Financial advisers and planning firms
Businesses providing personal recommendations, investment advice, financial planning or related arranging services to retail clients.
United Kingdom · FCA authorisation support
UK authorisation for consumer investment firms
Professional regulatory consulting and end-to-end application support for firms providing investment advice, distribution, platforms, portfolio management or other consumer investment services in the UK.
We help founders and established businesses define the correct FCA permissions, investment types, client categories and operating model, then prepare the governance, financial resources, systems, policies and evidence required for a complete and credible authorisation application.
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Who this service is for
Wealth managers and stockbrokers
Firms combining advice, arranging, execution, discretionary portfolio management or stockbroking services for consumers and other clients.
Investment platforms and digital intermediaries
Online platforms, investment marketplaces, model-portfolio services and technology-led businesses facilitating consumer investment journeys.
SIPP operators and pension investment businesses
Businesses operating self-invested personal pensions or supporting investment activity connected with pension wrappers and retirement assets.
Crowdfunding and peer-to-peer models
Investment-based crowdfunding, loan-based crowdfunding and hybrid models requiring route-specific permissions, controls and disclosures.
Discretionary managers and hybrid retail firms
Firms managing individual mandates or combining portfolio management, advice, distribution, custody, execution and outsourced services.
Activities and permissions commonly involved
Advising on investments
Personal recommendations or other regulated investment advice may require permission covering the relevant investments and client types.
Pension transfer and opt-out advice
Where the proposition includes pension transfer or pension opt-out advice, specialist permission, competence and control requirements may apply.
Arranging deals in investments
This may cover arrangements that bring about a particular investment transaction between the client and another party.
Making arrangements with a view to transactions
Broader or continuing arrangements that facilitate investment transactions may require a separate arranging permission.
Dealing in investments as agent
Execution, subscription or sale activity undertaken for clients may require permission to deal as agent in the relevant investments.
Dealing in investments as principal
Buying, selling, subscribing for or underwriting investments on the firm’s own account requires careful perimeter and permission analysis.
Managing investments
Discretionary portfolio management generally requires permission to manage investments, supported by appropriate mandates and controls.
Safeguarding and administering investments
Holding or administering client assets may require custody-related permission and a proportionate client-assets control framework.
Arranging safeguarding and administration
A firm that arranges for a third party to safeguard or administer assets may need the corresponding arranging permission.
Agreeing to carry on regulated activities
Applications commonly include permission to agree to undertake the regulated activities covered by the firm’s proposed business model.
The final permission profile depends on the exact products, investment
types, client categories, customer journey, contractual roles, use of
appointed representatives, client-money or custody model, outsourcing
arrangements and any available exclusions. Permissions must be no wider
or narrower than the activities the firm can evidence and control.
What this service includes
Business-model and regulatory perimeter analysis
Mapping of services, customer journeys, revenue, contracts, investment flows and potentially regulated activities.
Permissions, investments and client-category matrix
A structured mapping of proposed activities against investment types, retail or professional clients, limitations and requirements.
Regulatory business plan and financial model
Development of a coherent plan covering strategy, services, target market, distribution, revenue, costs, forecasts and controlled growth.
Threshold conditions and readiness assessment
Evidence of effective supervision, appropriate resources, suitability, UK mind and management, and a viable business model.
Governance, controllers and senior management
Ownership and controller analysis, governance structure, statements of responsibility, role capacity, competence and fitness and propriety.
Consumer Duty and customer-outcomes framework
Target-market analysis, product governance, fair-value assessment, consumer understanding, support and outcome-monitoring arrangements.
Advice, suitability and conduct controls
Client categorisation, fact finding, suitability, appropriateness, conflicts, inducements, disclosures and record-keeping controls.
Client money, custody and CASS analysis
Assessment of whether the firm will control or hold client money or assets, together with custody, reconciliation and oversight arrangements.
Prudential resources and wind-down planning
Review of the applicable prudential category, capital and liquidity, financial resilience, stress assumptions and an orderly wind-down plan.
AML, CTF and financial-crime controls
Business-wide risk assessment, customer due diligence, sanctions, monitoring, reporting, fraud controls, training and MLRO arrangements.
Technology, outsourcing and operational resilience
System architecture, cyber and data controls, third-party oversight, outsourcing accountability, incident response and continuity planning.
Application submission and regulatory engagement
Connect application preparation, final completeness review and support with evidence-based responses during the regulator’s assessment.
Professional process
Initial consultation and scope review
We establish the proposed services, products, clients, ownership, UK presence, commercial objectives and current state of preparation.
Perimeter, permissions and structure analysis
We map regulated activities, investment types, limitations, client categories, legal structure and any appointed-representative strategy.
Readiness assessment and remediation plan
We identify gaps in people, financial resources, governance, systems, controls, documentation, outsourcing and customer-outcomes evidence.
Application pack and operating framework
We support preparation of the regulatory business plan, financials, forms, policies, governance records, matrices and supporting evidence.
Submission and FCA engagement
We coordinate final checks and organise clear responses, explanations and additional evidence during the application review.
Decision and post-authorisation readiness
We help prepare for conditions, operational launch, regulatory reporting, governance calendars, monitoring and controlled change.
Key application workstreams
Business plan and permissions matrix
Services, investment types, client categories, revenue and regulatory scope.
Target market and customer journey
Customer needs, distribution, onboarding, advice, execution and servicing.
Consumer Duty evidence
Products and services, price and value, understanding, support and monitoring.
Suitability and appropriateness
Fact finding, risk profiling, recommendations, testing and record keeping.
Product governance and fair value
Target-market controls, manufacturer-distributor responsibilities and reviews.
Financial promotions and communications
Approval, sign-off, clarity, risk warnings, monitoring and record retention.
Governance, SMCR and controllers
Ownership, senior management functions, responsibilities and oversight.
Financial resources and prudential rules
Capital, liquidity, forecasts, stress testing and wind-down arrangements.
Client money and client assets
Holding model, custody, reconciliations, acknowledgements and oversight.
AML and financial crime
Risk assessment, due diligence, sanctions, monitoring and reporting.
Complaints, redress and liabilities
Complaint handling, FOS and FSCS considerations, redress and past liabilities.
Outsourcing, technology and resilience
Accountability, due diligence, service oversight, cyber and continuity.
Service fee
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Scope-based professional fee
Every consumer investment firm has a different permission profile, operating model and level of readiness. Following the initial consultation, we provide a defined scope of work and fee proposal based on the activities, investment types, client categories, existing materials and assistance required. The agreed fee is confirmed before work begins, with no undisclosed charges.
Why clients trust Konstantin
Regulatory and financial-crime literacy
Integrated understanding of authorisation, investment conduct, AML, governance, controls and cross-border operating structures.
Permissions-first application logic
The application is built around the actual business model, customer journey, investment types and controlled regulatory permissions.
Evidence-focused preparation
Policies, financials and governance are aligned so the firm can explain how the proposed operation will work in practice.
Practical project management
Defined responsibilities, structured workstreams and clear progress from initial analysis through application and operational readiness.
Frequently asked questions
Which consumer investment firms normally require authorisation?
Financial advisers, wealth managers, stockbrokers, investment platforms, SIPP operators and regulated crowdfunding firms are common examples. The precise requirement depends on the activities and any applicable exclusion or appointed-representative arrangement.
Which permissions will our firm need?
The answer depends on what the firm does, the investments involved, client categories and whether it advises, arranges, executes, manages, holds money or safeguards assets. A permissions matrix should be fixed before the application documents are drafted.
Can we operate as an appointed representative instead?
An appointed-representative model may be available for some distribution or advisory activities, subject to the principal firm’s permissions and oversight. It is not a substitute for direct authorisation where the proposed activities cannot lawfully be performed under that structure.
Must the business be fully ready before applying?
An applicant should be ready, willing and organised to comply from the point of authorisation. The application should evidence credible people, resources, governance, policies, systems, financials and implementation plans rather than relying on future intentions alone.
What changes if we hold client money or assets?
The permission profile, prudential treatment, CASS obligations, banking or custody arrangements, reconciliations and oversight requirements may change materially. The holding model must be mapped at an early stage.
How does the Consumer Duty affect an application?
Where the Duty applies, the firm should demonstrate how its products, price and value, communications, support and monitoring arrangements will consistently deliver good outcomes for retail customers.
Can approval or a completion date be guaranteed?
No consultant can guarantee the regulator’s decision or timetable. The result depends on the applicant’s business model, people, ownership, resources, systems, controls, evidence and responses during review.
Ready to prepare your UK investment firm?
Begin with a structured review of your business model, permissions, client journey and current authorisation readiness.
Regulatory Intelligence is an independent consulting service and is
not part of, endorsed by, or affiliated with the Financial Conduct
Authority. We do not use official FCA logos or insignia and cannot
guarantee authorisation. Final decisions remain solely with the relevant
regulator. The permissions and requirements applicable to a firm depend
on its facts and must be confirmed for the proposed model. Consulting
support does not replace appropriately qualified UK legal advice where
legal services are required.