FCA reforms decision-making processes

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has reformed its decision-making process to ensure it can make faster and more effective decisions for consumers, markets and firms.

As part of its transformation to become a more “assertive” regulator, more decisions will be taken by the FCA’s senior managers rather than by the Regulatory Decisions Committee (RDC).

The new process will ensure decisions to prevent or stop consumer harm are taken more quickly.

More contentious cases will continue to be reviewed by the RDC, which is a committee of the FCA’s board that operates separately from the regulator. Its members are drawn from business, consumer and financial services backgrounds.

The FCA’s senior managers are now able to take decisions on a firm’s authorisation or an individual’s approval, an action in straightforward cases to cancel a firm’s permissions and that action is contested as well as starting civil proceedings, such as seeking an injunction.

The senior managers can also start criminal proceedings, such as a prosecution for insider dealing, use the FCA’s powers to vary or limit a firm’s permissions as well as using the FCA’s powers to impose requirements on a firm.

Emily Shepperd, executive director of authorisations, FCA, said: “We are taking a fresh approach to tackling firms and individuals who do not meet the required standards. Our new streamlined decision-making process will allow us to be more assertive in stopping harm.”