Financial Conduct Authority news and trends

FCA Gives Auto Lenders More Time to Manage Customer Complaints
Regulation // November 13, 2024

The U.K.’s financial watchdog is giving auto financing companies more time to deal with customer complaints. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced this decision Wednesday (Nov. 13) in the wake of a recent court ruling that forbids dealers from getting a commission from auto lenders without the customer’s consent....

UK’s FCA Fines Metro Bank $21 Million for Money Laundering Protection Lapses
AML // November 12, 2024

The United Kingdom’s finance regulator fined Metro Bank for failing to monitor money laundering risks. The Financial Conduct Authority said Metro must pay 16.7 million pounds (about $21 million) for a lack of proper money laundering protections on 60 million transactions between 2016 and 2020,...

UK Government Aims to Provide More Protections to BNPL Users
Buy Now Pay Later // 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...

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...

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
Revolut to Expand Trading Products After Receiving UK License

November 18, 2024
Global FinTech Revolut plans to offer its customers in the United Kingdom new trading products and features after receiving a U.K. trading license from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The receipt of this license makes Revolut Trading an authorized investment firm, allowing it to improve the user experience and introduce U.K. and European Union stocks […]

FCA Gives Auto Lenders More Time to Manage Customer Complaints

November 13, 2024
The U.K.’s financial watchdog is giving auto financing companies more time to deal with customer complaints. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced this decision Wednesday (Nov. 13) in the wake of a recent court...

UK’s FCA Fines Metro Bank $21 Million for Money Laundering Protection Lapses

November 12, 2024
The United Kingdom’s finance regulator fined Metro Bank for failing to monitor money laundering risks. The Financial Conduct Authority said Metro must pay 16.7 million pounds (about $21 million) for...

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...