FCA fines Switzerland’s GAM International Management £9.1m for conflicts of interest December 16, 2021 Britain’s financial watchdog this morning said it has fined Swiss asset management group GAM International £9.1m, as well as its former fund manager Tim Haywood, for conflicts of interest and gifts and entertainment matters. Following its investigation into the asset manager, the regulator concluded that GAM “failed to conduct its business with due care, skill [...]
FCA scrambles to fill staffing gaps with almost £1m headhunter spend December 13, 2021 The UK’s financial services watchdog had hired private law firms to help process job applications and dished out almost £1m on headhunters this year, as it rushes to fill an abnormally large vacancy pool following a series of departures. While vacancy levels at the Financial Conduct Authority normally run at around 300, they currently stand [...]
FCA’s boss reveals the watchdog is having a hard time signing up data and tech specialists December 9, 2021 City watchdog the FCA has revealed it is struggling to hire in-demand technology specialists. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) chief executive Nikhil Rathi told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee that it was having to “manage the challenges” of hiring, particularly for data and technology roles. Rathi said the “hot” jobs market and moves by big [...]
FCA wants stricter rules after Greensill scandal December 3, 2021 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today announced proposals to make changes to its appointed representative regime (AR) – a scheme which allowed the now collapsed Greensill to run in the UK without a license to conduct millions of pounds’ worth of business. The AR regime, which was first conceived four decades ago, lets an [...]
FCA confirms listing rule changes in bid to sharpen London’s edge for startup IPOs December 2, 2021 London’s financial watchdog this morning confirmed a list of changes to its listing rules that will come into force tomorrow, in an effort to bolster incentives for innovative founder-led companies to list on UK markets sooner. Chief among the new changes, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) confirmed it is introducing a “targeted form” of dual [...]
UK financial regulator proposes near doubling of fees November 30, 2021 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed a near-doubling of the fee it charges authorised firms for supervision services.
FCA pushes back on union recognition demands November 17, 2021 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has pushed back on union demands to give official recognition to Unite the Union as the representative of staff at the watchdog. The new Unite general secretary Sharon Graham wrote to the regulator’s CEO Nikhil Rathi ten days ago, alleging that “staff at the Financial Conduct Authority are flooding to [...]
FCA unveils plans to ban debt advice firms charging referral fees November 17, 2021 Debt packager firms will be banned from chasing commission to refer those in financial distress on to other providers of debt solutions, under new plans unveiled by the UK’s financial watchdog today. The ban concerns debt advice firms that rely on income from referral fees paid by the other firms that they recommend – a [...]
Brexit in the City: New powers for watchdogs FCA and PRA as UK moves away from EU rules November 10, 2021 The City’s main regulators, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), will be given new powers to set rules as the UK moves away from the EU framework after Brexit, according to Government proposals. Regulators will be required to consider how the UK’s financial sector can grow and compete internationally when setting [...]
John Lewis in hot water as “misleading” ad is pulled October 27, 2021 John Lewis was forced to apologise after it aired an ad that was considered potentially misleading by the financial watchdog. “This advert has been withdrawn because the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers the content to be potentially misleading and could cause customers to be confused about John Lewis’s new home contents insurance offering,” the department [...]