The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has sent a Dear CEO letter to the firms in the three portfolios in the Consumer Lending market: high-cost lending, mainstream consumer credit lending and credit unions. The letter sets out the FCA’s updated view on the key risks of harm such firms may pose to their consumers and the markets in which they operate. The FCA says the issues highlighted will shape its focus and engagement with the consumer lending market over the next two years.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a Dear CEO letter to firms in the payments portfolio. The FCA sets out three main desired outcomes: ensuring effective competition and innovation, maintaining financial system integrity, and safeguarding customers' money. Firms are expected to take appropriate actions to achieve these outcomes and maintain high standards of governance and oversight.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has sent Dear CEO letters on implementing the Consumer Duty for closed products and services by 31 July 2024. The letters set out the application of the Duty to closed products and services; priority issues that are particularly acute or widespread; action prompts to ensure firms are prepared for the deadline; and a reminder, in Annex 1, of the definition of closed products and services together with an overview of the rules.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a portfolio letter to the chief executive of wholesale brokers, outlining the FCA's strategy for the next two years for supervising wholesale brokers. The letter sets out four strategic areas which will be the focus of the FCA’s  programme of proactive work: broker conduct, culture, business oversight and financial resilience. The FCA expects executives to discuss the contents of the letter with their boards and to have agreed actions and/or next steps by the end of March 2025.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published four letters sent to retail banks; building societies; lifetime mortgage providers; and non-bank mortgage lenders & mortgage third-party administrators, outlining key concerns and strategic priorities for 2025.

Law360, London: The new 'failure to prevent' fraud offence that comes into force in September 2025 will indirectly boost the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA’s) opportunities for enforcement against corporate senior managers, countering its recent retreat from plans to 'name and shame' companies it is investigating, lawyers say.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published Market Watch 77, which discusses trade by organised crime groups (OCGs) and how firms can mitigate the risks of being used to facilitate it. It sets out what the FCA considers to be characteristic of the activity of OCGs in equity spread bets and contracts for difference (CFDs), what firms should look out for and what firms can do to guard against OCGs.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a multi-firm review of money mule activity and cashing out. It found that financial firms are shutting down hundreds of thousands of suspected money mule accounts, but organised criminal groups are still shifting dirty money through multiple bank accounts before cashing out.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published policy statement PS24/8: Access to Cash Feedback to consultation paper CP23/29 and final rules. It sets out rules and guidance for a new regulatory regime to support access to cash for consumers and businesses. The Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) 2023 set out Parliament’s intention to protect access to cash and gave the FCA a new remit and powers for this purpose.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published its findings following a review of how principals are embedding new rules for overseeing appointed representatives (ARs), and has set out examples of good practice and areas for improvement for firms to consider.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a set of proposals aimed at encouraging listed companies to offer low denomination bonds (ie less than £100,000) and to simplify the requirements that apply to listed companies when they issue further securities. In CP25/2: ‘Further changes to the public offers and admissions to trading regime and the UK Listing Rules’ the FCA proposes changes to align disclosure requirements for low denomination bonds with those for higher denominations to make raising capital easier for issuers. Changes are also proposed to the UK Listing Rules to make them more efficient for companies issuing further securities and to remove the need for Listing Particulars for such issuances. In CP25/3: ‘Consultation on further proposals for firms operating public offer platforms’, the FCA outlines its approach and proposals for implementing the new public offer platform (POP) regime. Responses to both consultations are sought by 14 March 2025. The FCA aims to publish final rules for the public offers and admissions to trading (POATR) framework as a whole, including rules for firms operating a POP, in Summer 2025. The FCA expects the POATR framework to fully come into force in January 2026.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is establishing a consolidated tape (CT) for bonds and for equities, in order to collate market data such as prices and volumes associated with trades. The CTs aim to provide a comprehensive picture of transactions in each specific asset class.