​Credit Broking

Appointed Representatives and Principal Firms

Firms that become authorised by the FCA may extend authorised permissions to third party firms. These are known as ‘Appointed Representatives’.

Firms that become authorised by the FCA may extend authorised permissions to third party firms. These are known as ‘Appointed Representatives’. In having an AR, an authorised firm would be understood as the Principal firm. Many firms start as Appointed Representatives before seeking direct authorisation from the FCA.

How can MEMA help you?

Interested in becoming authorised by the FCA or maintaining compliance as an FCA authorised firm? MEMA can help, whether it is for FCA authorisations, or ongoing compliance needs.

FCA Authorisation

If you are looking to become authorised by the FCA, MEMA can help.

Each applicant who works with MEMA is assigned a dedicated Regulatory Adviser who will support you throughout your application, answering queries you may have relating to the application and providing you with guidance and support.

The process starts with a fact find between yourself and one of our Regulatory Advisors where we’ll get to know you and your business and how you intend to provide your services.

We will provide you with advice and guidance on how to comply with the FCA’s requirements and identify any risks.

We will then produce for you a series of documents to support your application and help ensure that you become authorised. These documents include a Regulatory Business Plan and Compliance Monitoring Plan. We also produce a compliance manual for you containing documentation for you to implement into your business upon authorisation to help enable you to comply with the FCA’s requirements.

An online application will then be completed along with all relevant forms, which will then be submitted to the FCA. Should there be any FCA questions, your Regulatory Adviser will work with you to draft a full response.

In short, we’re here for our clients every step of the way. We provide our clients with the benefit of our knowledge and experience to not only help ensure that your application is successful, but that your business has the right foundations to ensure positive customer outcomes.

Appointed Representatives and Principal Firms

Some firms that are authorised by the FCA can enter into an agreement enabling one or more non FCA-authorised firms to conduct regulated activity without first obtaining permission from the FCA. The FCA Authorised firm in this type of relationship is known as the Principal Firm whilst the other party is known as an Appointed Representative.

The nature of these relationships means that the Principal Firm is accountable to the FCA for ensuring the Appointed Representative complies with the FCA’s rules. For that reason, it normally comes at a cost to the Appointed Representative.

Many firms start as Appointed Representatives before seeking direct authorisation from the FCA, although this is not required.

For more information on Appointed Representatives and Principal Firms please click here.

Ongoing FCA Compliance

As an FCA authorised person or firm, you might need help to ensure you comply with the FCA’s rules.

We provide our clients with support they need to maintain compliance and avoid breaching the rules. Our bespoke service is individually tailored to each of our client’s requirements and objectives to help them meet in the best way possible.

Whether you need documentation to help you remain compliant, want ongoing advice or support, impartial monitoring of your activities or anything else, MEMA may be able to help.

Why Choose MEMA?

Get started!

MEMA has been supporting firms through the FCA compliance process since 2019. In that time, we have helped hundreds of businesses to successfully gain and retain FCA authorisation.

We have a unique blend of experience from ex-regulators, big 4 consultants and fin/regtech specialisation. Our team is highly experienced and expertly skilled. We specialise in providing our clients with solutions to often complex regulatory requirements and compliance needs.

Our unique industry insight and comfort with compliance enables our team to support you to the fullest extent possible, helping to develop your business model and compliance.

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December 7, 2022

Are you aware of the FCA rules to protect consumers from rogue financial promotions

Did you know that the FCA has published a consultation paper and press release setting out how it proposes to operate a new authorisations gateway for firms wanting to continue approving financial promotions for unauthorised persons.

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AML compliance in cryptocurrencies is impacted by the EU's expansion of policies

The European Parliament has decided to approve a set of rules to enhance the EU's anti-money laundering and terrorist financing tools, with a specific focus on the cryptocurrency business. The regulation mandates the implementation of heightened due diligence protocols and identity verifications for customers. Obligatory entities, including cryptocurrency asset managers and institutions, are required to notify Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) or other competent authorities of any suspicious activities. An elevated degree of due diligence is being applied to the cryptocurrency sector.

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FCA's New Listing Rules: Paving the Way for a Stronger UK Capital Market

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Insights

October 15, 2021

The FCA Register

As an institution with financial services activities, you are likely to require authorisation by the FCA.
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April 11, 2021

FCA Crypto Requirements

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK Regulator, has established a Temporary Registration Regime that will allow existing crypto-asset firms, who have applied to be registered with the FCA, to continue trading in the UK financial market.
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January 28, 2022

What are regulatory controls and how do you conduct control monitoring

As a regulated firm or a firm wishing to become regulated, you will need to ensure you have a robust control plan and can conduct effective monitoring of controls. In this article, we will detail what a control plan is and the steps you can take to conduct effective control monitoring.
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August 22, 2022

What is terrorist financing in simple terms

In the UK, Part 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000 criminalises terrorist financing and makes it an offence to:
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April 11, 2021

FCA Cryptocurrency Regulation Part 1

From 10 January 2020, the FCA became the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) supervisor for crypto firms, covering firms that exchange money to and from crypto assets and those that safeguard their customers crypto assets.
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December 19, 2022

What is the Senior Managers & Certification Regime ?

The Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR) replaces the Approved Persons Regime (APR) which is how the FCA used to regulate people working in financial services.
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July 28, 2021

Anti Money Laundering warnings

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued a warning to retail banks in May 2021 (made public on 29 June) over continued weaknesses and failings surrounding their financial crime controls.
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April 11, 2021

Understanding the FCA Culture and Governance requirements

The financial crisis placed banks under the public spotlight, the investigation into some of the practices revealed behaviors that caused public indignation, Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) is but one example. The financial crisis placed banks under the public spotlight, the investigation into some of the practices revealed behaviors that caused public indignation, Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) is but one example.
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March 8, 2023

Buy now pay later agreements to become regulated in the UK

Currently, BNPLs and STFC companies benefit from the exemption under Article 60F of the Financial Services and Markets Act (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 (RAO). Firms providing BNPL products benefiting from the 60F Exemption do not have to be FCA authorised and the agreements do not need to be in a prescribed form under the CCA.
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February 21, 2025

Financial Promotions Under Scrutiny: FCA Doubles Down on Compliance Enforcement

The financial services landscape is witnessing unprecedented regulatory scrutiny, with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) significantly intensifying its oversight of financial promotions. In a striking development, nearly 20,000 financial promotions were withdrawn or amended in 2024—representing a dramatic doubling of regulatory interventions compared to the previous year.
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March 17, 2025

Achieving FCA Compliance in the UK Crypto Sector: Registration, Best Practices, and Case Studies

Having explored the regulatory foundations in our first article, we now turn to the nuts and bolts of achieving FCA compliance.
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June 27, 2022

Credit Broking- a brief FCA guide

At MEMA, we believe in upskilling our readers and clients as much as possible. We will be releasing brief explanations into Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)-regulated areas, so you can understand quickly what are the requirements in that area. Our first area will be Credit Broking.
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January 16, 2023

What are the FCA financial promotions and what internal controls should you set up

A financial promotion is any advertisement, communication, or other material that promotes a financial product or service. Financial promotions can take many forms, including print and online advertisements, marketing emails, social media posts, and sales presentations.
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October 19, 2021

Regulatory considerations for Consumer Credit Firms

The FCA's Director of Consumer and Retail Policy has recently provided its view on where changes are required in the Consumer Credit market.
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May 16, 2022

Learn how to conduct Wind Down Planning

The FCA recently completed a thematic review of wind-down processes across a number of business models. The review was aimed at reviewing firms on whether they held the appropriate liquidity, examining intragroup dependencies and wind-down triggers.
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Your key contacts

ADEMOLA OMOSANYA

Ademola is an accomplished consultant with over a decade of experience across regulation, banking, and consumer credit. As MEMA Consultants co-founder, he leverages extensive regulatory expertise to guide clients through critical processes and full compliance. His experience across sectors enables tailored solutions to complex business challenges. Ademola partners with clients as a strategic advisor to help futureproof their business through an in-depth understanding of the regulatory landscape.

MISAH MARAGH

Misah is a director at MEMA Consultants with over a decade of experience in financial services. Holding a legal background and postgraduate qualification, she previously worked at the Financial Conduct Authority. Misah has led compliance transformation for global consumer services organisations across Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Her expertise includes implementing compliance frameworks for financial regulations, FCPA, UK Bribery Act, data privacy, and Sarbanes-Oxley. Misah is skilled at advising clients on operational and strategic projects, leveraging her in-depth knowledge of regulatory environments to deliver solutions tailored to complex business needs.

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​Credit Broking