Regulation
Regulators outline changes to help streamline SM&CR compliance
Brokers should see reduced costs and greater flexibility, following changes made to senior managers and certification regime announced today by the UK's joint financial services regulators.
FOS trims forecast for insurance cases
The Financial Ombudsman Service has lowered its prediction for insurance cases in 2026/27 to 41,100 as it confirmed an increase in the compulsory levy from £70m to £86m.
Blog: Is an AR boom incoming?
As the number of independent brokers reduces year on year, is the appointed representative model the way forward to bolster competition in the market following years of consolidation? Rosie Simms ponders the question.
FCA proposes 1.4% fee rise for broker block
The Financial Conduct Authority is consulting on raising levies from brokers by 1.4% in 2026/27 – double its annual budget increase – as it also laid out its work programme going into the second year of its five-year strategy.
FCA to join Biba on autumn regional tour again
The British Insurance Brokers’ Association has confirmed the Financial Conduct Authority will again join its Tour of the Regions in the autumn.
Brokers asking MGAs for more digital products
Brokers are asking for more digital products and greater transparency in capacity tenures from managing general agents, according to MGAA boss Mike Keating as he highlights an uptick in incubator start-ups.
Aviva responds to Direct Line’s £10.6m fine
Aviva has confirmed it was fully aware of the ‘historical’ accounting errors that have led to the Prudent Regulation Authority hitting Direct Line Group with a £10.6m fine and stated there will be no impact on the integration or the financial benefits it…
PRA fines Direct Line underwriter £10.6m
The Prudential Regulation Authority has fined UK Insurance Limited, a subsidiary and principal underwriter of Direct Line Group and now part of Aviva, £10.625m for a miscalculation of its Solvency II balance sheet during 2023 and 2024.
Chris Knight succeeds Brewis as FCA insurance director
The Financial Conduct Authority has recruited Chris Knight to take on the director of insurance role within its supervision, policy and competition division starting July 2026.
FCA way off target on insurance new firm authorisation service
New data and goals from the Financial Conduct Authority have revealed the regulator is far behind the target for authorising new insurance firms, with the level of service squarely in the red zone at 81.8%.
FCA sets four targets in its inaugural regulatory priorities report
The Financial Conduct Authority has issued its first regulatory priorities report for insurance as it switches away from penning portfolio letters.
Close Brothers reverses premium finance commission disclosure requirement
Close Brothers Premium Finance has u-turned by cutting the need for brokers to get customers’ explicit consent to commission arrangements.
Further increase in FCA insurance S166s
The Financial Conduct Authority hit the insurance sector with three skilled person reports in the third quarter, taking the running total for the financial year to six.
The most significant pressures reshaping UK insurance broking in 2026
With the UK’s top insurance brokers facing shifting market conditions, there is no better time to reassess the commercial, regulatory, and technological pressures shaping the sector. PKF Littlejohn insurance partner Paul Goldwin and director Charles Drew…
Customer empowerment levels rising, says Aviva’s Storah
Aviva has seen an “increasing level of empowerment” among customers as the usage of artificial intelligence for research rises, according to Jason Storah, CEO of GI at the insurer.
FCA calls on insurance companies to “engage early and often”
There are no new market wide interventions needed to drive positive progress, according to Sarah Pritchard, deputy CEO at the Financial Conduct Authority, as she called on the industry to engage.
No price cap or zero interest order plans from FCA on premium finance
The Financial Conduct Authority has confirmed it will not introduce a price cap or order that premium finance is provided without interest, as it published its final report.
FCA imposes growth restrictions on Markerstudy
Markerstudy has confirmed a “cap” on growth after the Financial Times reported the Financial Conduct Authority has restricted its activities.
Blog: How the regulatory axe could fall in 2026
Isabella Macfarlane, head of London Markets at Insurance Compliance Services, explores how the Financial Conduct Authority may address its priorities in 2026.
FCA launches AI review with Sheldon Mills at the helm
Sheldon Mills, formerly of the Financial Conduct Authority, is set to lead an FCA review into the implications of advanced AI on consumers, retail financial markets and regulators.
Blog: Can Biba sustain the momentum?
Biba's CEO, Graeme Trudgill, has hailed the organisation’s 2025 Manifesto as “the most successful one Biba has ever undertaken”. The question now is whether the trade body can maintain this impetus amid ambitious aspirations.