Professional & Financial Services
Accountancy, legal, consulting, banking, insurance and financial services.
65
guides
11
journeys
Guided journeys
Step-by-step guides for businesses in this sector:
Meet anti-money laundering requirements
Essential guide to AML compliance for UK businesses in regulated sectors. Covers registration with supervisors, customer due diligence, suspicious activity reporting, appointing an MLRO, record keeping, staff training, and penalties for non-compliance.
Start journey →Start a financial services business
Launch an FCA-regulated financial services business with proper authorisation
Start journey →Start a fintech business
Launch a financial technology business requiring FCA authorisation
Start journey →Prepare your BNPL business for FCA regulation
Preparation guide for Buy Now Pay Later providers and merchants ahead of FCA regulation from 15 July 2026. Covers what is changing, whether you need FCA authorisation or credit broking permission, affordability assessment setup, advertising compliance, pre-contract disclosure, and complaints handling through the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Start journey →Respond to FCA enforcement action or investigation
What to do if the FCA contacts your consumer credit firm about enforcement action, a skilled person review, or formal investigation. Covers identifying the type of action, immediate steps, compliance review, and preparing your response.
Start journey →Start offering consumer credit to customers
End-to-end learning path for businesses new to consumer credit. Covers understanding FCA regulation, obtaining authorisation, setting up pre-contract disclosures and affordability assessments, complying with advertising rules, and verifying ongoing compliance under the Consumer Duty.
Start journey →Handle Section 75 claims from customers
What to do when a customer makes a Section 75 connected lender liability claim. Covers validating the claim against the GBP 100 to GBP 30,000 threshold, investigating supplier breach or misrepresentation, responding within the 8-week complaints deadline, FOS escalation, and recovering costs from the supplier.
Start journey →Consumer credit compliance quick-check
Quick compliance check for experienced consumer credit firms. Covers FCA permissions, fee payments, credit advertising, pre-contract disclosures, Consumer Duty obligations, complaints handling, and upcoming BNPL regulation.
Start journey →Consumer rights compliance checklist
Quick compliance check for traders selling goods, services, or digital content to consumers. Covers quality standards, remedies, distance selling, unfair terms, and enforcement readiness.
Start journey →Handling customer refund disputes
When a customer demands a refund, what are your legal obligations? This guide helps you determine whether the customer is entitled to a refund, what remedy to offer, and how to process it correctly under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Start journey →Understanding consumer rights law for traders
Learn your legal obligations when selling goods, services, or digital content to consumers. Covers the Consumer Rights Act 2015 quality standards, tiered remedies, distance selling rules, unfair contract terms, and enforcement penalties.
Start journey →Guidance for professional & financial services
Digital & Technology
- Cryptoasset Business Regulation — Regulatory requirements for cryptoasset businesses in the UK - how token classification determines whether you …
- NIS Regulations: compliance for operators of essential services — How to comply with the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations 2018 as an operator …
- Cyber security basics for small businesses — Practical, low-cost steps to protect your small business from cyber attacks. Covers the five Cyber …
Sector-Specific
- Cyber security for financial services firms — FCA operational resilience requirements for cyber security, including the 31 March 2025 compliance deadline, SM&CR …
- Access the Lloyd's of London insurance market — How to participate in the Lloyd's insurance market. Covers routes to market (managing agents, coverholders, …
- Obtain music licences for your business premises — How to obtain and maintain the correct music licences when playing recorded or live music …
- Protect your creative content and clear music rights — Understanding copyright for creative businesses - automatic protection for creative works, copyright duration, music rights …
- FCA Consumer Duty: compliance requirements — How to implement the FCA Consumer Duty in your firm. Covers the four outcomes (products/services, …
- Use FCA innovation services to test and launch fintech products — How to use the FCA's innovation support services including the Regulatory Sandbox, Digital Sandbox, and …
- Get FCA authorisation for financial services — How to apply for Financial Conduct Authority authorisation to carry on regulated financial activities. Covers …
- Prepare for Buy Now Pay Later regulation — How Buy Now Pay Later providers should prepare for FCA regulation. Covers the current exemption …
- UK sanctions compliance for businesses — How to comply with UK financial sanctions. Includes OFSI enforcement powers, asset freeze requirements, screening …
- Anti-money laundering (AML) compliance — Essential guide to AML compliance for UK businesses under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017.
- Financial services regulation and FCA authorisation — Regulatory requirements for financial services businesses.
- FCA authorisation for insurance brokers — How to get FCA authorisation as an insurance intermediary. Covers Insurance Distribution Directive requirements, permission …
- Meet FCA threshold conditions for authorisation — Understand and demonstrate compliance with the five statutory threshold conditions required for FCA authorisation under …
- Running a crowdfunding or P2P lending platform — How to get FCA authorisation to operate a loan-based (P2P) or investment-based crowdfunding platform. Covers …
- Fintech regulation and FCA authorisation — How to navigate FCA regulation for fintech businesses. Covers e-money and payment services, Open Banking, …
- Start an insurance broking business — How to set up an insurance broking business in the UK. Covers FCA authorisation versus …
- FCA consumer credit authorisation — How to get FCA authorisation to offer consumer credit, including lending, credit broking, and debt …
- Trade sanctions and export restrictions — Understanding UK sanctions on 80+ countries, arms embargoes, and the criminal penalties for breaching restrictions.
- Understanding UK consumer credit regulation — What consumer credit regulation is, why it exists, and who it applies to. Covers the …
- Meet pre-contract disclosure requirements for credit — How to provide the required pre-contract information to borrowers before entering a consumer credit agreement. …
- Understand how the Consumer Duty applies to credit products — How the FCA Consumer Duty applies to consumer credit providers, brokers, and debt collectors. Explains …
- Conduct and document affordability assessments for consumer credit — How to conduct, evidence, and document affordability assessments when lending to consumers. Covers the distinction …
- Comply with debt collection rules — How to collect consumer debts compliantly under FCA rules. Covers CONC 7 requirements for arrears …
- Handle consumer credit complaints and the Financial Ombudsman — How to set up internal complaints handling for consumer credit, meet the 8-week resolution deadline, …
- Section 75 claims and connected lender liability — What Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 means for lenders, card issuers, and …
- Comply with high-cost short-term credit rules — Additional compliance requirements for firms providing high-cost short-term credit (HCSTC), including the price cap regime, …
- Consumer credit compliance checklist — Annual compliance checklist for consumer credit firms covering FCA permissions, CONC requirements, advertising, pre-contract obligations, …
- Comply with credit broking rules — How to comply with FCA credit broking requirements. Covers who counts as a credit broker, …
- Hire purchase and conditional sale agreements — How hire purchase and conditional sale agreements work under UK consumer credit law. Covers title …
- Buy Now Pay Later regulation: what businesses need to know — Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and other Deferred Payment Credit products come under FCA regulation …
- Comply with credit advertising rules — How to advertise consumer credit products compliantly under FCA rules. Covers representative APR requirements, triggered …
- Handle early settlement and withdrawal requests — How to handle consumer requests for early settlement and exercise of the 14-day right of …
- Consumer credit rates and thresholds reference — Quick reference for consumer credit rates, thresholds, and regulatory limits. Covers Section 75 thresholds, HCSTC …
- Consumer rights compliance for service providers — How to comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 when providing services to consumers. Covers …
- AI compliance for financial services firms — How FCA-regulated firms must govern AI through Consumer Duty, SM&CR, and operational resilience frameworks. Covers …
Compliance & Legal
- Bribery Act 2010: compliance for businesses — How to prevent bribery in your business and comply with the Bribery Act 2010. Covers …
- Write a privacy notice that meets UK GDPR requirements — How to write a privacy notice that complies with UK GDPR. Covers required content, plain …
- Respond to a ransomware attack — Emergency response guide for ransomware attacks. Covers immediate containment, recovery options, reporting requirements, and ransom …
- Respond to data subject access requests (DSARs) — How to handle data subject access requests under UK GDPR. Covers the one-month response deadline, …
- International data transfers: UK GDPR requirements — How to legally transfer personal data outside the UK under UK GDPR. Covers adequacy decisions, …
- Report a cyber incident — Emergency response guide for reporting cyber attacks and data breaches. Covers who to contact (Report …
- Responding to data breaches: legal requirements — What to do when you discover a personal data breach. Covers the 72-hour ICO notification …
- Cookie consent: comply with PECR requirements — How to comply with cookie consent rules under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 …
- Register with the ICO and pay the data protection fee — How to register with the Information Commissioner's Office and pay the annual data protection fee. …
- Data protection for businesses — How to comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Covers ICO registration, …
- Managing export business risk and corruption — UK Bribery Act compliance, due diligence on overseas buyers, political risk assessment, and IP protection …
- Handle subject access requests (SARs) — How to recognise, process, and respond to subject access requests under UK GDPR. Covers the …
- Data protection annual compliance checklist — Annual checklist for verifying your data protection compliance. Covers ICO fee renewal, privacy notices, records …
- Write a GDPR-compliant privacy notice — How to write and maintain a privacy notice that meets UK GDPR requirements. Covers mandatory …
- Carry out a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) — How to carry out a data protection impact assessment under UK GDPR Article 35. Covers …
- Data Use and Access Act 2025: what changed for businesses — What the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 means for UK businesses. Explains the eight …
- Create a data retention policy — How to write and implement a data retention policy that satisfies the UK GDPR storage …
- Cyber insurance for businesses — Understanding what cyber insurance covers, when your business needs it, and how UK GDPR obligations …
- Reviewing and renewing business insurance — How to review, compare, and renew your business insurance each year. Covers the renewal timeline, …
- Professional registrations: regulated sectors — Which business sectors require professional or regulator registration before trading, what the registration process involves, …
- Approvals and registrations you need before trading — Understanding the approvals, registrations, and licences your business needs before you can legally start trading. …
- Pre-trading compliance checklist — A concise yes/no checklist to verify you have completed all mandatory pre-trading requirements, including business …
Premises & Operations
- Understanding commercial lease obligations — Key obligations and protections in commercial leases. Covers lease types (FRI, IRI, EFRI), Landlord and …
- Professional indemnity insurance for businesses — Professional indemnity (PI) insurance protects your business against claims of negligent advice, errors, or omissions …
- Rent your first business premises — How to find, evaluate, and secure your first commercial property as a pre-trading or early-stage …
Tax & Finance
- Payment systems and banking protections for businesses — How the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013 protects your business through the Payment Systems …
Business Structure
- Mandatory registrations every business must complete — Step-by-step guide to the registrations every business must complete before trading, regardless of sector. Covers …