In this first installation of the series ‘Decoding Digital Assets: fscom’s Learning Series’, Head of Digital Assets Heather O’Gorman defines essential terms like CASPs, VASPs, MSBs, CEPs, and CATPs.
The DORA deadline is here – To help you ensure last-minute readiness, we’ve outlined key focus areas based on our DORA Checklist and recent insights from our DORA 101 webinar.
fscom Head of Digital Assets Heather O’Gorman explores the recent series of publications by the FCA highlighting their commitment to creating a sustainable crypto market in the UK, and asks are these measures enough or is it too little, too late?
The fscom team explores the FCA’s expectations for identifying and supporting clients in vulnerable circumstances. The FCA is actively reviewing firms’ practices to ensure fair treatment and good outcomes for vulnerable clients in line with the Consumer Duty.
In this article, fscom Head of Digital Assets Heather O’Gorman explores the DSS initiative, led by the Bank of England and the FCA. The DSS aims to foster innovation while ensuring financial stability and market integrity.
The fscom team explores the impact of the recent amendments to regulations and the FCA’s proposed updates to guidance on how firms should manage their relationships with PEPs.
In this article, we look at the latest set of proposals from the FCA targeted towards building up the UK wholesale markets, following the recommendations set out in the wholesale markets review and the 2022 Edinburgh reforms.
The EU announced the publication of the AI Act on 12 July 2024. Whilst this protocol comes into effect on 1 August 2024, it will be the key milestones for complying with the regulation that are of interest to financial institutions.
fscom Head of Capital Markets David Coolegem notes three clear takeaways from the King’s Speech that he feels are worth touching upon when looking through a financial services lens.
The Consumer Duty – live for almost a year – sets clearer and higher standards of consumer protection, expecting firms to act to ensure good customer outcomes. The next two deadlines are fast approaching.
FSCom Limited, a leading specialist consulting firm providing governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) solutions to financial services institutions in the UK and Europe, today announced the appointment of David Coolegem as its new Head of Capital Markets
In March of this year, the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) published a consultation paper on its Consumer Protection Code. As the consultation phase draws to a close, we remind regulated providers of financial services, or those seeking authorisation to provide such services, to input into this process while it remains open.
The Financial Crime Guide is a key source of information and advice for regulated financial services firms under the Financial Conduct Authority’s supervision. The regulator has recently launched a consultation around a series of proposed changes to the guide. In this blog, we summarise some of the main takeaways from the consultation for UK companies.
In March 2024, the FCA published a “Dear CEO” portfolio letter updating previous letters from August 2022 and February 2023 covering the FCA’s alternatives supervisory strategy and asset management supervisory strategy. This blog summarises the update from the FCA.
An Appointed Representative (AR) is a person or company, permitted to carry on specific types of regulated financial activities under the licence of a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorised firm, known as their ‘principal’. In this blog, we identify the main things ARs should consider before submitting their application.
fscom hosted the EWPN’s Ireland meetup in our Belfast office on 18 April. It was an empowering and engaging event that explored issues of gender diversity in the fintech industry and the issues women face when progressing in their career.
In this blog, we give an overview of the anti-greenwashing rule and the FCA’s latest guidance, and offer advice to help UK financial services firms stay ahead of these developments.
In this blog, we identify the key steps investment firms should take to perform well in an audit, and to improve their overall confidence in safeguarding client money and assets.
The FCA launched a consultation on proposed guidance for financial promotions in July 2023. Then, on 26 March 2024, the regulator published its finalised guidance which clarified its expectations for financial firms and influencers.
In this blog, Senior Manager David Norton discusses the dependence on AWS, Microsoft and other global suppliers by financial services firms, and the struggle to manage this ‘over-reliance’ on critical third parties (CTPs) that are intrinsic to the entire UK financial sector.
In this blog, I will explore the type of information to be presented to the Board and, importantly, how the Board should respond. And, as per true, fscom-super-helpful style, we have two templates to share with clients and prospective clients alike.
fscom (www.fscom.co), the leading governance risk and compliance consultancy, has acquired FMConsult, the risk and compliance solutions provider to asset managers across the UK and Ireland. This acquisition accelerates fscom’s expansion into asset and fund management consolidating its position as a leading authority within the sector.
At our Q1 2024 Capital Markets Regulatory Outlook event, we heard from fscom’s CEO, Jamie Cooke, on the outlook for the industry and the challenges facing firms over the next 12 months. Key focus areas discussed on the evening included innovation and digital assets, sustainable finance, prudential regulation, wind–down planning and CASS, operational resilience, consumer duty and financial crime.
As the safeguarding deadline approaches for payment and e-money institutions in Ireland, this blog sets out the main takeaways from fscom’s safeguarding webinar held earlier this year.
In this blog, we summarise their advice on what companies need to know about regulations on customer data, and how they can set up a framework to meet these challenges head on.
In this first installation of the series ‘Decoding Digital Assets: fscom’s Learning Series’, Head of Digital Assets Heather O’Gorman defines essential terms like CASPs, VASPs, MSBs, CEPs, and CATPs.
fscom Head of Digital Assets Heather O’Gorman explores the recent series of publications by the FCA highlighting their commitment to creating a sustainable crypto market in the UK, and asks are these measures enough or is it too little, too late?
In this blog, we summarise a recent Partners in finCrime Podcast episode on the new regulation, its impact on firms and their expert analysis of the Travel Rule.
In this blog, Chris Vaughan, explains how firms should carry out risk assessments to understand and mitigate the financial crime risk from cryptoassets and tokens.
Senior Compliance Associate, Chris Vaughan created a handbook that aims to be the go-to guide for financial crime compliance professionals of any level of seniority who are starting out in the world of cryptoassets.
The Criminal Justice Act (CJA) 2021 became effective on 23rd April 2021 with the transposition of the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5MLD) into Irish Law.
Crypto firms operating in the UK, prior to 10th January 2020, are required, in compliance with the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5MLD), to register with the FCA and be compliant with the MLRs 2017, as amended.