FCA Compliance Guides

What a principal firm must do for its appointed representatives: the AR agreement, every notification clock, the annual review and self-assessment.

The FCA's non-financial misconduct rules took effect on 1 September 2026. What actually changed, what the FCA says you do not have to do, and a 90-day plan.

What the FCA's training and competence requirements mean for small firms: the TC sourcebook, competence assessment, supervision, and how T&C connects to SMCR.

A plain-English guide to the FCA Consumer Duty for small firms: Principle 12, the cross-cutting rules, the four outcomes, and the conduct-rules link.

A plain-English list of the FCA senior management functions (SMFs) for small firms — who needs them, and how they differ from certification functions.

What an FCA compliance monitoring plan is, why small regulated firms need one, what to put in it, and a practical template structure to build your own.

What FCA Form A is, when small regulated firms must submit it, what the Statement of Responsibilities must contain, and how the approval process works.

The SMCR actions that fell due at the 1 September 2026 PS25/23 deadline, and how a small firm confirms each one is now closed — NFM, COCON scope, regulatory references and fit and proper.

How the FCA defines conduct risk, why it applies to small regulated firms, and the practical framework for identifying, managing, and evidencing conduct risk on an ongoing basis.

What triggers an FCA change in control notification under FSMA Section 178, who must notify before acquiring a stake in a regulated firm, and how the 60-working-day assessment window works.

Who counts as an FCA directory person, what data small regulated firms must submit, how to update it within 7 business days, and what the annual attestation requires.

What the FCA regulatory reference rules require of small regulated firms — who triggers a reference, what to include, how far back to go, and the template you must use under SYSC 22.

How the FCA Certification Regime annual renewal works at a small firm — who needs certifying, the 12-month fitness-and-propriety cycle, what evidence to gather, and a step-by-step renewal process.

How FCA conduct rule breach reporting works at a small firm — REP008 for conduct rules and certified staff, the separate route for Senior Managers, the annual deadline, and what counts as a notifiable breach.

The FCA prescribed responsibilities that apply to Core solo-regulated firms, what each one means, who to allocate them to, and how the small-firm carve-outs work under SYSC 24.

What an FCA Statement of Responsibilities has to contain, how to draft one at a small solo-regulated firm, when to resubmit it, and a worked example for a sole principal holding multiple SMFs.

What FCA conduct rules training has to cover at a small regulated firm, who needs it, how often, and what evidence the FCA expects to see — including the PS25/23 changes in force since September 2026.

What SMCR compliance actually requires of small FCA-regulated firms — the obligations that bite at 1–50 staff, the ones that don't, and what changed in September 2026.

A practical FCA compliance plan for PS25/23, now the rules are in force — 31 checklist items across policy, training, investigation, F&P and reporting, with owners and evidence.

What the FCA individual conduct rules (COCON 2) require of certified staff at small regulated firms, who they apply to, and how PS25/23 reshaped the picture from September 2026.

Step-by-step process for handling a harassment allegation at a small FCA firm — from receiving the report to FCA conduct rule reporting. Covers Equality Act, ACAS code, and PS25/23, in force since September 2026.

What the Senior Managers and Certification Regime actually requires of small FCA firms — the three tiers, what each one involves, and how PS25/23 changed the picture from September 2026.

Whistleblowing and non-financial misconduct sit in two different parts of the FCA Handbook with different rules. This guide explains who can be a whistleblower, how the regimes interact, and what small firms must do under each.

How the FCA fit and proper test works for small regulated firms, what FIT 2.1 actually requires, and how non-financial misconduct now feeds into your annual F&P assessments.

What FCA PS25/23 means for small regulated firms. Key dates, obligations, and what compliance requires now the 1 September 2026 non-financial misconduct rules are in force.

How to evaluate SMCR compliance software as a small FCA-regulated firm. Covers must-have features, pricing considerations, and what to avoid.

Step-by-step guide for small FCA-regulated firms on the PS25/23 non-financial misconduct requirements, in force since 1 September 2026. Covers investigation processes, COCON assessment, and F&P impact.

A practical guide to the FCA's COCON conduct rules for small regulated firms. Covers all six individual conduct rules, senior manager rules, and PS25/23 changes.