Blog

Strong customer authentication: not as simple as just 2FA
In my previous blogs I have given you the basics of strong customer authentication (SCA) and explained how the exemptions could be used to minimise the disruption experienced by

Strong customer authentication: the exemptions explained
In my previous blog, I outlined the basic requirements of the new obligation, brought in under PSD2 (the second Payment Services Directive), for all payment service

Strong customer authentication under PSD2: the basics
Strong customer authentication (SCA) is a valid attempt by the EU to curb electronic payment fraud, including ‘card-not-present’ fraud. From a glance the concept is

Brexit Planning: Understanding The Authorisation Process In EEA Jurisdictions
Deal or No Deal? Despite initial rejection of the Withdrawal Agreement in the House of Commons, the ‘deal’ may yet be palatable to a majority

No-deal Brexit – is there a regulatory backstop?
Following another week of inconclusive Brexit debate at Westminster, the prospect of a disorderly, no-deal withdrawal seems, either by accident or design, to be looming

How the “challenger banks” have become the ‘challenged’ banks
Better customer service, cleaner user interfaces, simpler language, spending insights and even gambling blocks…digital banks or ‘challenger banks’ as they are commonly referred to, have

Cryptoassets and FinCrime: Building for the Future
Whether you call them cryptocurrencies, cryptoassets or virtual assets, these tokens and their underlying technology, Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), remain at the forefront of regulators

PSD2 – clock ticking for ‘live market’ AIS and PIS providers
As we marked the first anniversary of PSD2 implementation (at least, in the UK!) this week, there will doubtless be numerous conversation pieces and reflections

fscom Welcomes New Addition to Fincrime Team
fscom is delighted to announce its appointment of Tony Brown as our new Senior Manager in Financial Crime. Tony brings with him over 15 years

Be “reassured” of the benefits of external review
Assurance, or the use of auditors to search for problems at firms, can be very useful to the regulated community in all manner of ways,

Stockholm as Post Brexit Destination – a swede choice?
As we embark upon yet another week of uncertainty regarding what Brexit deal, if any, the Prime Minister might secure, the latest in my Q&As

New Rules for Payment and E Money Institutions
New rules for payment and e-money institutions Over the past couple of months, the FCA has been consulting on whether to apply the Principles for Businesses, and

Brexit: Autobahn to Authorisation?
Following on from our successful Brexit workshop last week, and our posts regarding France, Belgium and Lithuania, we now look at Germany as a potential

PwC acquires RegTech solution from FSCom Limited
Pictured: PwC partner, Ian McConnell; PwC partner, Lynne Rainey; Philip Creed, director of fscom and Alex Lee, chairman of fscom Global professional services firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Brexit: A lifeline in Lithuania?
Another week closer to Brexit, and still no real idea of what deal, if any, might be agreed, especially after the Prime Minister’s latest engagements

fscom Announce Recent Promotions
fscom is delighted to announce two recent promotions. Rachel Stevenson has been promoted to Senior Manager within our payment services team. Rachel has worked in

Brexit: Out of the EU…back to Brussels?
Following my well-received blog about the ACPR’s approach to UK payment/e-money institutions applying for authorisation in France as part of their Brexit strategy, it was

Complaints handling – what does good look like?
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Back in June, I blogged about the

Brexit: All roads lead to…Paris?!
In my blog about Brexit earlier this month, I outlined some of the key factors for firms to take on board when considering their EU

Open Banking; not just for banks
How is your business preparing for Open Banking? According to a HM Treasury paper published earlier this month, Open Banking has the potential to ‘boost UK

“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest (regulator) of them all?”
For some, Brexit may still seem like something out of a fairy tale but, whether you are for or against, it will become a reality

ESMA’s temporary product intervention decisions: NDFs
The implementation of MiFID II in January triggered a significant change in the blanket treatment of FX forwards in the UK and, as a result, non-deliverable forwards (NDFs) became

Request for data deletion: is it for legitimate reasons?
At what point does empowering individuals to be ‘masters of their own personal data destiny’ encroach on a payment service provider’s legal responsibility to prevent

What the FCA really wants from e-money and payment institutions
With the vast majority of e-money and payment institutions successfully re-authorised, let’s take a look at how the FCA intends to monitor this growing population

Got a complaint about a payment service?
With all the excitement around re-authorisation, the ban on credit card surcharges and the new payment services activities, the less headline grabbing regulatory changes introduced by the second payment

Alison Donnelly Scoops Top AML and Payments Services Awards
We are delighted to announce that Alison Donnelly, Director and Head of Advisory at fscom, has recently been awarded not only one, but two top

Introducing the New Payment Systems Operator
In a previous blog post, I took a look at the upcoming access changes to the UK’s RTGS system (the Clearing House Automated Payment System) and,

How Will PSD2 Affect Charities – The Forgotten Sector
There has been a lot of talk in the financial sector surrounding the topic of PSD2; flagging deadlines, the implications of non-compliance and the opportunities

GDPR: separating fact from fiction
GDPR Fines! GDPR Fines! GDPR Fines! The war cry of solicitors and tech consultants across Europe for the past year has become so loud that

PSD2 – further inside the regulator
Drawing on my experience of heading up the Payment Services Authorisations Team at the FCA for many years, I spoke last week about the FCA’s expectations