Why firms choose MEMA
Most advisers do a slice of the work. We do the whole FCA authorisation journey under one roof — business plan, financial crime, safeguarding, governance, wind-down, MLRO and the ongoing compliance that comes after — with the depth and technology larger firms charge a fortune for.
The same job, done more completely
Getting authorised takes a long checklist of work. Boutiques tend to cover part of it, the big consultancies cover it at a price that prices new firms out, and law firms advise rather than build it. MEMA delivers the lot.
| What it takes to get authorised | MEMA | Typical boutique consultancy | Big 4 / large consultancy | Specialist law firm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▾FCA-ready regulatory business plan | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Limited |
How MEMA does it: We draft the full regulatory business plan to submission standard, not a template — financial model, business model and threshold-condition evidence included. | ||||
| ▸AML & financial-crime framework (MLR, JMLSG, sanctions) | ✓ | Limited | ✓ | Limited |
| ▸Sector- & corridor-specific financial-crime depth | ✓ | Limited | Limited | – |
| ▸Safeguarding arrangements | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Limited |
| ▸Wind-down plan (FCA WDPG) | ✓ | Limited | ✓ | Limited |
| ▸Consumer Duty & financial promotions | ✓ | Limited | ✓ | Limited |
| ▸Governance & SM&CR | ✓ | Limited | ✓ | Limited |
| ▸Outsourced / Deputy MLRO | ✓ | Limited | – | – |
| ▸FCA RFI & case-handler handling | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Limited |
| ▸Ongoing compliance after authorisation | ✓ | Limited | ✓ | – |
| ▸Proprietary regulatory-intelligence technology | ✓ | – | Limited | – |
| ▸Senior-led delivery, built for early-stage firms | ✓ | Limited | – | Limited |
We help with everything you need
Every document and function the FCA expects — produced, joined up and defensible. No gaps to fill, no second supplier to manage.
Regulatory business plan
A submission-grade plan with the financial model and threshold-condition evidence the FCA expects.
AML & financial crime
Full MLR / JMLSG framework — risk assessment, CDD/EDD, sanctions, PEP screening, SARs and DAML.
Sector & corridor depth
Jurisdiction-specific risk treatment and typologies, not a one-size-fits-all template.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding method, reconciliation timeline and flow-of-funds documented to current FCA standards.
Wind-down plan (WDPG)
A bottom-up, executable wind-down plan with cost build and trigger ladder.
Consumer Duty
The four outcomes built in, with fair-value methodology and target-market analysis.
Financial promotions
An approval framework aligned to current FCA financial-promotion guidance.
Governance & SM&CR
Governance map, SMF allocation, responsibilities and fit-&-proper evidence.
Outsourced / Deputy MLRO
A retained MLRO so single-individual firms meet FCA expectations from day one.
FCA RFI handling
We manage the application and draft every response to the FCA case handler.
Ongoing compliance
Authorisation flows straight into retained monitoring, reporting and reviews.
Regulatory-intelligence tech
Our own horizon-scanning and FCA-enforcement intelligence keeps you current.
A clear path from idea to authorised — and beyond
You always know what happens next, who is doing it and why it matters to the FCA.
Scoping & permissions
We map your activities to the right regulated permissions, confirm the perimeter and agree the plan.
Regulatory business plan
We draft the full plan and financial model — the document the FCA reads first and scrutinises hardest.
Financial-crime & safeguarding pack
AML framework, sanctions and screening, safeguarding and reconciliation — built around your model.
Governance, SM&CR & policies
Governance map, senior-manager responsibilities, wind-down plan and the supporting policy suite.
Submission & FCA case handler
We submit, project-manage the application and handle every information request to determination.
Post-authorisation & Deputy MLRO
We stay on — ongoing compliance, monitoring and a retained MLRO so you stay authorised, not just get authorised.
Let’s get your firm authorised
Tell us what you’re building and we’ll map the route to FCA authorisation — and everything we’ll handle along the way.