AML ·
Insurance Financial Crime Controls: What the FCA Found, and What It Wants You to Write Down
The FCA reviewed financial crime systems and controls across retail, wholesale and life insurers and found them mostly effective by design. What it kept finding missing was the evidence: rationale that was never written down, policies that stopped at group level, and obligations that were never mapped to controls. Here is what the review asks for, area by area.
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Consumer Duty ·
Products and Services Under the Consumer Duty: What Good Looks Like, and How Much Is Proportionate
In the space of a fortnight the FCA published two documents that seem to pull in opposite directions on the products and services outcome: a good-practice review that rewards deeper monitoring, and a consultation, CP26/23, that promises proportionality. Here is what each expects, and how to prove your firm has struck the right balance.
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AML ·
Sanctions Systems and Controls: What the FCA Found in 150 Firms — and How to Prove You’ve Got It Covered
Since February 2022 the FCA has assessed sanctions systems and controls at more than 150 firms — and published, in unusual detail, exactly what good and poor practice look like. Here is what the regulator found, area by area, and how to evidence that your firm has it covered.
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Compliance ·
The FCA’s Regulatory Guide for Credit Brokers: A Section-by-Section Compliance Playbook
The FCA published a plain-English guide for smaller credit brokers covering eight areas — from getting your permissions right to how the FCA supervises firms. Here’s what each section requires, and how to evidence it.
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Operational Resilience ·
Operational Resilience in 2026: Why Your Word-Doc BCP Won’t Survive FCA Scrutiny
Most firms treat operational resilience as a 60-page Word document nobody reads, nobody tests, and nobody updates. When disruption hits, that document fails — and under FCA SYSC 15A, your firm is on the hook.
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Consumer Duty ·
Consumer Duty in 2026: The FCA Is Watching. Is Your Firm Ready?
The Consumer Duty isn't a box-ticking exercise that ended in July 2023. It's a living, breathing regulatory framework that the FCA has placed at the centre of its supervisory strategy through to 2030.
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Consumer Duty ·
The FCA's Consumer Duty: Mastering Compliance with the FCA's Gold Standard
The FCA's Consumer Duty represents a paradigm shift in the regulation of retail financial services — redefining firm obligations through granular, measurable expectations.
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FCA Updates ·
The FCA's Proposal to Publish Enforcement Investigations: A Risk to Market Stability?
The FCA's proposal to routinely publish details of enforcement investigations has sparked widespread debate. The House of Lords has expressed strong concerns.
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AML ·
Metro Bank's £16 Million Fine: A Wake-Up Call for AML Compliance
The FCA imposed a £16 million fine on Metro Bank for serious failings in its financial crime controls. A stark reminder for all FCA-regulated firms.
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Compliance ·
Better Compliance for FCA-Regulated Firms
When it comes to FCA compliance, firms often focus on the basics. But additional strategies can make compliance far less burdensome.
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