FCA sexual misconduct and discrimination complaints increase three-fold in 2018

Regulator fears ‘re-emergence of cosy boys’ clubs and men-only networks’

clock • 3 min read

Whistleblowing complaints to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regarding sexual misconduct and discrimination have increased by more than 300% in 2018, with the regulator warning of "the re-emergence of cosy boys' clubs and men-only networks".

Complaints to the regulator concerning issues like discrimination and sexual harassment in financial services grew from 20 reports in 2017 to 64 in 2018, executive director of strategy and competition at the FCA Christopher Woolard said. In a speech in London on Wednesday (19 December), the regulator's director of strategy and competition Christopher Woolard warned: "Our suspicion is we have only scratched the surface [with these figures]." The revelation follows another speech by the FCA's executive director of supervision for wholesale and specialist investment Megan Butler, who spo...

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