On 21 March 2025, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced a comprehensive market study into the distribution of pure protection products to individual retail customers (MS24/1.2). This initiative aims to ensure that the market functions effectively and that consumers receive fair value and good outcomes from these products. The study puts commission arrangements
FCA
FCA proposes multi-occupancy building insurance reform


On 21 April 2023, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a consultation paper (CP23/8) (CP) on proposed rule changes to address issues identified within the multi-occupancy building insurance market which are leading to poor outcomes for leaseholders.
Background
Over the past few years, the cost of building insurance to…
FCA Practitioner Panel: Annual Report 21/22

On 27 July 2022, the FCA Practitioner Panel published their Annual Report for 2021/2022.
The FCA Practitioner panel is a statutory panel for the FCA. Alongside the Small Business and Markets Practitioner Panels, it represents the interests of practitioners and provides advice to the FCA on the extent to which it policies and practices are…
Spotlight on the Appointed Representatives regime: what is changing and how best to prepare
Ahead of the anticipated FCA policy statement and final rules on the changes to the Appointed Representatives regime, which were expected to be published in H1 2022, in this briefing paper we consider some of the steps that firms should be taking to prepare for the anticipated changes in the FCA’s final policy.
FCA publishes web page on buildings insurance for leasehold properties in light of cladding concerns

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a web page setting out its expectations for buildings insurance providers in terms of offering fair value insurance for leasehold properties. Recently, leaseholders of apartments have been paying more for buildings insurance, especially where the exterior has been covered with cladding.
The FCA says that insurers…
FCA sends ‘Dear CEO’ letter to general insurance intermediaries on adequate client money arrangements

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has sent a ‘Dear CEO’ letter from Christopher Woolard, interim chief executive officer, to general insurance intermediaries. The letter states that during the COVID-19 pandemic it is imperative that intermediary firms maintain adequate arrangements to safeguard client money. The FCA expects senior management to have appropriate oversight over client money…
‘Dear CEO’ letter sent by FCA to BI insurance firms reminding them to pay claims quickly or be clear about reasons for waiting for appeal to recent high court judgment

A ‘Dear CEO’ letter written by Christopher Woolard, interim chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has been sent to firms writing business interruption insurance cover following the judgment handed down in The Financial Conduct Authority v Arch and Others (Test Cast). Mr Woolard thanks the firms who participated in the Test Case for…
FCA proposes measures to address problems identified in general insurance pricing practices

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published the final report in its study of general insurance pricing practices (MS18/1). The final report follows a two year study into pricing in the general insurance sector in the UK. An interim report was published in October 2019 setting out interim findings. Alongside the…
Reinventing the regulatory landscape
Introduction
Earlier this year Data 61 issued its landmark report on distributed ledgers and the scenarios for the Australian economy over the coming decades. Perceptively, the government funded report noted that we are now living “in an era of rapid technology-fuelled change, which is creating complex strategy and policy choices for governments and companies.” The…
Regulatory disruption

Technology led innovation can cause much indigestion for conduct and prudential regulators as they try to find the right regulatory pigeion hole for innovators in their regimes that were not built to handle such innovation. It is this disruptive impact of innovation that is shaping the regulation of tomorrow.
Numerous conduct regulators around the world…