Emma RadmoreThe Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform has provided its report on reshaping regulation in the UK to the Prime Minister. The report calls for: a common law approach proportionality in application...
Category - Payment Services & Electronic Money
Lucy HadrillPSR consults on new 5-year strategy
The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has announced plans for a new five-year strategy. The proposals set out an approach that aims to make sure payments and payment systems work well for everyone and that there is fair...
FSB consults on cross-border payments
The FSB is consulting on global targets for addressing the challenges of cross-border payments. The proposed targets set goals for improving cost, speed, transparency and access for cross-border payments in the coming...
ASA publishes further ruling on delayed payment services
Continuing the flurry of rulings against delayed payment service ads, ASA published a further ruling on 26 May, this time against a claim appearing on the Laybuy UK website. Text on the website stated: “…...
Nicky StrongFCA extends SCA deadline to March 2022
The FCA has extended the deadline for implementing Strong Customer Authentication for e-commerce transactions from 14 September 2021 to 14 March 2022. This further 6-month extension is in response to concerns about...
FCA writes to CEOs of EMIs on client money
FCA has written a Dear CEO letter asking e-money firms to write to their customers to explain how their money is protected. It is worried that these firms’ promotions to customers give the impression that their...
FCA consults on new Consumer Duty
The FCA has set out plans for a new Consumer Duty which will set clearer and higher expectations for firms’ standards of care towards consumers. It is hoped that the proposals will drive a shift in culture and behaviour...
FCA and PSR make statement on access to cash
A joint statement from FCA and PSR stresses that although there has been an overall decline in use of cash, withdrawals have started again as restrictions ease, and there must remain access to cash and banking services...
Banking industry supports access to cash
UK Finance and the UK’s largest retail banks and building societies have announced their commitment to continue to preserve access to cash for consumers and businesses over the long term. The 8 financial...
Pay.UK announces Confirmation of Payee extension
Pay.UK has confirmed that, from July 2021, the reach of the Confirmation of Payee Service (CoP) will be extended with a revised capability and simplified processes. This will allow CoP to be introduced more widely to...
FCA publishes latest Regulatory Initiatives Grid
FCA has published the third edition of the Financial Services Regulatory Initiatives Forum’s Regulatory Initiatives Grid. This edition marks the end of a successful one-year pilot exercise – the FCA has confirmed that...
Financial Services Bill – what changed?
Read our article for Compliance Monitor on the key changes from the original Financial Services Bill to the Act given Royal Assent – and some of the proposals that weren’t included.
PSR consults on Brexit changes to IFR guidance
PSR has opened a consultation into changes to its guidance on the Interchange Fee Regulation (IFR) as a result of Brexit and changes to the regulatory framework. Following Brexit, the IFR is now retained EU law, which...
Duncan ScottHM Treasury publishes response to consultation on Insolvency changes for payment and electronic money institutions
The Insolvency changes for payment and electronic money institutions consultation was launched on the 3 December 2020. The Government received 15 written responses to the consultation, and these responses have been...
Hannah FrostCMA publishes annual concurrency report
CMA has published its 2020/21 annual concurrency report outlining how CMA has worked alongside other regulators, including FCA, to enforce competition law across a range of industry sectors. Highlights from the report...
LSB updates CRM Code
The LSB has published updates to the CRM Code following its review. The new provisions include those on governance and oversight, and will take effect from 14 June 2021.
BoE and Treasury announce creation of Central Bank Digital Currency Taskforce
The Bank of England (BoE) has announced, jointly with HM Treasury, the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Taskforce to coordinate the exploration of a potential UK CBDC. The BoE has also published the...
Financial Services Bill passed by Lords
Following day three of its Report stage, the House of Lords has passed the Financial Services Bill with amendments. The final amendments to be agreed by the Lords include: an amendment that, in certain circumstances...
LSB looks at APP scam prevention
LSB has stressed the importance of preventing APP fraud in the first place, rather than just ensuring customers who suffer can be reimbursed – critical though that is. It notes that the increase in online and...
FS Bill: Further amendments tabled for debate in Lords
Parliament has published a marshalled list of the latest amendments to the Financial Services Bill to be debated in the House of Lords. The proposed amendments include: a requirement for the FCA and PRA to give...
PSR board meets to discuss current and future agenda
The PSR has published the minutes of a board meeting held on 20 January 2021. The board discussed various items on the PSR’s agenda, including: Access to Cash – the PSR is working closely with industry and the FCA...
European Commission consults on instant payments
The European Commission has issued a consultation paper seeking the views of consumers, corporate users and payment service providers (PSPs) on the use of instant payment transfers. The objective of the consultation is...
PSR provisionally identifies pre-paid card cartel
PSR has announced that it has issued a Statement of Objections that alleges that Mastercard, allpay, APS, PFS and Sulion engaged in anti-competitive behaviour by agreeing not to compete or poach each other’s clients...
European Parliament reports on Digital Finance Package legislation
The European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs has published a draft report setting out proposed changes to a range of existing legislation to ensure alignment with the regulation on digital...
PSR publishes plan and budget
The PSR’s annual plan and budget for 2021/22 focuses on what it can do to improve outcomes by encouraging innovation and competition. It will look at scam prevention and access to cash, and will have a focus on...
EU consults on instant payments
The European Commission has launched a targeted consultation on instant payments. Open until 2 June, the consultation seeks to get technical information from PSPs and providers of technical services, with a view to the...
Government urged to reduce barriers to UK-EU services trade
The House of Lords EU Services Sub-Committee has published a report which examines the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and the future UK-EU relationship on trade in services. In terms of financial services...
EU Council backs plans for EU-wide payment solutions
In September 2020, the EU Commission launched its strategy for the further development of the retail payments market in the EU. The European Council has now responded by announcing its full support of the overall aims...
FMLC responds on cryptoasset regulation
FMLC has responded to Treasury’s call for evidence on the regulation of cryptoassets and stablecoins. Unsurprisingly, it notes many legal uncertainties, not least how to identify a “token”, and...
European Parliament issues draft report on proposed markets in crypto-assets regulation
The European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs has issued a draft report containing suggested amendments to the text of a regulation on markets in crypto-assets and amending Directive (EU)...
FCA increases contactless payment thresholds
FCA has published a policy statement outlining the amendments to Article 11 of the strong customer authentication RTS. The changes increase the single transaction threshold for contactless payments from £45 to £100 and...
LSB sets roadmap for CRM Code review
LSB has published its planned activities for 2021 including updates on the wording of the CRM Bode and a call for input. Separate to its original plans it is already working on a review of the provision on its approach...
EBA calls for supervisory action to remove account access hurdles
EBA has published an opinion calling on regulators to ensure banks remove any remaining obstacles that are stopping third party providers from accessing payment accounts. It stresses the need for a consistent...
PSR consults on better consumer protection
The PSR is calling for views on: how to mandate reimbursing victims of APP scams: It thinks that a combination of requiring banks and building societies to publish their APP scam data, having a standardised approach to...
PSR consults on delivery of New Payments Architecture
PSR has launched a consultation on the delivery and regulation of the New Payments Architecture (NPA) which is set to replace the UK’s current Faster Payments and Bacs retail interbank payment system. PSR says...
UK Finance reports on “future ready payments”
UK Finance and PWC have produced a report on the opportunities and challenges for the UK payments industry over the next 10 years. The report looks at how the sector should meet its aims of delivering customer benefits...
LSB publishes CRM Code review
The LSB has published its review into the CRM Code for APP scams. The review of the voluntary code looked to see how effective it has been in providing greater consumer protection, and to see whether it has had an...
CAP guidance on delayed payment services
In December the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) published new guidance on marketing communications for delayed payment services. This specifically relates to those services not regulated by the FCA. The guidance...
FCA consults on changes to SCA-RTS and payment services perimeter guidance
FCA is consulting on: changes to the RTS on SCA. Key changes will include: a new exemption from SCA when customers access their information through an AISP; mandating the use of APIs by ASPSPs to faciliate TPP access to...
Quincecare Duty is limited to agents of the customer and does not extend to individual customers
In a decision that will be welcomed by the banking industry, the High Court in the case of Philipp v Barclays Bank UK plc [2021] EWHC 10 (Comm) has confirmed that the “Quincecare Duty” placed upon banks is...
Scott NodderFCA publishes Covid resilience survey results
FCA has published the results of the survey it sent to 23,000 forms on the real-time effect the pandemic is having on their resilience. Among its conclusions are: failures of firms due to the economic downturn are...
FCA reminds firms to be prepared for Brexit
With the end of the Brexit transition period in sight, the FCA has issued a press release reminding firms to be prepared. The FCA expects firms to have assessed the impact of the changes that will take effect, on both...
Angie BamboulisSupreme Court dismisses Mastercard’s appeal on collective proceedings
The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by Mastercard against a Court of Appeal ruling that annulled the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s (CAT) refusal to grant a collective proceedings order in Mastercard...
BoE Financial Stability Report
The Bank of England published the Financial Stability Report for December. The report sets out the Financial Policy Committee’s view on the stability of the UK financial system and what it is doing to remove or...
APP CRM Code interim funding to continue to June 2021
UK Finance has confirmed that 7 signatories to the APP CRM Code have agreed to extend the interim funding to compensate victims of scams until the end of June 2021. The funding will apply where the customer and the...
EC speaks on evolving payments market
In her speech, EU Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager discussed the impact of the Interchange Fee Regulation and noted that: technology has resulted in a proliferation of payment methods available to...
EPC Report on Payment Threats and Fraud Trends
The European Payments Council (EPC) has published its report on payment threats and fraud trend for 2020. The report attempts to create awareness amongst stakeholders involved in the payments domain to allow them to...
Treasury consults on insolvency changes for payment and e-money firms
HM Treasury is proposing to introduce changes that will help protect customers in the event of a payment or electronic money institution being put into insolvency. The Government says the changes will strengthen...
FCA and PSR Terms of Reference on Access to Cash
On 16 June, the PSR and FCA set out its plans to work with the industry and develop shared solutions to deliver appropriate and sustainable access to cash that meet consumers’ needs, including responding to changing...
EPC publishes the first SRTP scheme rulebook
Following a three-month public consultation, the European Payments Council (EPC) has published the first version of the Single European Payments Area (SEPA) Request-To-Pay (RTP) scheme rulebook. The rulebook covers the...
PSR intends to operate confidentiality ring as part of card-acquiring services market review
The PSR has published a Notice of intention to operate a confidentiality ring following the publication of its interim report in the market review into card-acquiring services in September 2020. Following a request by a...
FCA makes new rules
FCA’s latest Handbook Notice confirms it has made the following rules at its last 3 board meetings: changes to reflect the extension of various SMCR deadlines as a result of the pandemic (made in October); the...
HM Treasury extends consultation deadlines
Financial Services Future Regulatory Framework Review Phase II Consultation – further to the consultation document published on 19 October 2020, the consultation has been extended by one month to 19 February 2021...
EU statement on EU-Japan Joint Financial Regulatory Forum
The European Commission has published a statement on the second meeting of the EU-Japan Joint Financial Regulatory Forum which took place on 20 November. Topics of discussion at the meeting included the impact of Covid...
Pay.UK reports on impact of COVID-19 on SME business banking
Pay.UK published its findings from its research into the impact of COVID-19 on SME business banking. Overall, SMEs are more likely to say that they are satisfied (rather than dissatisfied) with their bank’s...
Latest Denizbank ruling on interpretation of PSD2
The First Chamber of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) has made a preliminary ruling in the case of Denizbank AG v Verein fur Konsumenteninformation (Case C-287/19) [ECLI:EU:C:2020:897]. It has clarified the...
Government heralds future financial services regulation
Rishi Sunak has announced a range of measures the UK is now to take to ensure the financial services industry moves forward. In a speech, he praised all the measures the industry has taken to date and through the...
EBA reminds firms to finalise Brexit plans
EBA has reminded firms that, from the end of the transition period, UK firms can no longer provide services to EU customers on a passporting basis. It notes that: UK financial institutions offering services to EU...
Pay.UK: Consumer Protection Landscape
Pay.UK published a paper yesterday providing an overview of the UK consumer protection landscape relating to disputed payment transactions. The paper sets out the payments landscape, the consumer protection landscape...
Jonny WilliamsFeedback to CP20/18 on eIDAS published
The FCA today published PS20/13: Amendments to the open banking identification requirements (eIDAS) certificate). This policy statement sets out the feedback to CP20/18 and sets out the near final rules amending...
HMT consults on financial services regulatory framework post-Brexit
HM Treasury has published a consultation paper in relation to Phase II of its Financial Services Future Regulatory Framework Review. HMT is seeking views on proposals for the financial services regulatory framework post...
FSB issues final report on CIRR toolkit
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has published its final report on a toolkit of effective practices for financial institutions’ cyber incident response and recovery (CIRR). The toolkit aims to assist financial...
ESRB publishes Recommendation on identifying legal entities
The European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB)’s Recommendation A proposes that: EU legislation incorporates a common EU legal framework governing the identification of legal entities established in the EU that are...
Lords responds to HMT on equivalence
Baroness Donaghy, chair of the House of Lords EU Services Sub-Committee, has responded to HMT’s letter of 21 September which set out the Government’s responses to previous queries of the Sub-Committee on UK...
EBA consults on PSD2 major incident reporting
EBA is consulting on a proposed revision of its guidelines on major incident reporting under PSD2. It wants to make the process better, simpler and more streamlined, and reduce the number of operational incidents that...
BoE updates timelines for ISO 20022 migration
The BoE published an update today setting out the revised timetable for ISO 20022 migration: Phase 2 (TS2): Implementation date next year has been pushed back from April to June. From June 2022, BoE will require all...
FSB reports on global stablecoins
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has published its finalised high-level recommendations for the regulation, supervision and oversight of “global stablecoin” (GSC) arrangements. The report says that GSC...
FSB Roadmap to enhance cross-border payments
The FSB has today published a roadmap which has been delivered to G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in advance of their meeting tomorrow. The roadmap sets out the FSB’s opinion on how the key...
HMT writes to House of Lords on equivalence
The Economic Secretary to HM Treasury, John Glen MP, has responded to the House of Lords EU Services Sub-Committee’s queries on UK-EU regulatory cooperation for UK financial services post-Brexit. In its letter to...
Regulatory Initiatives Grid heralds return to “normality”
FCA has published the second edition of the Financial Services Regulatory Initiatives Forum’s Regulatory Initiatives Grid. The grid, first published in May, is aimed to help firms see upcoming regulatory work...
Pay.UK consultation update (Next Generation Standard)
Pay.UK has published an update on it’s consultation on the ‘Next Generation Standard for UK Retail Payments’. The update includes details on Pay.UK’s recommendations for the adoption of ISO 20022...
PSR publishes interim report on card acquiring services
PSR has published its interim report with provisional findings on the supply of card-acquiring services. It says merchants should shop around to get a better deal from their provider or switch to a new one, but that...
FCA finalises access to cash guidance
FCA has published its finalised guidance on what firms should do if considering closing branches or ATMs, or starting to charge for ATM use. The guidance makes it clear firms must keep FCA informed of any relevant...
FCA and PSR publish annual reports
FCA has published its annual report and accounts for 2019/20. The report notes FCa’s key achievements for the year. Apart from the obvious measures to address the problems caused by Covid-19, it highlights:...
FCA publishes quarterly consultation
FCA’s latest quarterly consultation mainly covers: onshoring changes to the Handbook or technical changes FCA will need to make as a result of onshoring. It asks for comment on the bulk of the changes by 4...
FCA to reopen TPR window
FCA has updated its website pages on the Temporary Permissions Regime. It plans to reopen the TPR notification window on 30 September to allow for further new notifications, and to allow fund managers to update...
BoE updates webpage on ISO 20022
The Bank of England (“BoE”) has updated its webpage on ISO 20022, the emerging global standard for payments messaging. The update confirms that BoE will go-live with ISO 20022 in April 2022 as currently...
Amelia GreenUp next from FCA
FCA’s latest Policy Development Update heralds: consultation on financial crime reporting during Q3; PS on debt advice levy rates in Q4; CP on exit fees in investment platforms and comparable firms during 2021; PS...
PSR focuses on APP scams
The PSR has stressed the importance of the CRM Code in reimbursing victims of APP scams. It notes the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way many people make payments, and left many of them vulnerable to fraud. The Code...
PSR encourages innovation and competition in payments
Genevieve Marjoribanks, head of policy at the PSR, says the PSR is looking at what consumer protections are available and whether they adequately protect those who use bank transfers to make payments. The PSR is...
HMT Payments Landscape Review – Call for Evidence
In light of recent developments in technology, HMT announced in June 2019 that it was leading a Payments Landscape Review. The first stage of this review, released today, is a Call for Evidence paper which sets out the...
Andrew Graham-SmithECB takes steps to ensure pan-European reach for instant payments
On 24 July, the European Central Bank (“ECB“) announced that it has taken significant steps to support the full deployment of instant payments across the euro area which, it says, can be ensured by the end...
FCA updates on sandbox
FCA has announced its acceptance of 22 businesses into cohort 6 of its sandbox. It had received 68 applications, mainly from the retail banking, payments and retail lending sectors. More than half were seeking to...
Regulation round up highlights refunds, SMRC delays and next steps in Covid-19 consumer protection
FCA’s latest Regulation Round up covers the usual update of FCA’s recent publications, and reminds them of some earlier, still relevant, statements, not least: the confirmed new guidance for motor finance...
Government updates on cash infrastructure
The Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group (the BoE, PSR, FCA and Treasury) has published an update on the work it is doing to safeguard the UK’s cash infrastructure. The group members have been working closely to...
Enhancing Cross-border Payments – A Global Roadmap
Building on the FSB’s report published in April this year, the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures released its Stage 2 report. This report aims to identify the building blocks with which a roadmap...
FCA finalises Covid-19 payment services guidance
FCA has finalised its guidance to payment and e-money firms on safeguarding customers’ funds in light of the impact of Covid-19. Alongside the guidance is a portfolio strategy letter to CEOs of relevant firms...
Commission begins Brexit warning notices
The European Commission has stated the process of sending Stakeholder Preparedness Notices, to summarise for stakeholders the effect of Brexit on over 100 sectors. It had originally published these notices during...
Up next from FCA
Over the rest of 2020, FCA plans the following: consultations on mortgage borrowing and mortgage prisoners (now overdue), debt advice levy rates and exist fees in investment platforms (Summer 2020) and on financial...
FCA imposes requirements on Wirecard
FCA has imposed a number of requirements on Wirecard, an authorised EMI which is also subject to the PSRs. As a result of ongoing investigations and actions in Germany involving Wirecard’s parent company, FCA...
PSR publishes updated Powers and Procedures Guidance
The Payment Systems Regulator (“PSR“) has published its revised Powers and Procedures Guidance (“PPG“) and a revised version of its Interchange Fee Regulation Guidance (“IFR“) which...
Pay.UK heralds COP launch
Pay.UK has heralded the introduction of Confirmation of Payee and has reminded users of the importance of using “first name surname” rather than a nickname on payment details. Its data shows that 34% of...
Natasha BrownleeUp next from FCA
FCA’s latest Policy Development Update highlights the following publications due over the next few months: CP on marketing speculative illiquid securities to retail investors (including speculative mini-bonds); CP...
EBA issues Opinion on obstacles to the provision of TPPs under the PSD2
The European Banking Authority (“EBA“) has published an Opinion on obstacles to the provision of third party provider services (“TPPs”) under the Regulatory Technical Standards...
PSR speaks on key payments issues and Covid-19
On 3 June, the Payment Systems Regulator’s (“PSR“) Head of Policy, Genevieve Marjoribanks, delivered a speech at PSR’s Payment Systems Innovation and Regulation Summit. She acknowledged the challenges...
Compulsory FCA survey coming to firms
FCA is to send a survey by email with a link to 13,000 solo regulated firms, aimed to helping FCA understand the impact of Covid 19 on regulated firms and their financial resilience, where the greatest impacts are for...
Pay.UK launches rules and standards for Request to Pay
Pay.UK has launched its Request to Pay framework comprising the message standards, rules and terms and conditions for developing Request to Pay services. Organisations can use it to create the first Request to Pay...
FCA consults on safeguarding
FCA is consulting on how firms can strengthen their safeguarding protections during the Covid-19 crisis. The consultation focuses on the provision of additional guidance for payments firms to strengthen the way they...
FCA makes new rules
At FCA’s May Board Meeting it made 3 new sets of rules: the Covid-19 Premium Finance Instrument, which took effect from 18 May and introduced the new requirements on payment deferrals and other measures for...
Government publishes draft EU/UK FTA
The Government has published a draft Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between the UK and EU. Chapter 17 of the agreement relates to financial services, which it defines as “any service of a financial nature...
EBF publishes cross-border payment guidance
EBF has published guidance for payment service providers in the form of examples and FAQs on implementation of the Cross-Border Payments Regulation. The guidance comes as EBF members have raised queries about charges...
FCA updates on Covid-19 and complaints
FCA has updated its webpage on how firms should be handling consumers’ complaints during Covid-19. The page explains that FCA has asked firms to prioritise making payments where consumers have accepted offers or...
FCA speaks on response to Covid-19 and Brexit
Nausicaa Delfas has spoken on FCA’s national and international response to Covid-19 and Brexit. On Covid-19, she noted: FCA’s priority to keep markets open and orderly, help firms continue to operate...