In a speech to the International Bar Association's Anti-Corruption Conference, the FCA's joint executive director of enforcement, Therese Chambers, set out how the regulator pairs high-profile enforcement with continuous, low-visibility prevention work. She pointed to recent actions — a £44m anti-money-laundering fine against Nationwide, a €250m investor recovery from H2O Asset Management, a ban and fine for former Barclays chief Jes Staley, and insider-dealing convictions — alongside the routine business of monitoring market integrity, vetting financial promotions and pulling misleading adverts before they reach consumers.
For retail forex and CFD traders, the promotions point is the one that bites. The FCA screens and removes non-compliant investment adverts, which is precisely the channel through which dubious broker and "pump-and-dump" offers tend to reach UK audiences. The enforcement record on AML and due-diligence failures is a reminder that a firm's regulatory standing is not cosmetic.
The practical takeaway: favour brokers authorised by the FCA, confirm their status on the FCA Register before depositing, and treat any CFD or leverage promotion that sidesteps the UK's financial-promotion rules as a warning sign rather than an opportunity.