Essential Guide to SMCR for FCA-Regulated Firms

The Senior Managers Certification Regime, abbreviated to SMCR or SMR, is a regulation implemented by UK regulators in March 2016. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) introduced this legislation to ensure greater regulatory accountability for senior managers within high-profile banks.

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An Overview of Conduct, Culture and Accountability Regimes

The ASIFMA Compliance Week focused on various relevant topics for Compliance professionals, from culture and accountability to technology and innovation. Industry experts shared their insights during four days of sessions on regulatory enforcement trends, conduct, culture, the future of compliance, and market abuse.

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FCA Business Plan 2021/22 Focuses on ESG Risks and Market Abuse

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) 's 2021-22 Business Plan was published on 15 July 2021 and it sends an important message for firms and the market of the FCA going forward approach to enforcement actions.

It is clear that the FCA intends to be more aggressive and take an increasingly assertive approach in its enforcement activity in the coming year and innovate to tackle challenges yet to come in the future.

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Overview of FCA Principles for Business

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the conduct regulator for nearly 60,000 financial services firms and financial markets in the UK, and it's part of the FCA's work to implement, supervise and enforce international standards and regulations in the UK. The UK regulator has criminal, civil and regulatory enforcement powers.

In this article, we explain the FCA's 11 Principles for Business (PRIN), their purpose, how they are used to regulate the market in the UK, and the consequences of breaching the Principles.

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Time To Get Serious About SMCR in the Context of Climate Change

In April 2019, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) sent a letter to CEOs highlighting its expectations for Boards of PRA regulated firms to understand and manage climate-related risks. The statement expects firms to allocate responsibility and appoint a Senior Management Function ("SMF") responsible for identifying and managing climate-related risks.

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