fca
Crypto Exchange HTX Leaves UK and Settles Regulator’s Lawsuit Over Illegal Ads
- The former Huobi gave court undertakings not to knowingly promote its services to British consumers.
- Users there can no longer deposit, and the confidential terms carry no admission of liability.
Thursday, 29/10/2026 | 11:11 GMT by
Damian Chmiel
FCA Says Only 12% of CFD Firms Changed Charges: How Does Overnight Financing Fees Work?
- The fee combines a benchmark rate with a broker mark-up on the full position value. Charging both legs of a hedge can cost twice the mark-up despite zero net exposure.
- Pricing and compliance teams face a regulator that calls mark-ups opaque, points firms to annual rates on deal tickets and questions charging both legs of a hedge.
Tuesday, 27/10/2026 | 05:30 GMT by
Tareq Sikder
How Far Should Crypto Firms Trace a Transaction? FCA Says Risk Should Decide
- Crypto firms should be able to explain the alerts and risk scores produced by their monitoring tools, including those supplied by third parties.
- Unhosted wallets or privacy tools may warrant closer checks; blockchain links to criminal or sanctioned activity require enhanced due diligence.
Friday, 23/10/2026 | 13:56 GMT by
Tanya Chepkova
FCA Proposes Sweeping SM&CR Overhaul, Ending Certification for 139,000 Staff
- UK watchdogs are targeting £2 billion in industry savings by eliminating annual compliance checks and public register requirements for mid-level employees.
- The proposed deregulation will allow financial firms to directly appoint key committee chairs without prior regulatory approval, drastically speeding up boardroom restructuring.
Friday, 23/10/2026 | 05:51 GMT by
Adonis Adoni
FXOpen UK Closes Client Accounts and Seeks to Cancel FCA Licence
- The firm stopped accepting new UK clients after setting September deadlines for existing customers to exit.
- The FCA has yet to approve FXOpen UK's application to cancel its regulatory permissions.
Thursday, 22/10/2026 | 17:41 GMT by
Tareq Sikder
Brokers With Payment Cards Could Get Their Own iPhone Wallets Under UK Plan
- The competition regulator wants Apple to open contactless access at lower fees; no UK firm has a rival wallet yet.
- Trading 212 and eToro already let clients spend from their accounts, while Apple warns of weaker privacy protections.
Tuesday, 20/10/2026 | 19:09 GMT by
Damian Chmiel
FCA Asks AI Firms to Warn Users About the Limits of Chatbot Financial Advice
- Only 40% of consumers know there is no recourse if such guidance goes wrong, the regulator's data chief said.
- Incident reports must also cover significant model failures and near-misses, she told a Bloomberg event.
Monday, 19/10/2026 | 08:38 GMT by
Damian Chmiel
FCA Flags High Overnight Fees as Only 12% of CFD Firms Change Charges
- The regulator surveyed 81 CFD firms and found limited pricing changes, opaque funding mark-ups and inadequate client disclosures.
- CFD firms are expected to make fee information more prominent and clearer across websites, apps and deal entry screens.
Friday, 16/10/2026 | 12:14 GMT by
Tareq Sikder
FCA Finds Insider Dealing Surveillance Gaps at Seven UK Retail Brokers
- Some firms set the bar for suspicion too high and left much client trading outside their alerts.
- None of the firms is named, and all were told to tighten controls, some under outside review.
Thursday, 15/10/2026 | 08:54 GMT by
Damian Chmiel
The UK's Watchdog Plans to Automate Supervision With AI, Holds Off on Rules for Chatbots
- FCA's data chief told MPs the regulator wants software agents to sift what firms send it and intervene at scale.
- Chief Executive Nikhil Rathi said he is not yet convinced the watchdog needs much wider powers.
Thursday, 15/10/2026 | 07:04 GMT by
Damian Chmiel
FCA Opens Five-Month Authorisation Window for UK Crypto Firms
- Crypto firms seeking to continue regulated UK activities after the new regime begins on October 25, 2027, should submit applications by February 28, 2027.
- Existing AML registrations will not convert automatically; firms that fail to show the ability to meet the FCA’s requirements won't be authorised.
Wednesday, 30/09/2026 | 15:00 GMT by
Tanya Chepkova
The UK Banks and Payment Firms Shut 238K Suspected Money Mule Accounts Last Year
- Stolen funds usually pass through two to five mules before criminals cash out, the FCA found.
- Closures among customers aged 40 to 49 jumped 45% in a year, the sharpest rise of any age group.
Wednesday, 23/09/2026 | 08:51 GMT by
Damian Chmiel
FCA and Bank of England Target Permanent Tokenised Markets on Back of 123 Industry Responses
- The regulator will publish a tokenisation roadmap later this year with target dates.
- Post-trade activity, particularly collateral management, was identified as the main tokenisation opportunity.
Monday, 14/09/2026 | 11:21 GMT by
Tareq Sikder
FCA Puts Net Benefit of Its Crypto Regime at Just GBP 120 Million
- The regulator weighs GBP 1.435 billion in benefits against GBP 1.315 billion in costs across 325 firms.
- More than half of that benefit rests on one assumption, and license applications open in three weeks.
Tuesday, 08/09/2026 | 19:14 GMT by
Damian Chmiel
FCA Names India and UAE Attachés as Overseas Network Grows
- Sabina Saini started in Mumbai on August 10; Darine Obeid will begin in Abu Dhabi on August 31.
- Mumbai had been announced in February, while Abu Dhabi turns a tentative Gulf plan into a confirmed posting.
Monday, 17/08/2026 | 06:20 GMT by
Damian Chmiel
FCA Crypto Registration Rate Rose to 56%, but the Denominator Changes the Story
- Across the full record, 67% of completed cases ended in withdrawal and only 17% in registration.
- Recent decisions and recent applications are different pools as firms prepare for a broader gateway in 2027.
Wednesday, 12/08/2026 | 19:20 GMT by
Damian Chmiel
FCA Weighs Tokenized Gold Rules as London Defends 70% of Bullion Trade
- The Financial Times reported that the regulator discussed a framework with banks and expects to say more on standards within months.
- Its own May call for input already names tokenized gold as collateral for uncleared derivatives, and Hong Kong started clearing bullion in July.
Monday, 10/08/2026 | 07:05 GMT by
Damian Chmiel
FCA Revises IPO Listing Rules to Reduce Execution Risk for UK Issuers
- The regulator will remove the seven-day IPO research waiting period to simplify UK public listings.
- The reforms follow the FCA's April proposal to remove the IPO research waiting period.
Wednesday, 05/08/2026 | 10:25 GMT by
Tareq Sikder
FCA Cuts £108 Million a Year From Reporting Costs but Keeps CFDs in Scope
- Foreign exchange derivatives leave the UK transaction reporting regime in 2028, while leveraged retail products stay in it.
- The regulator estimated one-off implementation costs of £148.8 million in the consultation behind the final rules.
Tuesday, 04/08/2026 | 07:09 GMT by
Damian Chmiel
FCA Advances UK Equity Consolidated Tape as ESMA Pushes Market Data Reform
- The regulator confirmed the UK equity tape framework, targeting launch within the next 18 months.
- ESMA recently authorised the EU's first consolidated tape provider for shares and ETFs.
Friday, 31/07/2026 | 13:27 GMT by
Tareq Sikder
FCA Points to Account Closures and Affiliate Cuts as Consumer Duty Good Practice
- One firm shut accounts of clients borrowing to trade, and the FCA called that good practice.
- The findings draw on a survey of 56 firms and apply to every sector covered by the Duty, including retail brokers.
Monday, 27/07/2026 | 09:37 GMT by
Damian Chmiel
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