FCA authorisation
Do I need FCA authorisation?
If your business offers, arranges or introduces consumer credit, you almost certainly need FCA authorisation. A small number of exemptions apply, and the permission you need depends on the activity.
Compliance guides
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about getting authorised, holding the right permissions, and staying compliant afterwards.
All guides
FCA authorisation
Appointed Representatives
Permissions
Ongoing obligations
Consumer Duty
FCA authorisation
Does FCA authorisation expire?
FCA authorisation does not expire and there is nothing to renew. Permissions can still be cancelled - voluntarily by your firm, or by the FCA where fees go unpaid or the regulated activity stops.
FCA authorisation
How long does it take to get FCA authorised?
The FCA has a statutory six months to determine a complete application, or twelve months if it is incomplete. Preparation before submission adds several weeks on top of that.
FCA authorisation
How much are FCA application fees?
FCA application fees depend on the permissions applied for. What a limited permission application costs, how full permission is priced, and the other fees firms encounter.
FCA authorisation
How to avoid difficulties with your FCA application
The FCA applies a high standard at the authorisation gateway. Five areas account for most of the difficulty: Consumer Duty, vulnerable customers, financial data, compliance monitoring and governance.
FCA authorisation
How to become a credit broker
Credit broking is a regulated activity, so becoming a broker means getting FCA authorised. Preparation decides the outcome: a compliance-aware business plan, complete policies, and fast responses.
FCA authorisation
How to register with the FCA
Registering with the FCA means applying for the permissions that match your regulated activities, submitting a business plan and policies through Connect, and satisfying the FCA at interview.
Appointed Representatives
FCA authorisation or Appointed Representative?
Two routes to operating in regulated financial services: direct authorisation, or appointment as an AR under a Principal firm. What separates them and how to choose.
Appointed Representatives
Introducer Appointed Representatives: what they can and can't do
An IAR's permitted activity is narrow - effecting introductions and distributing approved financial promotions. Where the boundary sits, and how it differs from a full AR.
Permissions
Do I need full or limited permissions?
Consumer credit firms apply for either limited or full permission. Which activities fall into each category, what the application involves, and why the wrong choice costs months.
Permissions
Do you need FCA authorisation for 0% finance or BNPL?
Promoting or introducing finance can be regulated activity even where you never handle money. What counts as credit broking, the exemptions that apply, and the assumptions that cause problems.
Permissions
How to become a finance lender
Every firm carrying out lending activities must be authorised by the FCA. This sets out the documentation an application requires and the individual approvals that sit alongside it.
Permissions
What is a credit broker?
A credit broker introduces borrowers to lenders rather than lending directly. What the role involves, how FCA regulation protects borrowers, and what to check before choosing one.
Permissions
What is a money lending licence?
A money lending licence is FCA authorisation to lend money, set repayment terms and charge interest. Who needs one, why the requirement exists, and how to establish whether it applies to you.
Ongoing obligations
Do I need to be VAT registered to apply for FCA authorisation?
VAT registration is not a requirement for FCA authorisation. Two situations where it becomes relevant anyway: crossing the VAT threshold, and lender or broker onboarding.
Ongoing obligations
Do lenders have to be FCA registered?
FCA authorisation is a legal requirement for firms carrying out regulated lending. Which activities trigger it, and the narrow interest-free instalment exemption.
Ongoing obligations
What does the FCA do?
The Financial Conduct Authority has three statutory objectives and real enforcement powers behind them. What the regulator does, and who has to comply.
Ongoing obligations
What is a financial promotion and why does it matter?
Financial promotions cover far more than adverts - websites, social posts, emails, in-store signage and what staff say out loud. What counts, and what the FCA requires of each.
Consumer Duty
A guide to the Consumer Duty board report
Consumer Duty requires an annual board assessment of whether a firm is delivering good customer outcomes. What it covers, why it matters, and how to prepare.