Do You Need FCA Authorisation?

Are you at risk of carrying on a regulated activity without realising it?

In UK financial services, that mistake can be costly, disruptive, and in some cases a serious legal issue.

Many founders, consultants, compliance professionals, advisers, and in-house legal teams face the same challenge:
Do you actually need FCA authorisation, or are you operating outside the regulatory perimeter?

The difficulty is not a lack of information. It is that the rules are scattered across legislation, FCA guidance, and industry interpretation - often technical, fragmented, and difficult to apply to real business decisions.

This book brings that clarity together.

Do You Need FCA Authorisation? is a practical, structured guide to understanding how UK financial regulation works in real-world scenarios. It focuses on how to think about the perimeter, not just how to read it - helping you assess business models, products, and services with greater discipline and confidence.

Instead of abstract theory, the book walks through the core concepts, decision points, and regulatory frameworks that matter when evaluating whether FCA permission may be required.

Inside this guide, you will learn how to:

• Understand the FCA regulatory perimeter and why it matters before launch, marketing, or operation
• Distinguish between regulated activities, exemptions, and exclusions more clearly
• Identify when authorisation, registration, or alternative routes may be relevant
• Approach the authorisation process with a clearer view of governance, documentation, and FCA expectations
• Recognise threshold conditions and practical issues that affect applications
• Understand the risks associated with carrying on regulated activities without permission
• Navigate key FCA resources such as PERG, PASS, warnings, and consultations

This book is written for professionals who want a practical framework, not vague commentary. It is especially useful if you are:

• Launching or scaling a fintech or financial services business

• Reviewing a new product, structure, or customer journey

• Supporting a regulated firm or advising clients

• Building a working understanding of UK financial regulation

The focus is on helping you ask better questions, identify risks earlier, and approach FCA-related decisions in a more structured way.

This is not a substitute for legal advice, and it does not attempt to cover every technical edge case. Instead, it provides a clear and readable foundation for understanding how the regulatory perimeter works and how it applies in practice.

If you want a more grounded understanding of when FCA authorisation may be required - and how to think about the issue before decisions are made - this guide offers a strong place to start.

Read it before assuming you are outside the perimeter.
Read it before submitting an application.
Read it before uncertainty becomes avoidable risk.