Appointed Representative Policy and Playbook: What Principal Firms Must Get Right Before the FCA Gets Involved
The appointed representative regime was designed to widen access to regulated markets. But for principal firms, it comes with a burden of responsibility that many have consistently underestimated — an...
27 Feb 21min
Consumer Duty: Are You Evidencing Good Outcomes or Just Hoping for the Best?
Consumer Duty has been in force since July 2023, and the FCA is no longer giving firms the benefit of the doubt. Supervisory visits, thematic reviews, and enforcement activity are all signalling the s...
26 Feb 22min
Fair Value Under the Microscope: What the FCA Really Expects From Your Assessment Framework
Is your firm's Fair Value Assessment actually fit for purpose — or is it a compliance exercise dressed up as consumer protection?Since Consumer Duty came into full force, the FCA has been unequivocal:...
26 Feb 20min
PEPs, High-Risk Customers & EDD: Are You Managing the Risk or Just Creating the Paperwork?
When it comes to Politically Exposed Persons and high-risk customers, the gap between having an EDD process and having one that actually works is wider than most firms realise — and the FCA knows it.E...
26 Feb 13min
Operational Resilience: Is Your Firm Ready to Prove It Can Absorb Disruption — or Just Claim That It Can?
The FCA and PRA's operational resilience framework is no longer a future obligation. The March 2025 implementation deadline has passed — and firms are now expected to be operating within their impact ...
26 Feb 11min
FCA Supervisory Visit: Are You Actually Prepared — or Just Hoping for the Best?
An FCA supervisory visit is not a conversation. It is a structured regulatory assessment of your firm's systems, controls, and culture — and firms that treat it as an informal check-up are the ones th...
26 Feb 17min
Compliance Risk Registers: Is Your Firm Mapping What Actually Matters — or Just Colouring in Squares?
Every regulated firm has a compliance risk register. Far fewer have one that genuinely reflects their risk profile, drives management decision-making, or would survive scrutiny from the FCA, an intern...
26 Feb 18min
PSR Compliance Risk Registers: Are Payment Firms Mapping Real Risk — or Just Going Through the Motions?
Payment service providers operate in one of the most rapidly evolving regulatory environments in UK financial services. Yet the compliance risk registers many PSR-authorised firms rely on were built f...
26 Feb 21min
