A Review of the 2025-2030 FCA Strategy

On March 25, 2025, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) released their 2025-2030 Strategy, outlining how they plan to evolve their approach to regulation to enable a fair and thriving financial services market and promote innovation. 

So, what can you expect?  

As FCA Chair, Ashley Alder put it: 

“We want to deepen trust in financial services and shift our collective attitude across financial services to risk. Too often, the focus has been on the risks of a decision taken rather than the lost opportunity of taking none. We want to change that so we can spur growth and improve lives.” 

In this blog, we’ll dig into each focus area, assess the FCA’s approach and what firms can do to remain on the right side of the regulator.  

The FCA 2025-2030 Strategy: A Look at the Key Focus Areas 

Before diving into their strategic focus areas, the FCA highlighted just some of the opportunities and challenges they expect the UK to face between now and 2030, which included: 

1. The speed of technological change
2. The growth potential within financial services
3. Increasing market volatility due to global uncertainty 
4. Individual financial stability – and the role competitive products play in supporting individuals’ financial growth 
5. The demographics of the UK populace and how financial services can arm individuals for a comfortable life 

So, the question then becomes, what exactly is the FCA doing to meet these challenges and opportunities and what does it mean for firms like yours? 

Focus Area 1: Be a Smarter Regulator 

Overarchingly, the FCA is looking to work smarter not harder. In other words, they are making key investments in people and technology which will enable them to respond faster and make more informed decisions to support firms, the market, and consumers.  

The FCA is looking to reduce the burdens on many firms and make it easier to support innovation and new opportunities, however, they do acknowledge the need to balance (or rebalance in their words) risk and ensure innovation doesn’t come at the cost of consumers.  

Focus Area 2: Supporting Growth 

The FCA acknowledges that in some cases, prescriptive, restrictive rules can stifle innovation and growth. And with that in mind, that are looking to make shifts in their strategy to support growth and provide new opportunities for both existing and new firms alike.  

Their tech-positive approach will enable such innovation and drive positive change both for firms and the market at large, supporting and strengthening their position as a world leader within the financial space. 

Focus Area 3: Consumer’s Financial Lives 

The FCA is committed to helping consumers navigate financial hurdles and seeks to implement changes to ensure more consumers have access to the advice, products, and services to support them financially in the short- and long-term. 

A key component of this focus is the Consumer Duty, which aims to improve consumer outcomes. 

Focus Area 4: Financial Crime 

As with previous strategies, the FCA continues to focus on fighting financial crime and using new tools and technologies to do so in a more streamlined manner. They state their plans to work closely not only with the firms they regulate but with other UK agencies as well as international regulators to share information and data to stop financial crime.  

In addition, the FCA will continue its work of informing the public about known scams and other fraudulent activities. 

Key Themes from the FCA 

Throughout the strategy, the FCA noted several key themes across the four focus areas, including: 

• Becoming a more data-driven regulator 

• Continuing to put consumer outcomes first 

• Looking to reduce unnecessary burden on firms 

• Leveraging technology to work faster and smarter 

• Growing the UK financial market and maintaining the leading position within the global financial market 

What Your Firm Can Do to Meet FCA Expectations 

One thing made clear in the FCA 2025-2030 Strategy? The regulator wants to work with firms. They aren’t looking to overburden firms with unnecessary rules and regulations but instead want to actively protect consumers and the market while promoting innovation, growth, and new opportunities for firms themselves. 

For firms, that means making a compliance programme catered to your specific business and the risks faced. One that protects your clients without stifling your growth. Which might look a little something like: 

1. Customised policies, procedures and processes providing clear documentation of how you handle compliance tasks, what to do in the case of non-compliance, and any historical versions showing how you have updated these policies to address to issues, new challenges or the evolving regulatory landscape. 
2. Regular reviews of processes to ensure your team is meeting compliance standards.  
3. Cross-departmental collaboration on critical tasks. 
4. Compliance health checks or audits to ensure no gaps exist in your program.  
5. Incorporating compliance technology to automate previously manual tasks. 
6. Work with consultants or other regulatory experts to support your scaling program. 

The financial services industry is evolving. And compliance right along with it. Interested in learning more about how firms are leveraging Comply’s services and solutions to scale their compliance programme to meet the evolving landscape? Let’s talk.