part of their onboarding process.

8. Consequences of Violation:

Violation of this Policy may result in severe disciplinary action, including termination of employment, and may also lead to civil or criminal penalties for the individuals involved and for Lafferty Research Limited.

9. Review:

This Policy will be reviewed periodically, at least annually, by the Board of Directors or a designated committee, to ensure its continued effectiveness, relevance, and compliance with evolving legal and regulatory requirements.

Policy Owner: Caroline Hastings, Chief Executive. Effective Date: June 26, 2025. Last Review Date: 15 April 2026

2 Lafferty Research Limited and Retail Banking Institute: Business Continuity Management (BCM)

Our principal business platform is the https://www.retailbankinginstitute.com which provides accounts to all candidates taking our programmes. We have an uptime of over 99 percent. We host our training platform on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) with redundancy and managed MySQL instances. This section outlines how we ensure service continuity during disruptions. Our aim is to protect service availability, secure client data, and keep staff operational.

Responsibility and Readiness: John Gunstone of ThenMedia oversees continuity, supported by Tobias Newman & Mike Mason. All staff can work remotely with secure access, ensuring we’re able to function even in adverse conditions.

Core Services and Recovery Goals: We rely on GCP for hosting and data, benefiting from its multi-region redundancy and security. Our targets are to restore websites and CMS within 4 hours, and databases within 2 hours, with no more than 15 minutes of data loss.

Risk Management: Key risks include cloud outages, cyber threats, and staff unavailability. We mitigate these with GCP’s infrastructure, encrypted backups, firewalls, and a remote-first work model.

Response Process: An alerting system includes phone apps, status display screens and audible alarms which allows us to act quickly when discovering a problem. During a regional GCP outage, we can shift traffic to backup regions and aim to notify clients within 30 minutes. All incidents are reviewed post-recovery.

Communication: We use WhatsApp, Zoom, Teams and email internally. Clients receive updates via email or phone calls. Communication is prompt and transparent. We deal directly with the developers to get the latest accurate information about any technical problem.

Testing and Updates: We test our continuity plan annually and review it after any major incident. Backup systems are verified bi-weekly. Staff Awareness Staff are trained during onboarding and refreshed annually. Those with specific roles receive task-specific guidance.

3 Quality Assurance Policy: Lafferty Research Limited and Retail Banking Institute

1. Purpose: The purpose of this Quality Assurance Policy is to establish a framework for maintaining and enhancing the quality of education, training, and operational services provided by the Retail Banking Institute (RBI). The policy ensures that all stakeholders (candidates, trainers, partners, and regulators) can rely on the Institute to deliver consistently high standards aligned with industry best practices.

2. Scope: This policy applies to all academic programs, professional certifications, training activities, assessments, administrative processes, and support services conducted by RBI, whether delivered online or in person.

3. Objectives:

• Ensure the relevance, consistency, and effectiveness of learning programs.
• Maintain compliance with national and international banking education standards.
• We maintain a culture of continuous improvement.
• Promote learner satisfaction, employability, and industry impact.
• Uphold academic and operational integrity.

4. Governance and Accountability:

• The Lafferty Research Limited board oversees the implementation and monitoring of the QA system.
• Programme leads, trainers, and department heads are responsible for executing QA procedures in their respective areas.
• The QA framework is reviewed annually and updated as needed.
• Guidance is provided by Prof Paul Griffiths, a world-renowned expert in Board Governance.

5. Key QA Principles:

5.1. Learner-Centered Design

• Programmes are designed based on clear learning outcomes.
• Regular learner feedback is gathered and acted upon.

5.2. Industry Alignment

• Courses are reviewed with input from banking and payments professionals, regulators, and employers at national and international banks.
• Training content reflects current trends, regulatory updates, and technological developments in retail banking.

5.3. Trainer Competency

• Trainers must hold appropriate qualifications and at least 10 years of industry experience.
• Ongoing trainer development is a core priority.

5.4. Assessment Integrity

• All assessments must be valid, reliable, and fairly administered.
• Policies must exist to manage grading, appeals, and academic misconduct.

5.5. Monitoring and Evaluation

• Performance indicators (completion rates, satisfaction scores, employer feedback) are tracked.
• Internal audits and external reviews are conducted periodically.

5.6. Stakeholder Engagement

• Engage learners, alumni, faculty, and banking sector partners in shaping quality standards.
• Maintain open channels for feedback and complaints.

6. Continuous Improvement:

• Annual quality review cycles (plan–do–check–act) are conducted.
• Findings from evaluations inform updates to curriculum, delivery methods, and institutional policies.

7. Document Control and Review:

• This policy is reviewed every two years or as required by regulatory or industry changes.
• All updates are approved by the Academic Board and communicated to stakeholders.

8. Related Policies:

• Curriculum Development Policy
• Assessment and Grading Policy
• Trainer Recruitment and Development Policy
• Data Protection and Learner Privacy Policy
• Complaints and Appeals Procedure

Approved by: Lafferty Research Limited Board of Directors. Effective Date: 6 February 2019. Last Review Date: 15 January 2026.

Lafferty Group and Retail Banking Institute: Sustainability Policy

Effective Date: 24 March 2025

1. Purpose

The purpose of this Sustainability Policy is to articulate Lafferty Group’s commitment to environmental, social, and economic sustainability across all aspects of its business. As a global thought leader in retail banking and financial services, Lafferty Group recognises its responsibility to operate ethically, reduce environmental impact, and contribute positively to the communities it serves.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all:

• Offices and operational locations
• Digital platforms and client engagements
• Research, consulting, and training activities
• Employees, contractors, and third-party partners

3. Sustainability Commitments

A. Environmental Responsibility

Lafferty Group is committed to:

• Minimising environmental footprint through reduced paper use, digital-first delivery, and energy-efficient operations.
• Encouraging remote and hybrid work models to reduce carbon-intensive commuting.
• Reducing emissions from business travel by prioritising virtual meetings and offsetting necessary travel.
• Partnering with service providers that demonstrate sustainable and ethical practices.
• B. Social Impact

B Social Impact

We strive to:

• Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in our global workforce and in our client-facing work.
• Ensure ethical labour practices and uphold international standards for human rights.
• Provide accessible and inclusive education via our digital learning platforms.
• Contribute to financial inclusion by supporting innovation in underserved markets through research, insights, and peer-to-peer meetings including thought leadership councils.

C. Governance and Ethics

We maintain:

• High standards of corporate governance and transparency.
• A zero-tolerance policy toward corruption, bribery, and unethical conduct (see 1 Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy above.)
• Rigorous data protection and privacy practices compliant with global standards including GDPR and the Data Protection Act.
• Lafferty Group Ltd and Retail Banking Institute Ltd comply with their obligations under the Data Protection Act / GDPR by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and by ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.

4. Operational Practices

Digital Sustainability:

• Lafferty’s flagship services, including the Retail Banking Institute and Global Research service, are delivered where possible via digital platforms to reduce resource use.
• Our training platforms are based on low-carbon infrastructure and green energy sourcing through Google Cloud.

Sustainable Events:

• For physical events and training sessions, we prioritise:
• Venues with sustainability certifications (e.g., LEED, ISO 14001)
• Locally sourced catering and digital documentation

5. Employee Engagement

Lafferty Group has a culture of employee responsibility for sustainability by:

• Providing sustainability training and guidelines
• Encouraging green habits in daily operations
• Supporting volunteerism and community service globally

6. Supplier and Partner Alignment

We expect our partners to:

• Comply with environmental and human rights laws
• Avoid practices harmful to people or the planet
• Demonstrate transparency in sourcing and ethical standards

7. Monitoring and Reporting

Progress is monitored through:

• Annual sustainability review by the senior leadership team
• Periodic internal audits of energy, travel, and digital resource usage
• Integration of sustainability metrics into vendor and partner evaluations

8. Governance and Review

This policy is overseen by the Lafferty Group Executive Team. It will be reviewed annually and updated as needed to reflect evolving best practices and stakeholder expectations.

Approved by: Dr Ronan Lynch/Deputy Chief Executive. Last Reviewed: 20 March 2026. Next Review Due: 20 March 2027