Topic 17 The FCA's Aims & Activities Flashcards
The aim of most modern governments is Economic & Legal environments is to what?
Provide a balance between
- A businesses need to make profit
- Rights of customers to receive a fair deal
What are all the below?
- Ensuring that business operating in the industry are authorised & ensure fair treatment to customers
- Ensuring that business have the necessary business in place to minimise customers financial loss
- Establishing & understanding accountability at a senior level within financial service organisations
Key aims of financial regulation
What are all the below?
- Ensuring individuals carrying out defined regulated activities have competence to do so
- Ongoing development & skills & knowledge of individuals working in the industry
- Ongoing supervision to ensure that regulatory requirements are adhered to prevent problems
- Actions to be taken when problems arise
Key aims of financial regulation
What is regulation?
Body of rules that participants in financial services industry must adhere to
What is Supervision?
Activities undertaken by regulators ensure participants adhere to regulatory requirements
What are the below
- Particular Scandal or Crises
- An increase in customer finance awareness & demands for more customer focus approach
- Response to changes in lifestyle
- Developments in business methods
- Innovation in product design
- Increasing number & complexity of financial products
What legislation has resulted from
Which event has caused this financial regulatory change?
Financial events have shown the need for more diligent financial regulation of banks and lending activities
Particular Scandal or Crises
Which event has caused this financial regulatory change?
Demands for a “one stop shop” approach to financial service sales
Increase in customer financial awareness
Which event has caused this financial regulatory change?
More relaxed attitude to marriage & divorce has to divorcees to share in former spouses pension benefits
Need to respond to changes in lifestyle
Which event has caused this financial regulatory change?
Technology advances have lead to processes changing at all levels. An example is people transact more online than in banks
Development in business methods
Which event has caused this financial regulatory change?
Rapid expansion in certain product areas has increased the need for clear information to customers considering a product
Innovations in product design
Which event has caused this financial regulatory change?
Made it necessary to provide customers with more information and advice
Increasing number & complexity of financial products
What did the Financial Services Act 2012 do?
- Abolition of the Financial Services Act (FSA)
- Changes to the regulatory system
What did Bank of England & Financial Services Act 2016 do
- Strengthening the governance and Bank of England
- Establishing a new Prudential Regulation Committee (PRC)
The below are the responsibility of who
- Responsible for protecting & enhancing monetary & Financial stability
- Role in regulation of financial services in the UK
- Maintain Economic Stability
- Responsible for Payment, settlement systems & Clearing oversight
Bank of England
True or False
The Financial Policy Committee (FPC) is a committee of the Bank of England
True
The below are the responsibility of who
- Looks at the economy as a whole
- No direct regulatory responsibility for a particular area of the economy
- Various powers to take action where it sees threat to the economy
Financial Policy Committee (FPC)
The below are the responsibility of who
- Sole responsibility for day to day supervision of banks
- Authorises providers of financial services
- Part of the Bank of England but operates independently
- Promote safety & soundness of the firms it’s regulates
- Protection of insurance policy holders
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)
Who exercises the powers of the Prudential Regulation Committee (PRC)?
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)
The below are the responsibility of who
- Conduct of all retail & wholesale financial firms
- prudential supervision of firms not regulated by the PRA
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
What is “Conduct Regulation”?
Requirement requiring firms that provide product & services meet customer’s needs
What is “Prudential Regulation”
- Ensuring a business is established on a sound financial basis
- Aim to limit the risk of a business failing
- Limit any failure on customers
What are “Systemically Important Providers”?
Providers whose failure would have a significant adverse impact on global or national financial system
What are these?
- Smarter Regulatory Framework
- Designed Activities Regime (DAR)
- Oversight of Critical Third Parties (CTP’s)
- Digital Settlement Assets (DSA’s)
- Financial Promotions Gateway
- Improved Access to Cash
Financial Services & Markets Act (FSMA) 2023
What are the features of Smarter Regulatory Framework
- Enables retained EU law on financial services & Markets to be revoked
- Treasury able to make regulations either restarting or amending laws to suit UK
What are the features of Designed Activities Regime (DAR)?
UK regulatory regime for activities previously covered by the EU regulations
What are the features of Oversight of Third Parties (OTP’s)?
Regulators have limited oversight of certain non-regulated businesses that financial services which firms rely on
What are the features Digital Settlement Assets (DSA)?
Allowed government to bring DSA under financial regulation
What are the features of Financial Promotions Gateway?
Allows regulated firms to approve financial promotions for non-regulated business have gateway to do so
What are the features of improved access to cash?
Current account customers can access cash for free (on withdrawals & deposits)
The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) is the prudential regulator to all what firms?
PRA regulated firms
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the prudential regulator to all what firms?
Non-regulated firms
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is also what?
Conduct of business regulator to UK product & service firms