The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a warning that fraudsters may be contacting former clients of the Wales-based financial advisory firm Synergy Wealth Ltd (Synergy) and London-based investment management firm Westbury Private Clients LLP (Westbury). The FCA believes fraudsters may be offering to review individuals’ pensions and arrange a pension transfer for an inappropriately high fee.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned consumers to be alert to impersonation scams after receiving 4,465 reports in the first half of 2025, with 480 victims handing over money. The FCA says fraudsters are contacting individuals—primarily those aged 56 and above—via phone, email, text, WhatsApp and post, pretending to be from the FCA and using cloned websites and spoofed email addresses (such as @fca-eu.com and @secure-fca.org.uk) to appear legitimate. Common scam methods include claims that the FCA has recovered crypto assets, offers to help loan scam victims recover funds and fake County Court Judgement notices demanding payment. A growing trend known as ‘pig butchering’ involves scammers building trust—often through romantic manipulation—before defrauding victims and later impersonating the FCA to offer fake recovery services. The FCA emphasises that it will never ask for money transfers, bank account PINs or passwords and urges consumers to report scams to Action Fraud.

Law360, London: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said it has seen a rise in potential market abuse from trading accounts administered by authorised companies working with overseas firms.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has updated its webpage on the German Property Group (GPG) companies’ preliminary bankruptcy proceedings. The FCA says it is aware that a number of attempts are being made to potentially scam GPG investors into parting with more money by making claims that some or all of their original investment can be returned to them.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a webpage on the Consumer Duty and international payment pricing transparency. It sets out examples of good and poor practice on how firms communicate the cost of international money remittance and cross-border payments.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a webpage explaining its approach when it considers making an ex-gratia (goodwill) payment because of the distress or inconvenience caused by avoidable delays in its complaint handling. The webpage includes a table showing the levels of ex-gratia payment the FCA believes are appropriate when assessing the impact of an avoidable delay.

Law360, London: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it is considering issuing guidance amid growing legal uncertainty over commission arrangements following a bombshell court ruling on motor finance.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has welcomed the Court of Appeal’s judgment in Markos Markou v The Financial Conduct Authority [2024] EWCA Civ 1575.  The Court of Appeal found that the FCA’s decision to ban Markos Markou from financial services was the correct one; it further remitted the matter to the FCA with a direction to impose a reduced financial penalty from that in the FCA’s 2021 Decision Notice in respect of Markou.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has welcomed the first industry report on tokenisation from Project Guardian, an initiative led by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and to which the FCA contributed. The report focuses on the use of fund and asset tokenisation. It presents a phased vision for distributed ledger technology (DLT) in asset management and discusses potential industry and regulatory standards needed to scale tokenisation use-cases and benefit firms and investors.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has welcomed government legislation to bring Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings providers under its regulatory remit, with the legislation now laid before Parliament. The FCA intends to consult on proposed rules before the end of 2025, with the regulatory framework focusing on four key areas: transparency, governance, systems and controls and conflicts of interest, informed by International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) recommendations. The FCA will also produce guidance to help firms assess whether their activities require authorisation under the new regime.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has welcomed a statement issued jointly by the Investment Association, Personal Investment Management & Financial Advice Association, and the Alternative Investment Management Association supporting faster trade settlement in funds. The statement explains that transactions in listed stocks and bonds across the UK, Switzerland, and the EU will change to a T+1 settlement cycle from 11 October 2027, while UK funds will move to a T+2 settlement cycle where feasible. The FCA has noted that faster settlement is expected to enhance market efficiency, improve liquidity, and reinforce the competitiveness of the UK financial market. It has also emphasised that fund managers should prepare for this transition and provide robust justification for any circumstance where settlement exceeds two business days.

Law360: The Financial Conduct Authority said on 10 December 2024 that it will not return to the 'light touch' regulation from before the 2008 financial crisis but is committed to responsible risk-taking to support the Labour government's goal of boosting economic growth.