In this episode of the B-Compliant Podcast, Rachel MacRae and Vicky Pearce unpack a recent FCA Raising Standards seminar for compliance consultants and explore what it signals for firms in the year ahead. They discuss the regulator’s growing engagement with compliance consultants, the shift away from Dear CEO letters toward published examples of good and poor practice, and why firms may need to be more proactive in monitoring FCA updates.
Rachel and Vicky then look at the new CCR009 regulatory return and the FCA’s Credit Information Market Study consultation, highlighting what credit‑permitted firms should be preparing for over the coming weeks and months. They also break down the FCA’s new sector-based Regulatory Priorities reports, focusing on the insurance report and its implications for advice firms involved in protection and insurance distribution, including links to Consumer Duty, fair value, and vulnerable customers.
Finally, the conversation turns to the FCA’s good and poor practice paper on SDR fund labelling, the four SDR label types, and why firms should revisit their pre‑contractual disclosures. They wrap up by pointing listeners to B‑Compliant’s latest blog on whether compliance is “beating the joy” out of advice and flag an upcoming industry survey designed to capture what firms really want from their compliance partners.