This white paper presents the Compass Principles, which were developed by the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) as guidelines for the U.S. financial services industry. They affirm standards of excellence in the design and delivery of basic tools that people use to manage their daily financial lives.

The white paper articulates CFSI’s vision that financial services offerings must be profitable and scalable from a business standpoint in order to offer lasting solutions for consumers. It states that The Compass Principles and their application must be grounded in knowledge of consumer needs and demand, and the desire to meet those needs safely and responsibly over the long term. The Compass Principles are guided by profitability and scalability, deep customer knowledge, safety, variation and choice, relationships between consumers and providers and cross-sector participation.