The FCA has published PS 19/7. This Policy Statement sets out the final rules on the Directory, a new public register for checking the details of key individuals working in the financial services.
The Directory will include information available through the Financial Services Register (The FS Register), as well as information about other individuals, including those performing roles that will no longer be made public on Register following the introduction of the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SM&CR).
This information will be made public through a newly designed user interface that is intended to be clear and easy to use.
Publishing this information on an ongoing basis is intended to help protect consumers and firms by making it easier to check whether individuals work for an authorised firm. It will also support the FCA, law enforcement, professional bodies and other regulators to monitor the market, build intelligence and target interventions.
Solo regulated firms (firms regulated only by the FCA) will be able to start submitting the required data from 9 December 2019 and will have to have completed submission by 9 December 2020.
FCS Transitional Arrangements
Steve Bailey Compliance Update
As you will be aware the Financial Services Authority ceased to be and the Financial Conduct Authority took over the regulation of financial advice firms on 01 April 2013.
The FSA issued PS13/05 last week which includes updated rules and transition arrangements. The policy statement itself is 88 pages but the ‘appendix (3)’ that accompanies it is a mere 1990 pages so you must excuse us for not as yet absorbing every word. The document can be seen here.