On 29 January 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published its latest Regulation Round-up.

The Round-up highlights the following key updates:

• Fighting financial crime with FCA Firm Checker: The FCA is asking for firms to link to FCA Firm Checker rather than the FCA Register on consumer-facing webpages. The Register remains in place as the full regulatory record of the authorised financial services firm and individual population.
• Pension value to be put under the spotlight: The FCA has published a joint consultation with The Pensions Regulator (TPR) on updated proposals for a new Value for Money framework and requests responses by 8 March 2026.
• Accelerated settlement – progress report: The FCA have published a statement welcoming the Accelerated Settlement Taskforce’s 2025 progress report on the move to T+1, which means that buying a stock or bond will be settled within one business day.
• Complex ETPs and the Consumer Duty: The FCA have published findings from its review of complex exchange-traded products (ETPs), including leveraged and inverse ETPs that reset daily.
• Strengthening oversight of critical third parties: The FCA, Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Bank of England, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Supervisory Authorities to strengthen how they will oversee critical third parties under the UK’s CTP regime.
• Applications now open for FCA’s stablecoin sprint: The sprint will explore how stablecoins can be used for retail payments, cross-border payments, ecommerce and business to business transactions to inform our regulatory approach, applications are open until 4 February 2026.
• The FCA are seeking feedback on further rules for cryptoasset firms: The FCA are consulting on further rules for cryptoasset firms as the final step in its consultations to its crypto rules and has asked for feedback by 12 March 2026.
• New regulatory regime for cryptoassets: To help cryptoasset firms prepare for the new regime, the FCA have published information for those that will fall within scope and be regulated by us under FSMA for the first time.
• Management expenses levy limit: The FCA have published a joint consultation with the PRA to set the total limit on the management expenses that the Financial Services Compensation Scheme can levy financial services firms and have asked for feedback by 10 February 2026.
• Changes in how we collect retail banking data: As part of its commitment to being a smarter, more proportionate regulator, the FCA are consulting on changes to how we collect retail banking data.
• Equity consolidated tape consultation period: The FCA’s consultation deadline to feedback on proposals to introduce a UK equity consolidated tape has been extended to 13 February 2026.
• Contactless payment limit changes: From 19 March 2026, payment service providers will be able to change how they process contactless payments, meaning they could set their own contactless payment limits, as long as the transaction risk is low.
• Cancelling authorisation to avoid fees: If firms submit a cancellation application to the FCA before 31 March 2026 (or before the last day in February, if  also regulated by the PRA), they won’t have to pay the annual fee for the following financial year.
• Berne Financial Services Agreement update: The Berne Financial Services Agreement (BFSA) went live on 1 January, which is an agreement between the UK and Switzerland that allows firms to carry out specified wholesale activities on a cross-border basis in each other’s country.
• Seeking views on AI and financial services: The FCA launched the Mills Review into how rapid advances in AI are reshaping retail financial services and is seeking views by 24 February 2026.
• Pure Protection market study: The FCA have published interim findings from our market study into pure protection products.
• FCA and PSR clarify open banking pricing activities: The FCA issued a joint statement with the Payment Systems Regulator giving clarity on open banking pricing models.