Practical Resources

Practical FCA Compliance
Guides

Step-by-step implementation guides to read online and keep as a PDF. Written by ex-FCA regulators.

Practical guides

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Appointed representative or direct FCA authorisation?

Compare control, oversight, speed and commercial dependence, and see the point at which an appointed representative structure becomes the wrong fit.

NewFCA authorisation · PDF

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Does my marketplace need payment services authorisation?

Buyer, seller and platform arrangements can cross the regulatory perimeter without the platform looking like a payments company. Follow the money, test the commercial-agent exclusion and decide before launch.

NewPayments · PDF

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FCA authorisation: what documents will you actually need?

A practical evidence checklist for founders: what should exist before you apply, which documents must agree with each other, and what changes with your permission type.

NewFCA authorisation · PDF

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FCA regulatory reporting guide 2026/27: RegData returns and deadlines

How FCA regulatory reporting works, which returns your firm files, and how to work out each deadline for 2026/27, including FIN073, REP027, REP-CRIM and the 2027 complaints change.

NewRegulatory reporting · PDF

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How do you remove an FCA voluntary requirement (VREQ)?

Move from a restriction and a list of completed actions to a reasoned case for cancellation, backed by root-cause remediation and evidence that your controls work.

NewFCA remediation · PDF

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How to check a UK company before you onboard, pay or partner with it

Read the Companies House record for what it is, match the depth of your check to the relationship, and keep a decision record that a regulator, auditor or bank could follow.

NewCounterparty due diligence · PDF

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SPI vs API: which UK payment institution route is right?

The volume limit, permissions, capital, safeguarding and evidence that decide whether registering as a small payment institution is a sensible route, or the wrong one to start with.

NewPayments · PDF

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What does "ready, willing and organised" mean to the FCA?

Turn a familiar FCA phrase into an evidence test for your board, management, product, systems and submission pack, before you pay the fee.

NewFCA authorisation · PDF

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Financial promotions: a practical guide

What counts as a financial promotion, the rules for each sector, how to handle social media and approver arrangements, and a workflow, checklists and 90-day plan that keep every promotion defensible.

NewFinancial promotions · PDF

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Preparing for an FCA interview: a practical guide

What an FCA case-officer call is testing, the questions that come up, how to make your documents agree, and a four-week plan to prepare.

NewFCA interviews · PDF

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Preparing for an MLRO interview: a practical guide

What the FCA or a board is testing, how to explain your risk assessment, onboarding and suspicion reporting, and a two-week plan to prepare.

NewMLRO interviews · PDF

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Consumer Duty outcomes monitoring: a practical guide

How to build outcomes MI, test what customers understand, assess fair value, write the annual board report and act on what you find.

NewConsumer Duty · PDF

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The compliance monitoring plan: how to build one that works

A practical method for UK FCA-regulated firms: assess the risk, design a risk-based programme, run reviews, report to the board and close actions, with a worked example.

NewCompliance monitoring · PDF

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Writing an FCA business plan that passes

What the FCA expects, the 13 areas to cover, projections that reconcile, and the mistakes that slow applications down.

NewFCA authorisation · PDF

Looking for templates? See Downloads. Looking for what a rule means? See Explainers.