FCA FOCUS
We recently published an article summarising the FCA’s Business Plan for 2019/20. The Business Plan gives a clear idea of the issues at the top of the FCA’s to do list, and these are certainly also issues that all firms should address in their own business risk plans for the coming year.
Over the next few weeks, we will be issuing a few related articles, exploring some of those issues in a bit more detail under the banner of ‘FCA FOCUS’. Topics we hope to cover include:
- PROD
Evidence suggests that firms are not sufficiently aware of the requirements of this major element of MiFIDII and implementation is poor; - Aggregated costs disclosure
This whole area remains a bit of a mess with very few firms whether advisers, DFMs, platforms or other providers appearing to be doing it right; - DFM issues
There are risks with the relationship model that most DFMs offer to adviser firms; - SM&CR – culture and governance
Culture and governance is a continuing theme for the regulator. How does SM&CR help?



Abridged advice – how is it going so far?
Alistair MacDougall Compliance 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, abridged, Drawdown, FCA, Pension, Pension Transfer, PI, transfer
Based on data and live visits to firms during the period from April 2015 to rule changes in 2018 and 2020, the FCA believed that far too high a proportion of clients were being recommended to transfer safeguarded benefits. This was predicated on the longstanding rule which stated: “… a firm should start by assuming […]