FCA Rules for Finance Companies – The Marketing Take

Compliance isn’t just a regulatory checkbox, it’s the cornerstone of consumer trust, business reputation, and long-term sustainability. For financial firms operating in or targeting the UK market, including banks, brokers, fintechs, asset managers, and exchanges, adherence to the rules set by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is non-negotiable. At Contentworks Agency, we specialise in helping financial brands craft compliant, compelling content strategies. In this article, we’ll examine the latest FCA rules for finance companies. Then we will dive into how these rules extend into content and social media marketing.

Overview of FCA Rules for Finance Companies

The FCA is the UK’s main regulatory body for financial services. Its mission is to protect consumers, ensure market integrity, and promote healthy competition. To this end, the FCA enforces a vast array of rules set out in the FCA Handbook, which financial firms must adhere to at all times.

Key Regulatory Principles

Firms must meet the 11 Principles for Businesses, which form the ethical backbone of FCA regulations. Some of the most relevant for marketing and content professionals include:

1. Integrity – Firms must conduct their business with integrity.
2. Skill, care, and diligence – Firms must operate with competence and attention to detail.
3. Customers’ interests – Firms must pay due regard to the interests of their customers and treat them fairly.
4. Customers: communications – Firms must pay due regard to the information needs of their clients and communicate information in a way that is clear, fair, and not misleading.
5. Clients’ relationships of trust – Firms must take reasonable care to ensure the suitability of their advice and discretionary decisions for any client.
6. Conflicts of interest – Firms must manage conflicts of interest fairly, both between themselves and their customers and between customers.

Financial Promotions

One of the most important elements of the FCA Handbook for marketers is the financial promotions regime, outlined under COBS (Conduct of Business Sourcebook) and CONC (Consumer Credit sourcebook) depending on the firm’s sector.

A “financial promotion” includes any communication—written, spoken, or online—that invites or induces someone to engage in investment activity. This includes:

• Website content
• Emails
• Social media posts
• Advertisements
• Videos
• Blogs and whitepapers
• Influencer or affiliate promotions

All promotions must be:

• Clear, fair, and not misleading
• Accurate and balanced
• Appropriately targeted
• Fully disclosing of risks
• Approved (where required) by an authorised person

FCA Rules Applied to Content & Social Media Marketing

Marketing teams in the financial sector face a dual challenge. Creating engaging content that converts while ensuring strict compliance with FCA regulations. At Contentworks Agency, we bridge the gap between creativity and compliance.

#1 Clear, Fair, and Not Misleading

This is the golden rule. The FCA requires that all promotional communications across any medium, must be “clear, fair and not misleading.”

What it means for marketers:

• Avoid exaggerated claims like “guaranteed profits” or “risk-free trading.”
• Always include risk warnings (e.g. “74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.”)
• Use plain English with no jargon unless it is clearly explained.
• Provide balanced content, if you talk about benefits, you must also highlight the associated risks.

#2 Social Media Specific Rules

Social media platforms like X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram are key marketing channels for brokers, fintechs, and crypto firms. But the FCA applies the same rules to a tweet as it would to a full-page newspaper ad.

Key FCA expectations for social media:

• Promotions must include prominent risk warnings, even on platforms with character limits.
• Firms are responsible for monitoring and moderating user-generated content, such as comments that may be misleading.
• Retweets, shares, or endorsements can be seen as implied promotion, and are therefore subject to the same rules.
• Paid partnerships or affiliate content must be clearly disclosed.
• Use dynamic risk warnings (for example, in Instagram stories or video overlays).

At Contentworks Agency, we help brands develop FCA-compliant social media templates, workflows, and escalation protocols to mitigate risks.

#3  Appropriate Targeting and Suitability

Promotions must be targeted to the right audience. Advertising complex financial instruments like CFDs or crypto to general consumers is risky and often prohibited without specific disclaimers.

Marketers must:

• Avoid targeting vulnerable consumers or unsophisticated investors.
• Use audience filters on platforms like Facebook or Google Ads.
• Ensure landing pages and opt-ins are tailored to the audience’s experience level.

In 2023, the FCA launched a crackdown on unauthorised crypto promotions, requiring all firms promoting crypto assets to UK consumers to register and follow stringent disclosure rules.

#4 Use of Influencers and Affiliates

The FCA is increasingly scrutinising the use of influencers and affiliates, especially in the forex, crypto and retail trading space.

Rules to follow:

• Affiliates or influencers must not make misleading claims.
• Their promotions must be approved by an FCA-authorised firm before publication.
• Firms are responsible for the conduct of their affiliates, even if content is created independently.
• From a social media platform stance, any promotions or influencer affiliation must be marked as such.

In February 2024, the FCA issued fresh guidance stating that firms must “conduct due diligence” on influencers and ensure all financial promotions are fully compliant.

#5  Record Keeping and Approvals

All financial promotions must be recorded and approved (where required) by a person with appropriate authority within the firm.

Best practices include:

• Maintain a compliance-approved content calendar.
• Store all versions of published promotions, including timestamps and approval records.
• Ensure your compliance team signs off on all significant campaigns.

Best Practices for FCA-Compliant Financial Marketing

At Contentworks Agency, we recommend the following practical steps to stay compliant while still delivering engaging marketing:

1. Work with compliance from day one – Build marketing strategies in collaboration with your legal and compliance teams.
2. Train your content team – Ensure writers, designers, and social media managers understand FCA principles.
3. Use disclaimers smartly – Add required warnings without compromising aesthetics. We can help design visual solutions for this.
4. Audit content regularly – Periodic reviews help identify outdated or non-compliant assets.
5. Don’t forget global regulations – If you operate across borders, be aware of MiFID II, ESMA, CySEC, and other local rules.

When it comes to FCA compliance the stakes are high. Firms found in breach can face fines, reputational damage, or even bans on marketing. At Contentworks Agency, we combine deep regulatory understanding with creative content strategy to help brokers, fintechs, banks, and exchanges market responsibly and compliantly.

Need help with FCA-compliant marketing? Get in touch with the Contentworks Agency team today.