Morning, Friday, 15th May 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for the Consumer Duty in the UK, with the Financial Conduct Authority moving further into a supervisory phase and firms adapting to more sustained scrutiny of outcomes.
It will focus on priorities for embedding an outcomes-based regime in practice, including what may be needed from retail-facing financial services firms, intermediaries and advisers, alongside the FCA in its supervisory role and policymakers, to support consistency, proportionality and confidence across retail markets.
The discussion will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to consider implications of the FCA’s recent work on the Consumer Duty, including the Consumer Duty requirements review on targeted clarifications of Handbook materials, and the FCA’s published Consumer Duty focus areas 2025-2026. Delegates will discuss how firms are responding as supervision becomes more established, where further refinement may be helpful in supporting day-to-day delivery of the Duty, and how the regime is working in practice for firms serving retail consumers across different markets.
Implementation, potential regime refinement & proportionality for different types of businesses
Delegates will consider immediate priorities for effective delivery of the Duty, including where firms may still need greater clarity around supervisory expectations in day-to-day practice, and what proportionality should look like for different types of business. Looking at implications of the FCA’s recent targeted clarifications to Handbook materials, areas for discussion include where firms, intermediaries and advisers may see scope to reduce duplication, uncertainty or unnecessary complexity - while maintaining focus on consumer outcomes.
Attendees will also assess practical considerations for embedding an outcomes-based regime across retail markets, including what may be needed from governance, internal assurance, staff decision-making and record-keeping to support more consistent application. We expect a focus on issues for smaller firms and intermediaries, including the operational and compliance considerations involved in demonstrating fair value, monitoring outcomes and evidencing that products and services are meeting the needs of retail customers.
Discussion is also expected to consider the role of governance frameworks, management information and internal oversight in monitoring outcomes and identifying areas where consumer outcomes may be weaker in practice.
Supervisory approaches, best practice, governance & good consumer outcomes
Sessions will also consider what the FCA’s focus areas are likely to mean in practice for supervision, including expectations around outcomes monitoring, fair value, consumer understanding, and how firms assess customer journeys, communications and product design. Discussion will look at how these approaches are being applied across different sectors and business models, and where firms may still face challenges in translating broad principles into operational practice.
Further consideration is expected on the implications for management information, governance and oversight, including how firms use data to identify weak outcomes and respond where risks emerge.
Delegates will also assess the extent to which evolving supervisory expectations are influencing approaches to digital journeys, communications and monitoring, and what good practice may look like as the next phase of supervision develops.
Discussion will also consider issues in areas such as vulnerability, financial inclusion and access to financial services, including expectations around customer understanding, support for customers in financial difficulty, and approaches to evidencing good consumer outcomes across different markets.
Issues affecting key sectors, alignment with wider requirements & enforcement approaches
The agenda will assess where application of the Duty is raising issues that cut across sectors including insurance, consumer credit, payments, pensions and investments, as well as the interaction of the Duty with existing regulation, sector-specific rules and complaints-handling frameworks. Delegates will also examine the FCA’s ongoing work on the scope of the Duty for firms primarily engaged in wholesale activity, with further consultation expected in 2026 on the application and requirements of the regime, including through distribution chains.
Further sessions will consider what firms may need from the next phase of FCA work to support clearer alignment between the Duty and established requirements, particularly where questions remain around interpretation, scope and overlap. There will also be discussion on expectations around enforcement and redress, how the Duty interacts with complaints and dispute-resolution frameworks, and how progress in improving consumer outcomes and trust may be assessed over time as the regime becomes more established.
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. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Department for Business and Trade; and Ofcom.
