'Watershed moment' as FCA's non-financial misconduct rules come into force

Enforcement ‘not a question of if, but when’

Michael Nelson
clock • 2 min read

Legal experts have hailed the introduction of the Financial Conduct Authority’s rules around non-financial misconduct (NFM) as a “watershed moment” for culture and conduct in financial services.

The regulator published an extension to its code of conduct last year, to be applied from 1 September, stating that NFM within financial services firms – including bullying and harassment – will amount to a breach of its rules. The extension to the conduct rules will apply to around 37,000 regulated firms, with guidance making it clear that firms are expected to provide evidence of robust detection and response capabilities, not just policy commitments. Norton Rose Fulbright head of employment, EMEA, Paul Griffin, said firms will need to be ready to investigate and respond to allegati...

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