The Context for The UK Financial Services Flashcards
What are the 4 roles of financial services in the UK?
Savings and investments for the future.
Transfer of savings to the economy through lending and investing.
Risk transfer. (Insurance)
Allows organisations to transfer risk.
How does the financial service allow savings to be transferred to the wider economy?
Taking savers funds to generate lending or investment into companies. I.e. shares or bonds.
How does the financial service allow people to transfer risk?
Through insurance and diversification of investments.
How does the financial service allow organisations to transfer risk?
Reinsurance - one insurer passes some of their risks to another insurer or through the Loyds of London Market. (A syndicate of wealthy investors who put up their own wealth for specialist risks.)
What might companies and individuals choose to do to protect against risk associated with share sale or purchase?
Secure prices with derivatives to help minimise losses as a consequence.
What are the 5 elements of the financial services?
Firms
Markets
Regulator’s
Competition and Markets Authority
Infastructure
What are the 5 different types of firms?
Banks and building societies
Life insurance companies
Friendly Societies
Financial intermediaries
Multi-distribution organisations
What is the difference between banks and building societies?
Banks are owned by share holders
Building societies are mutual organisations owned by their members.
What are the core banking services?
Core services-
Current accounts
Instant access
Deposit accounts (better interest and limited access)
The CII also maintains that the provision of wills and exectutorship services are core services, though this is debatable.
How do life insurance companies work?
Offer life products through intermediaries, their own in-house sales team, or both.
Both genuine insurance and policies for investment are available.
What are friendly societies?
Small mutual (owned by policyholders) organisations that offer tax-free savings and investments.
How do financial intermediaries work?
Independent financial advisory firms can offer all products in all sectors, both packaged and beyond.
Restricted advisors offer products from the whole market but not necessarily in all areas of financial planning.
Some are tied to products of a limited number. (Multi-tied)
Some are tied to one provider. (Tied)
What are multi-distrbution organisations?
Larger companies that have branched out into the financial services. (Tescos)
What are the two primary forms of market?
Over the counter, where buyers and sellers deal directly with each other with no formal mechanism. (Many have formed informal committees)
On exchange (exchange traded) where the market is run by intermediaries. (London stock exchange, the alternative investment market)
Who are the 4 UK regulators?
The Financial Policy Committee (FPC) of the Bank of England.
The Finacial Conduct Authority (FCA), which broadly concerns the sales and marketing of financial products and conduct.
The Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA)- a division of the Bank of England that covers prudencial regulation (capital and solvency) of the industry’s largest players.
The Pensions Regulator (TPR)
What are the 3 core responsibilities of the competition and market authority?
Investigate mergers between organisations to make sure they don’t reduce competition
Take action against businesses and individuals that take take part in anti-competative behaviour.
Protect consumers from unfair trading practices.
How is the payment infrastructure handled in the UK?
Payment systems - BOE
Transactions - CHAPS and BACS.
Clients of the UK payments Administion (UKPA) who support and provide services to these providers.
They are regulated by the Payment System Regulator. (PSR)
How much is the financial infrastructure market worth?
81trn