Morning, Monday, 20th October 2025
Online
This conference will examine next steps for consumer protection and standards in financial services for UK retail.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to consider the way forward against the backdrop of major policy focus on refining the application of the Consumer Duty and streamlining financial services regulation. With the Financial Conduct Authority recently announcing plans to review the scope of the Consumer Duty and consult on changes in early 2026, delegates will assess next steps for reforming the regime, including how meaningful support for consumer outcomes and market confidence can be achieved.
Streamlining the Consumer Duty
Delegates will assess priorities for improving the efficiency of the Duty, including promoting responsible innovation and sustainable growth, as well as key considerations for safeguarding consumer protection and customer decision-making. The proportionality of requirements will be discussed, including how regulatory burdens on firms can be simplified amid industry calls for clarity - particularly in the context of businesses with non-UK clients - as well as the Duty’s core definitions and how it applies across distribution chains.
With the FCA setting out a four-point action plan to remove disproportionate burdens on wholesale firms, attendees will examine how the Duty’s supervisory approach can be clarified to reduce compliance costs, priorities for updating the client categorisation framework, and how potential government intervention in legislative exemptions in the Financial Promotion Order might support this work.
Further regulatory reform
Areas for discussion include the Government’s consultation on reforming the Consumer Credit Act 1974, and assessing the proposed approach to bring deferred payment credit lending, Buy Now Pay Later, into regulation. Delegates will assess priorities for the new regime, including its ability to enable firms to compete on transparency, simplicity, and customer experience, as well as implications for consumers and future innovation. Attendees will also consider sector-specific approaches, including the Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published Policy Statement: Mortgage Rule Review, particularly around affordability assessments and enabling consumers to switch more easily between products, as well as recent consultations on simplifying insurance rules.
Targeted support and simplified advice
The agenda will also examine the ongoing 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 adapting governance systems to meet the expectations of a streamlined regulatory regime.
Financial inclusion
Delegates will also consider the forthcoming Financial Inclusion Strategy and its alignment with broader regulatory priorities. Attendees will consider 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 Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published Financial Lives 2024 survey - with discussion on wider implications for enhancing financial resilience and promoting equitable economic participation.
Redress frameworks
Modernising redress frameworks will also be discussed, including recent proposals by the Financial Conduct Authority 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.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
