Such a loaded questions isn’t it? Yet this is a crucial question we always ask when meeting retail investment adviser firms in the market place. Compliance, as financial advice, is not an exact science and is heavily nuanced and sensitive given the amount of rules and regulations firms are contending with against the background of the FCA’s principle based framework.
The FCA published its Business Plan 2019/20 on 17 April 2019, setting out 8 cross-sector priorities, as well as seven priorities for specific regulated sectors. The plan outlines the FCA’s priorities for the year ahead and describes its response to identified issues, covering supervisory priorities as well as market studies and the policy work the FCA plans to undertake through the course of the next 12 months.
We have written extensively about the SM&CR being the most personally impactful pieces of regulation to hit retail financial services industry in decades, yet what is also apparent is there are some unintended consequences that the industry needs to address and include in their implementation processes.
Like you, I get most of my Brexit updates from the @Coldwar_Steve twitter account. Based on this, Boris Johnson is currently panic buying Fray Bentos tins from a reconditioned ice cream van.
The UK’s exit from the EU will doubtless create challenges for Business owners, Client Relationship owners and Compliance Officers. They all need to understand any changes in order not to fall foul of the regulations after March 2019. The FCA have published two consultation papers, setting out its proposed approach on the UK’s exit from the EU in the event of a ‘hard’ Brexit.
Open-heart surgery is something one would want to avoid where our own health is concerned. Yet in businesses we seem to be witnessing such when it comes to established firms moving their businesses between technology providers.
The Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD)concerns the distribution of insurance-based investment products (IBIPs). It also covers firms that assist in the administration and performance of an insurance contract post-sale. It aims to create a level playing field for all those involved in the sale of insurance products.
With The FCA revisiting the implementation of MiFIDII and with the next Suitability review, and SM&CR also on their way, we are now seeing far more focus on disclosure, transparency, accountability and roles and responsibilities.