Your financial services website is the first touchpoint for prospects, a channel for customer communication, a gateway for trading and a core platform for transactions. But unlike businesses in less regulated sectors, financial companies carry an additional responsibility: ensuring their website meets strict compliance standards. A non compliant website is not only a legal liability but also a reputational risk. Compliance should be more than just a tick-box exercise that gets revisited only if a regulator raises concerns. It can be an opportunity to create transparency and trust with your audience. Building compliance into your site is both achievable and beneficial. In this guide, we’re taking a look at website compliance, analysing RegTechs to help expedite legal requirements and look at how AI has reshaped the regulatory landscape.
Contentworks stays updated on global compliance changes – read our monthly regulations roundup here.
Legal and Regulatory Disclosures
Every financial services website should make its regulatory position clear. Visitors need to know under which laws your company operates and what licences you hold. This is especially important in sectors like investment, trading, and lending, where regulators such as the FCA in the UK, CySEC in Cyprus, FINRA in the US, or ASIC in Australia have strict requirements.
Terms and conditions should explain what services you provide, any limitations, and what obligations fall on the user. Alongside this, a privacy policy that complies with frameworks like GDPR or CCPA must set out how customer data is collected, stored, and used. If your business offers subscriptions or fee-based services; refund and cancellation policies should be transparent and easy to understand. And because financial services often cross borders, your site must also specify which jurisdiction and governing law applies.
Quick Website Compliance Checklist:
- Terms & Conditions – Clearly explain services, limitations, and obligations.
- Privacy Policy – Ensure GDPR, CCPA, or equivalent compliance.
- Refund & Cancellation Policy – Be transparent about cancellations and refunds.
- Regulatory Licences – Prominently display licence or registration numbers.
- Jurisdiction & Governing Law – State which laws apply to your services.
Security and Data Protection
Trust is central in finance, and nothing undermines it faster than a data breach. That’s why security isn’t just an IT issue, it’s a compliance issue. Every financial website should run fully on HTTPS with SSL/TLS encryption. If you process or store card payments, PCI DSS compliance is non-negotiable. Beyond this, modern security standards like two-factor authentication for customer logins, verified payment gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, or Adyen, and data encryption both in transit and at rest all protect sensitive financial data. Regulators are increasingly holding firms accountable for weak cyber practices, so these are not optional extras.
Quick Website Compliance Checklist:
- Full HTTPS/SSL encryption across all pages.
- PCI DSS compliance if handling card payments.
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for customers and admins.
- Trusted payment gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, or Adyen.
- Data encryption at rest and in transit for sensitive information.
Payment Compliance
Payments are at the heart of financial services, and regulators demand transparency at every step. Customers must be able to see all charges, fees, and taxes before completing a transaction. For firms working internationally, clear processes around multi-currency payments are also essential.
Institutions handling funds are required to demonstrate anti-money laundering (AML) measures and implement Know Your Customer (KYC) processes to verify identities. Even for non-institutional services, generating clear transaction receipts and maintaining a secure audit trail are part of responsible, compliant operations.
Quick Website Compliance Checklist:
- Clear pricing with all fees and taxes shown upfront.
- Multi-currency support for international clients.
- AML (Anti-Money Laundering) measures where applicable.
- KYC (Know Your Customer) checks to verify identities.
- Automatic receipts for all transactions.
Accessibility and Fair Use
Accessibility is often overlooked in compliance discussions, but it has become a pressing issue. In many jurisdictions, websites that do not meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) accessibility standards risk discrimination lawsuits. For financial firms, this is not just a legal obligation but also an ethical one, ensuring that all customers, including those with disabilities, can access services equally.
For lenders, non-discrimination extends further, with obligations under laws such as the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) in the US, the Consumer Credit Directive in Europe and similar frameworks elsewhere. Compliance in this area signals fairness and inclusivity, which can strengthen brand trust.
Quick Website Compliance Checklist:
- Compliance with WCAG accessibility standards.
- Non-discriminatory lending practices, e.g. ECOA compliance.
Customer Communication and Consent
A compliant website doesn’t just protect customers’ money; it protects their rights. Transparency in communication and explicit consent for data collection are vital.
Cookie banners are now standard, but they must be implemented correctly under GDPR and ePrivacy rules. This means no pre-ticked boxes and no vague statements. Marketing communications require opt-in, with double opt-in considered best practice.
Just as important, your website should list real, verifiable contact details, including a physical address, phone number, and support email. This builds credibility and demonstrates accountability.
Quick Website Compliance Checklist:
- GDPR-compliant cookie banners (no pre-ticked boxes).
- Double opt-in for marketing where required.
- Visible contact information including address, phone, and email.
Audit and Record-Keeping
Behind every compliant financial website lies a robust system for record-keeping. Regulators expect firms to demonstrate clear audit trails, including logs of transactions, communications, and data access. Data retention policies must also align with financial regulations, balancing the need for accountability with consumer privacy rights.
Equally important is having a breach notification process in place. Customers and regulators alike must be informed promptly if data security is compromised, and failing to do so can trigger severe penalties.
Quick Website Compliance Checklist:
- Transaction logs for auditing and compliance checks.
- Data retention policies aligned with financial regulations.
- Breach notification process for regulators and clients.
Marketing Compliance
One of the most crucial aspects of financial compliance is marketing itself. One of the biggest challenges content marketers have to face is how to create compliant content that is on-brand and engages with their audience. Images that imply guaranteed returns, blog posts that stray into unlicensed financial advice, or social media updates that exaggerate performance can all invite scrutiny.
As a financial marketing agency, Contentworks crafts content that is informative, engaging, and persuasive, while staying on the right side of compliance. By aligning creativity with regulatory responsibility, brands can market effectively without risking fines or reputational damage.
Quick Website Compliance Checklist:
- Avoid misleading images or graphics implying guaranteed returns.
- Ensure blogs and articles educate but don’t give unlicensed advice.
- Apply compliance checks to social media posts as rigorously as to your website.
Compliance and Emerging AI Regulations
As artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in financial services, whether through chatbots, automated financial advice, or marketing personalisation, regulators are moving quickly to create frameworks that protect consumers and ensure ethical use. For firms with AI-driven website tools, this means preparing for a new wave of compliance obligations.
Key Considerations:
- EU AI Act (2025–2026): The EU has introduced the first major regulatory framework for AI. High-risk applications (including financial decision-making, fraud detection, and credit scoring) will face strict transparency and accountability rules. Firms using AI on websites, e.g. chatbots giving product guidance, may need to disclose when users are interacting with an AI system.
- Consumer Transparency: Regulators such as the FCA and SEC are already cautioning firms against “black box” AI decision-making. Customers should know when algorithms influence outcomes, whether that’s approving a loan, recommending an investment product, or detecting fraud.
- Bias and Fairness: AI models that inadvertently discriminate in lending, marketing, or credit assessments can put firms in violation of anti-discrimination laws (e.g., ECOA in the US, GDPR in the EU). Testing and auditing AI outputs is becoming part of compliance obligations.
- Data Protection Alignment: AI relies on data. That means GDPR, CCPA, and other data privacy laws continue to apply. Firms must prove that customer data is used fairly, lawfully, and only for stated purposes.
- Audit and Explainability: Expect regulators to demand explainable AI (XAI). In practice, this means firms must be able to document how algorithms work, how decisions are reached, and who is accountable when errors occur.
Global acts and directives to be aware of:
- The EU AI Act (finalised in 2024) is expected to roll out in phases from 2025 onwards.
- The FCA’s AI and Digital Regulation engagement highlights the UK’s focus on responsible AI in financial services.
- In the US, the White House AI Executive Order (2023) has already begun shaping compliance expectations for financial institutions, particularly around transparency and fairness.
Quick checklist:
- Add AI use disclaimers when chatbots, robo-advisors, or recommendation engines are active.
- Conduct bias testing on AI-driven decision tools used on your website.
- Keep an audit trail of AI outputs alongside human oversight.
- Work with RegTech platforms that are starting to integrate AI compliance monitoring.
- Develop internal AI-use policies.
The rise of AI in finance presents huge opportunities, but regulators are making it clear: innovation must be balanced with transparency, accountability, and consumer protection.
RegTech To The Rescue
Staying compliant can feel overwhelming, but this is where Regulatory Technology (RegTech) steps in. RegTech solutions automate and simplify compliance processes, helping firms stay ahead of regulatory changes while reducing operational costs.
Where RegTech Helps:
- KYC and AML: Automated ID verification and transaction monitoring flag suspicious activity in real time.
- Data Protection: Tools track data storage, encryption, and retention policies, ensuring GDPR/CCPA compliance.
- Audit Trails: Platforms automatically log and store activity for easy reporting to regulators.
- Marketing Oversight: Some RegTech platforms review communications to ensure they meet financial promotion rules.
RegTech Tools:
There are a lot of tools on the market and some are designed to be more sector-specific. Here is a short list to get you started:
- Onfido (onfido.com) – Provides AI-driven identity verification to streamline KYC checks.
- Trulioo (trulioo.com) – Global identity verification, used by fintechs to meet AML regulations across markets.
- Clausematch (clausematch.com) – Helps financial institutions manage policies and demonstrate compliance during audits.
- ComplyAdvantage (complyadvantage.com) – Specialises in AML screening and real-time monitoring of financial transactions.
By integrating RegTech into your operations, you can cut manual errors, reduce compliance costs, and give regulators the transparency they demand. For websites, this means smoother onboarding flows, secure customer journeys, and marketing content that stays within regulatory boundaries.
Final Thoughts
A website that is secure, transparent, and fair reassures clients that they can safely engage with your services. In finance, that reassurance can be the difference between winning and losing business. Regulators around the world are stepping up on digital oversight, and the cost of fines, reputational loss, and customer churn far outweighs the investment in getting it right.
If you’re unsure whether your website meets today’s regulatory standards, speak to the team at Contentworks and ask for a free audit.