On 11 April, the Financial Conduct Authority issued a stern letter to CEOs about repeated failings in financial promotions approvals.

It follows an initial letter sent to CEOs in January this year flagging similar issues, which we covered in an earlier blog.

The crux of the issue is the potential co..

On 1 April, the Financial Conduct Authority took over regulation of claims management companies (CMCs).

If you work in claims management, what does this mean? What will the impact be, and what does your firm need to do to ensure you’re compliant?

FCA regulation of the claims management industry

In S..

On 29 March, the Financial Conduct Authority confirmed that it was permanently banning the sale of binary options to retail customers.

In an announcement on its website, the regulator stated that following consultation feedback, it had decided that ‘all firms acting in or from the UK are prohibit..

That’s something the FCA has been exploring.

The regulator has issued an update on its Digital Regulatory Reporting (DRR) project. The project has been investigating how technology could make it easier for firms to meet their regulatory reporting requirements – as well as improving the quality of i..

Today, 29 March, was due to be the day the UK left the EU – as if we needed reminding.

While that deadline hasn’t been met, we are, of course, still on course to leave the EU at some point. Whether this is with or without a negotiated deal remains to be seen.

In preparation, the Financial Conduct Au..

 Last week, we announced that our company name is changing to Simplifie.

Why the change – and why do names matter? We look at the reasons behind our new name.

Simplifie – what we do

We’re making the change because the name Simplifie better represents who we are and what we do.

On 15 March, the Financial Conduct Authority released the findings of its thematic review into the debt management sector.

The review explored whether firms in the sector are meeting the regulator’s standards, treating their new and existing customers fairly, and delivering appropriate outcomes, pa..

On 28 February, the Financial Conduct Authority released the findings of its review into asset manager transaction costs.

The review looked at how asset managers calculate and disclose transaction costs and how effective overall cost disclosures are. It was carried out following the FCA’s Asset Mana..

This week, the FCA published the findings of its Call for Input on the PRIIPs regulation. What do the findings say, and do they have any concrete actions for Compliance teams?

Why is the PRIIPs regulation causing concern?

The Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products regulation came in..

We’re into March – Brexit is (as of today, at least) happening this month.

With this in mind, the Financial Conduct Authority is ramping up its preparations. This week, the regulator published two new updates on how firms should plan for the UK’s departure from the EU.

This month, the FCA released a new video where banking leaders share their experiencesof adopting the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR). 

How have they found the process of compliance, and what can we learn from their experience?

On 1 April 2019, the Financial Conduct Authority takes over regulation of the UK’s claims management industry. In preparation for this, the regulator recently published new rules for the sector intended to ‘boost consumer protection and professionalism’.

The Policy Statement, released at the end of ..

It’s a time of change. The UK financial services sector faces perhaps unprecedented uncertainty, with the shape of Brexit as yet undefined.

Nevertheless, the FCA has set out its annual Sector Views, analysing the industry. The publication is the regulator’s ‘annual analysis of the changing financia..

Last week, New Model Adviser reported that the Financial Conduct Authority had visited five SIPP firms. The firms in question were identified as being at a higher risk of not being able to respond to potential compensation claims.

This seems like a good opportunity to have another look at our advice..