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Latest News

06
Nov

The CEO’s Guide to the FCA’s Growth Objective: How to Scale Without Regulatory Friction

November 6, 2026
Since 2023, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has had a secondary objective to facilitate the international competitiveness of the UK economy and its growth in the medium to long term. It is sometimes shortened to SICGO. Some chief executives may have read this as an invitation to expand faster with lighter oversight. That assumption is...
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06
Nov

The FCA Supervision Notice: How to Respond to Urgent Data Requests

November 6, 2026
Receiving an urgent request for data from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) can be unsettling. The demands on your firm are immediate, and the deadline is often tight. A calm, structured plan helps you stay in control of the process and show the regulator that your firm takes its obligations seriously. You may hear this...
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30
Oct

The Hidden Compliance Risk in Third-Party Marketing

October 30, 2026
For many consumer credit firms, third-party marketing has become an essential part of customer acquisition. Affiliates generate leads > Marketing agencies build websites > Digital specialists manage advertising campaigns > Comparison websites introduce customers > Outsourced providers create content and optimise customer journeys. These arrangements can deliver significant commercial benefits; they can also create significant...
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26
Oct

Senior Managers: Personal Accountability Has Never Been More Important

October 26, 2026
When the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SM&CR) was introduced, it fundamentally changed the relationship between individuals and regulation. Responsibility no longer rested solely with the regulated firm; increasingly, it rested with the people leading it. Recent FCA enforcement actions have involved prohibiting  Senior Managers for failing to meet the standards of honesty and integrity...
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16
Oct

Good Governance Begins With Better Questions

October 16, 2026
Every Board receives reports. Performance updates, complaints analysis, financial results, compliance monitoring, Consumer Duty reporting and operational risk all arrive neatly packaged within Board papers, often accompanied by recommendations and assurances from management. The temptation is to focus on the answers. Increasingly, however, the quality of governance is determined by something else entirely: the questions...
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12
Oct

FCA Authorisation: What the Regulator Really Wants to See

October 12, 2026
Applying for FCA authorisation is often viewed as a documentation exercise. Policies need to be written. Application forms completed. Business plans drafted. Senior Managers identified. Financial forecasts prepared. While each of these elements is important, they are not what determines whether an application is successful. Increasingly, the FCA is looking beyond the documents themselves. It...
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07
Oct

Data Is Becoming Your Most Important Regulatory Asset

October 7, 2026
For many organisations, data has traditionally been viewed as an operational necessity. It supports lending decisions, produces management information, satisfies regulatory reporting requirements and helps firms understand business performance. Increasingly, however, data is becoming something much more valuable. It is becoming one of the most important regulatory assets an organisation possesses. Across Open Finance, Consumer...
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02
Oct

Cyber Resilience Is No Longer Just an IT Issue

October 2, 2026
Ask most Boards what cyber resilience means and the conversation will usually turn to firewalls, ransomware, phishing attacks and IT infrastructure – those risks are real and deserve attention. Increasingly, however, cyber resilience is becoming something much broader. For consumer credit firms, it is no longer simply an information technology issue. It is a governance...
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30
Sep

Are Your Compliance Reports Driving Decisions or Simply Recording Activity?

September 30, 2026
Every regulated firm produces compliance reports. Monthly monitoring updates, audit findings, complaints analysis, breaches, regulatory developments, Consumer Duty reporting and risk registers all form part of the governance framework. By the time they reach senior management or the Board, they often represent hours of careful review and analysis. Yet one important question is rarely asked...
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