Financial Services Regulatory Advice
The Financial Services & Markets Practice advises all types of firms, both wholesale and retail, on all matters arising out of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, including the Regulated Activities Order, the Financial Promotions Order and the regulatory requirements contained in the FSA Handbook.
Our lawyers support the senior management of firms in evaluating and managing regulatory risk and are able to work alongside compliance personnel, auditors and internal audit to provide firms with solutions to regulatory issues, whatever their scale or scope.
Our advisory work includes:
- FSA authorisation issues (application or variation)
- Perimeter guidance – are you carrying on a regulated activity?
- Exclusions in the Regulated Activities Order
- Financial promotions and qualifying credit promotions
- Senior management arrangements, systems and controls (SYSC)
- Conduct of business (COB, MCOB and ICOB)
- ARROW visits and risk mitigation programmes
- Regulated and unregulated collective investment schemes
- Prudential and capital adequacy issues
- Anti-money laundering issues
- Market abuse and insider trading
- Treating customers fairly (TCF) and unfair contract terms
- Fitness and propriety
- Consumer credit licensing and credit brokerage/debt counselling
- E-money issuers
- Commodity and derivative trading
- SIPPS and property investments
- Material outsourcing arrangements
- Mortgages and special purpose vehicles (SPVs)
- Website design and functionality, including financial promotions
- Corporate finance
- Hedge funds
