accountability,
SM&CR,
audit trail
The SM&CR review was announced as part of the Edinburgh reforms towards the end of 2022, with HM Treasury indicating that “ some stakeholders have raised concerns about their experiences of specific aspects of the regime .” Consequently, the government is assessing...
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corporate governance,
SOX,
audit trail,
insurance,
FRC
This statement encapsulates the importance of the annual reports and their audit, not just in verifying the financial status of individual firms, but by the impact upon the wider UK infrastructure. We’re all too aware of high-profile firms going bust without any...
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third parties,
FCA,
pensions,
oversight,
risk management,
audit trail,
data sharing,
pensiondashboards,
MaPS,
TPR
Whether you work in the pensions sector, or not, everyone needs to understand what Pension Dashboards are, and what it means for you personally. With the draft Pension Dashboard Regulations 2022 published earlier in 2022, we now see a large scale collaboration between...
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third parties,
oversight,
risk management,
monitoring,
Principals,
appointed representatives,
audit trail
The Appointed Representative Regime (the Regime) was introduced in 1986 initially for investment services. With the introduction of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FMSA), the Regime’s scope was broadened. The aim of the Regime has always been to provide a...
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governance,
third parties,
accountability,
corporate governance,
pensions,
monitoring,
trusts,
audit trail,
data sharing
From the 1 September 2022, most trusts will need to be registered with HMRC. There are a few exceptions. This follows a 12-month transition period. What’s changing and why? Back in 2017, you may recall that the UK set up the Trust Registration Service (TRS) to fulfil...
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CPD,
SM&CR,
competence,
audit trail
One of the fundamental obligations applicable to all regulated firms is the need to implement appropriate processes to manage risks. One such risk is that of providing unsuitable advice to consumers. This area has been a regulatory hot topic for some time. Remember the...
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governance,
consumerduty,
FCA,
disclosures,
complaints,
audit trail
The FCA states that the Consumer Duty aims to “ensure a higher and more consistent standard of consumer protection for users of financial services and help to stop harm before it happens” The new Consumer Duty requirements are due to be finalised in July. It comes at a...
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governance,
corporate governance,
complaints,
audit trail
Discover the impact of effective governance on complaints handling All regulated firms must have a process for handling complaints. Its purpose is to ensure that customer complaints are dealt with effectively, expediently and appropriately. Firms were reminded of this...
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third parties,
assessments,
operational resilience,
audit trail,
data sharing,
cyber resilience
The FCA published a cyber resilience questionnaire cross sector report in 2018 and its findings are still relevant today. The cross sector report highlighted that the following points were top of the agenda for many firms: Concerns around cyber resilience Improving...
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assessments,
FCA,
reporting,
risk management,
regulatory strategy,
monitoring,
audit trail,
business plan
It’s that time again! This year the FCA has issued a Strategy Document for the next three years to accompany its Business plan for 2022-23. This will be followed shortly by publication of its Data Strategy. Last year the FCA focused on becoming "more innovative, more...
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governance,
accountability,
culture,
corporate governance,
oversight,
Code of Conduct,
SM&CR,
competence,
audit trail
The Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SM&CR) was first introduced in 2016 for banks and then phased in until it was finally extended to include the remaining regulated firms at the end of 2019. SM&CR aims to encourage greater accountability within firms whilst...
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governance,
third parties,
oversight,
breach management,
risk management,
CASS,
client assets,
audit trail,
outsourcing,
transfer agents,
AIFs,
UCITS Funds,
depositaires
Prior to AIFMD and UCITS V, transfer agents (TAs) were unknown, however the need for greater transparency and trust has raised their profile. Transfer agents play an important role in financial services. They fulfil a number of functions such as maintaining and...
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