Financial Conduct Authority news and trends

Starling Fined $38 Million for ‘Shockingly Lax’ Crime Controls
Bank Regulation // October 02, 2024

Starling Bank has been fined 29 million pounds ($38 million) for failing to implement proper financial crime controls. The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced the penalty against the neobank Wednesday (Oct. 2), noting that it stemmed from problems first identified in 2021. The fine comes amid a...

FCA Wary of AI in Insurance; Harmonic Aims for Mathematical Breakthrough
Artificial Intelligence // September 26, 2024

Artificial intelligence is transforming the financial sector, with regulators highlighting potential “uninsurable” risks while innovative applications emerge in small business money management and mathematical problem-solving. As the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) urges caution, China’s MYbank uses AI to boost small business financial planning,...

UK’s FCA Proposes That Payments Firms’ Client Assets Be Held on Trust
Regulation // September 25, 2024

The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) proposed requiring payments and eMoney firms to participate in a client assets (CASS) system in which funds and assets are held on trust for consumers. Currently, these firms must safeguard funds, which means their customers can lose money...

FCA Head Nikhil Rathi Says AI Has Benefits and Risks for Financial Inclusion
Artificial Intelligence // September 19, 2024

The hyper-personalization of insurance enabled by artificial intelligence could benefit some customers but render others “uninsurable,” Nikhil Rathi, CEO of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said Thursday (Sept. 19). In a speech drafted for delivery at StepChange Connected 2024 in Leeds, Rathi cited...

Interviews & Exclusives
Will Regulators’ Public Shaming Blunt Innovation?

June 05, 2024
The respective online “walls of shame” that U.S. and U.K. regulators have proposed to erect — spotlighting companies under various investigations — may have a chilling effect on competition and innovation. As has been reported in recent days, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a final rule to establish a registry of nonbank financial companies […]

UK Edges Closer to BNPL Regulation as Consultation Kicks Off

February 15, 2023
The U.K. has launched a long-awaited consultation aimed at regulating the BNPL sector. The eight-week consultation, which started Tuesday (Feb. 14) and was announced by the HM Treasury, comes two...

UK and EU’s Payments and Crypto Regulation Divergence Set to Accelerate

December 30, 2022
In 2023, the U.K. will accelerate its divergence from EU payment and crypto regulations. Meanwhile, the EU is moving ahead with its own policy agenda and in 2023 will continue...

UK’s EPA Chief Says Proposed ‘Consumer Duty’ Mandate Will Backfire, Stifle Innovation

August 13, 2021
“Notoriously difficult and hard to implement.” That’s the initial feedback from the head of the Emerging Payments Association (EPA), Tony Craddock, on a new set of rules put forth by...

Quick Reads
UK Government Aims to Provide More Protections to BNPL Users

October 17, 2024
The U.K. government said Thursday (Oct. 17) that it aims to provide buy now, pay later (BNPL) users with many of the protections provided by other consumer credit products. It has launched a consultation on proposals to bring BNPL companies under the supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and apply the Consumer Credit Act, […]

Starling Fined $38 Million for ‘Shockingly Lax’ Crime Controls

October 02, 2024
Starling Bank has been fined 29 million pounds ($38 million) for failing to implement proper financial crime controls. The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced the penalty against the neobank Wednesday (Oct. 2),...

UK’s FCA Proposes That Payments Firms’ Client Assets Be Held on Trust

September 25, 2024
The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) proposed requiring payments and eMoney firms to participate in a client assets (CASS) system in which funds and assets are held on trust...

FCA Head Nikhil Rathi Says AI Has Benefits and Risks for Financial Inclusion

September 19, 2024
The hyper-personalization of insurance enabled by artificial intelligence could benefit some customers but render others “uninsurable,” Nikhil Rathi, CEO of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said Thursday (Sept....