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Financial Services Regulatory

"Very efficient and responsive to client needs and timescales, an excellent professional all-round service." — Legal 500 2024

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The FCA have many rules and firms are intensely regulated. When you need a helping hand, or a situation seems impossible, we build a team of specialists to provide bespoke, accessible advice for your firm as and when you need it. We help you with one-off queries, or deal with when one issue impacts another.

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We have worked with wealth managers, asset managers, peer to peer lenders, banks and introducers and unregulated firms. We are used to working with and having a dialogue with financial regulators. We care about our clients and the outcome.

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We help with:

  • Applying for authorisation, appointed representation arrangements or variation of permission

  • Advising individuals on Form A completion - Senior Manager or Appointed Representative applications, particularly if FCA minded to refuse, requested for interview or queries raised

  • Advice fitness and propriety (FIT), culture and conduct

  • Implementing Senior Manager & Certification Regime (SMCR) and training on Conduct Rules

  • Governance reviews

  • Advice on disclosure of convictions and cautions

  • Drafting Regulatory References

  • Notification and reporting obligations, and interactions with the FCA/PRA

  • Perimeter, regulated activity (RAO) and financial promotion advice

  • AML controls and financial crime compliance

  • CASS and SYSC compliance, advising on operational resilience

  • Drafting policies and procedures, advising on regulatory change, gap analysis

  • Mis-selling and unsuitable advice concerns

  • Responding to Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS complaints)

  • Preparing for FCA meetings or interviews

  • Advice regarding s166 skilled person appointments

  • Remediation, redress, customer contact or due diligence programme

  • Customer complaint handling including Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) complaints

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You can instruct us on a discrete issue or we can assist with a range of your regulatory obligations. We form multi-disciplinary teams, bespoke for you, with regulatory compliance consultants, forensic investigators and expert lawyers.

Our Experience

  • Advised broker in relation to FCA Supervision voluntary requirement (VREQ) and remediation strategy following s166 skilled person report.

  • Advised individuals applying for AR Controlled Functions, assisting with Form A completion and advised on concerns raised by FCA approvals team.

  • Acted for IFA firm subject to voluntary variation of permissions (VVOP), s166 skilled person review, and remediation programme regarding pension mis-selling and compliance systems upgrade.

  • Advised individuals as to whether convictions, cautions or other matters are disclosable to FCA, firms or overseas regulators when applying for regulatory approval, firm new joiner onboarding or annual fitness and propriety declarations.

  • Advice to a mobile network operator subject to enquiry by the FCA for allegedly carrying out consumer credit activities and regulated activities without authorisation.

  • Advised on the prudential regulatory requirements for both capital and liquidity of banks, investment firms and insurers based in the UK, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Jersey, and Guernsey.

  • Significant regulator liaison eg FCA, PRA, ICO, Gibraltar and Channel Island financial and data protection regulators as required, in particular regarding capital, liquidity data and documentation requirements and in respect of SREP and other visits.

  • Member of in-house Compliance leadership team responsible for CASS framework enhancement and oversight and prudential regulatory compliance.

  • Implemented the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR) for a dual-regulated firm and for four solo-regulated entities (core and enhanced) including the development of all documentation, systems, processes and the design and delivery of training.

  • Oversight of FCA change in control approval process for two regulated entities including overseeing and editing the business plan and the submissions for the new senior managers.

  • Oversight of the implementation of remuneration arrangements including the compliance with three different FA remuneration codes and the operation of three remuneration committees.

  • Established a Training & Competency framework and assisted with launch.

  • Drafted compliance manuals, policies and key documents for CASS, financial crime and compliance.

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