The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the conduct regulator for almost all UK financial firms (banks, building societies, insurers and major investment firms are also prudentially regulated by the PRA). Finance has no single register of qualified professionals; instead it operates a regulatory regime (SM&CR) plus activity-specific qualifications. The FCA Register (authorised firms and approved persons) and the Directory (certified persons, including advisers) are the public verification surfaces — and the standard defence against cloned firms and unauthorised advisers.
Sources & verification
- The FCA Register lists authorised firms and approved persons; the Directory lists certified persons (including advisers) — the public verification surfaces for finance — source, verified 2026-06-12
Verified reference information — not professional, medical, legal or careers advice. Regulations change; always check the cited primary source before relying on it.