FCA: Changes to SM&CR regime aren’t deregulation, they’re better regulation April 22, 2026 The FCA is delivering practical improvements to the Senior Managers and Certification Regime will make accountability smarter and simpler, says Sarah Pritchard Senior accountability is the foundation of building trust and confidence in UK financial services. But leaders being on the hook for their actions doesn’t need to mean they get tangled in red tape. [...]
The FCA’s new targeted support regime risks further confusion for consumers April 15, 2026 The FCA’s new “targeted support” regime, introduced to bridge the gap between generic guidance and regulated financial advice, risks being more complex and less effective than the system it replaces, says Matthew Bowles Last Monday, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) formally introduced its new “targeted support” regime. This is an attempt to bridge the long-discussed [...]
Close Brothers shares soar as bank ‘well positioned’ for £320m motor finance hit April 8, 2026 Close Brothers has insisted it is “well positioned” to absorb the financial hit from the City watchdog’s motor finance redress scheme but added to speculation another legal battle could be on the horizon. The FTSE 250 lender told markets on Wednesday morning that it estimates the cost of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) redress scheme [...]
Investment trusts launch last-ditch City watchdog campaign April 7, 2026 The chair of one of Britain’s oldest investment trusts has accused the City watchdog of leaving his industry exposed to aggressive activist campaigns even after an overwhelming majority of shareholders have rejected them. City AM can reveal that Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust (Ewit) chair Jonathan Simpson-Dent met Financial Conduct Authority officials last week in a [...]
FCA chief clashes with investment industry on over-reliance March 19, 2026 The investment industry must stop being over-reliant on regulators and solve their own problems in order to make investors less risk averse and boost economic growth, the financial watchdog has said. Speaking in an interview with City AM, Simon Walls, interim executive director of markets at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), argued that despite the [...]
FCA tightens cyber reporting rules as UK firms face rising risk March 18, 2026 The City watchdog has moved to tighten cyber and operational resilience rules for financial firms, as attacks grow more frequent and increasingly spread through third-party providers. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) confirmed new requirements to standardise how firms report incidents and manage third-party risks, in a bid to improve visibility over disruptions ranging from cyber [...]
Wood Group hit with £13m fine as engineering titan set to exit City March 4, 2026 Scottish engineering titan John Wood Group has been slapped with a hefty fine after it produced inaccurate information in its financial results. The London-listed firm will cough up £13m following an investigation from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) concluding its “accounting judgements were inappropriately influenced by its desire to maintain previously stated financial results”. The [...]
FCA chief: We can’t solve every problem with new rules February 18, 2026 The Financial Conduct Authority will avoid introducing fresh rules as its stock response to new forms of market failure, its boss has said, as the regulator looks to avoid time-consuming consultation processes and speed up its action. Nikhil Rathi told the Fairer Finance podcast that “not every problem can be solved quickly” by the watchdog [...]
Clearpay CEO: I welcome buy now pay later regulations February 13, 2026 New FCA rules for buy now, pay later will strengthen, and legitimise, our industry, writes Clearpay CEO Rich Bayer.
Buy now, pay later providers set for £3bn hit in ‘regulatory reset’ February 11, 2026 Providers of buy now, pay later services are set to feel the crunch as the UK’s financial watchdog tightens its regulatory focus on the fast-growing industry. Merchants and lenders are set to take a combined hit of as much as £3bn following the regulation overhaul by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), according to its own [...]