A financial services executive is pushing for fresh emoji designs to better represent British currency and common monetary situations.
Jazz Gakhal, Skipton Building Society’s money chief, argues that fresh symbols would make financial discussions feel more normal for younger people.
Currently, most currency-related emojis feature generic designs or focus on dollars, including symbols like a sack of money, banknotes in flight and a face with pound symbols for eyes.
With over 10 billion emojis dispatched daily worldwide and roughly 92 percent of internet users using them frequently, these pictographs have become integral to contemporary communication.
However, at present, the only emoji displaying the pound symbol is the banknote stack, leaving British users without a standard way to represent their own currency in digital chats.
She suggests the absence of symbols depicting routine monetary activities makes financial discussions feel less familiar, particularly for younger people managing spending, saving and other daily monetary choices.
According to Jazz, recognisable cues can help encourage people to talk more freely about finances, assisting in normalising money discussions and removing the embarrassment that still surrounds the subject for many.
As part of this initiative, the building society has designed and proposed a collection of fresh emojis for evaluation to help address the shortfall.
The suggested collection comprises a pound coin, savings pot, money tree, emergency fund, money worries and money speaks emojis.
These have been sent to the Unicode Consortium, the body tasked with reviewing and approving new emojis used across digital devices and platforms globally.
Jazz Gakhal, who is championing this change before Emoji Day on 17th July, stated that emojis have moved beyond being merely playful additions to conversations and now form a fundamental part of how people communicate and express themselves.
Yet when discussing money in Britain, there are surprisingly few emojis that represent the currency and financial experiences common to millions of people daily.
The organisation is requesting more everyday money and savings emojis to help people feel more comfortable discussing finances and to make money-related conversations feel fairer and more accessible for all.
As digital communication progresses, the symbols people use should reflect the experiences and situations they encounter in everyday life.
Money discussions can be socially taboo, with many people still uneasy about talking about their finances, whether planning for the future, handling household budgets or seeking help during difficult periods.
The organisation believes that encouraging people to start these discussions is a positive development.
The language and symbols people employ significantly influence how comfortable they feel addressing various topics, and emojis have become a crucial component of that everyday language.
Developing more recognisable and relatable ways to discuss finances could help make those conversations feel more natural, accessible and simpler to begin.
If a simple emoji prompts someone to discuss their savings targets, seek guidance, or feel more assured talking about their finances with loved ones or professionals, it could make a meaningful impact.
Research involving 2,000 adults also revealed that most Generation Z individuals have at least one financial subject they find uncomfortable to raise.
This includes discussing savings (47 percent), requesting repayment (38 percent) and talking about dividing bills (30 percent).
With 17 percent of this younger demographic admitting they lack confidence discussing any aspect of money and finances, 38 percent said having these chats via text makes raising the subject easier.
When questioned about the current selection of money-related emojis, 43 percent of Generation Z think additional emojis representing British currency would simplify discussing money in everyday digital chats.
Four in ten (41 percent) stated it would make financial discussions feel more familiar, while 36 percent believed it would help people express monetary matters more clearly.
A further 47 percent indicated that more emojis representing typical money moments and expressions would also help bridge the gap, according to the survey conducted by OnePoll.
While younger adults were most likely to say emojis could help make money discussions easier, financial confidence is not exclusively a Generation Z concern.
One in six (16 percent) adults lack confidence discussing money and finances, rising to 23 percent among 45 to 54-year-olds.
Almost half (47 percent) of those aged 55 to 64 feel awkward discussing their savings balance, indicating the challenge affects multiple age groups.
Overall, among all those surveyed, the emojis they would most like to see introduced include a savings pot (22 percent) and an emoji representing pay day (21 percent).
Others think a digital depiction of empty pockets (17 percent), an emergency fund (14 percent) and finding a bargain (14 percent) would be worthwhile additions.
Jazz Gakhal from Skipton Building Society noted that young adults today are among the first generations to have grown up entirely in a digital world, giving them extensive access to information, tools and methods for managing their money.
However, being digitally assured does not automatically mean feeling assured about financial choices, especially when money can still feel like a sensitive subject to discuss.
While younger adults are often leading digital communication trends, the truth is that money remains challenging for people of all ages.
Whether someone is saving for their first home, handling household budgets, building an emergency fund or planning for retirement, financial discussions can still feel uncomfortable or hard to begin.
That is why creating more opportunities for open, relatable conversations about finances and helping people build knowledge and confidence over time matters.
For those looking to take the next step, seeking trusted advice and using practical tools, savings products and educational resources can help translate good intentions into positive financial habits.
And whenever those money conversations begin, Skipton is available to offer the support, guidance and resources people need to progress with confidence.