Morning, Monday, 20th October 2025
Online
This conference will examine next steps for consumer protection and standards of care in UK retail financial services.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to consider the way forward against the backdrop of the major policy focus on refining the application of the Consumer Duty and streamlining financial services regulation - with the Chancellor having instructed the FCA to report on the impact of the Duty on wholesale financial firms by the end of September.
Delegates will assess how current policy and regulatory priorities can be translated into meaningful support for consumer outcomes and market confidence, while promoting responsible innovation and sustainable growth. Areas for discussion include the Government’s consultation on reforming the Consumer Credit Act, and legislation expected to be brought forward to regulate Buy-Now, Pay-Later products. The conference will also look at the FCA’s strategic direction through to 2030, as set out in its 2025-2030 Strategy and informed by feedback published in FS25/2 - and consider how these might shape future expectations for the sector. Attendees will examine the recent CP25/11 consultation on simplifying mortgage rules - particularly around affordability assessments and enabling consumers to switch more easily between products - and look ahead to the FCA’s updated workplan expected this autumn.
Delegates will also consider the forthcoming consultation on the Advice Guidance Boundary Review and its potential implications for targeted support and simplified guidance, particularly in pensions and investments. We expect discussion on progressing the readiness of firms to apply data-driven improvements and adapt governance systems to meet the expectations of a streamlined regulatory regime.
Delegates will also consider the forthcoming Financial Inclusion Strategy and its alignment with broader regulatory priorities. Attendees will discuss latest thinking on approaches to improving access to affordable credit, banking, and insurance services, particularly for excluded and underserved groups. Frameworks for coordination between government and the financial sector will also be discussed, looking at delivery of practical interventions, such as support for community finance initiatives and the development of alternative insurance models.
Further sessions assess implications of data on regional inequalities and customer vulnerabilities, informed by the FCA’s recently published Financial Lives 2024 survey, and discuss wider implications for enhancing financial resilience and promoting equitable economic participation.
Modernisation of redress frameworks will also be discussed, including recent proposals by the FCA and Financial Ombudsman Service to reform dispute resolution rules, such as extending company response times and introducing fees for mass complaints by claims management companies. Delegates will also examine proposals to reform the legislative framework in which the Financial Ombudsman operates, including the impact on dispute resolution services and outcomes for consumers.
We also expect the agenda to include discussion on support for underrepresented entrepreneurs, with attendees assessing developments such as the Disability Finance Code and the Invest in Women Taskforce’s securing over £255m in government and private sector funding to support female entrepreneurs.
With the agenda currently in the drafting stage, overall areas for discussion include:
- next steps for Consumer Duty reform: review of impact on wholesale firms - impact of FS25/2 on firm compliance - implications of retiring outdated guidance - expectations for the FCA’s summer 2025 summit
- delivery of the FCA strategy: growth mandate in the context of consumer protection - innovation in regulated retail products - alignment of outcomes with the Consumer Duty
- development of redress mechanisms: aims of FCA and FOS review of DISP rules - pressures from mass complaints - concerns over claims management companies - proposals to reform the FOS
- access to affordable financial products: gaps in credit, banking, and insurance provision - priorities for inclusion in the new Financial Inclusion Strategy - role of fintech and digital services
- integration of advice and guidance: progress on the Advice Guidance Boundary Review - scope of targeted support in pensions and investments - role of MaPS in boosting financial capability
- equitable access to finance: next steps for the Disability Finance Code - access for disabled and female entrepreneurs - links to wider growth and social equity goals
- data on consumer vulnerability: lessons from FCA thematic reviews - priorities for improving reporting from smaller firms
