Trouble At The FCA's Perimeter

The UK's Financial Conduct Authority is often charged with an apparent failure to act amidst a 'scandal' of some description. Its usual defence is that the activity in question lay outside the scope or 'perimeter' of what the FCA is empowered to supervise. The FCA also publishes a "Perimeter Report" pointing out issues that it sees outside the perimeter that it considers it should be given powers to address. Needless to say, that's a lot like having your cake and eating it, but so it goes. Anyhow, aside from the usual suspect of dodgy financial advice through appointed representatives, two areas leapt out at me among those identified in the latest Perimeter Report:

Financial promotions/marketing: The FCA believes that the exemptions for unauthorised persons to market investments to 'high net worth' and 'sophisticated' investors under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (SI 2005/1529) (FPO) are no longer fit for purpose, so there need to be significant changes - including the nature of the thresholds for consumers to qualify and self-certify that they qualify as either high net worth or sophisticated. 

Cryptoassets: The FCA is seeing the evolution of 'complex business models' presented as ways for customers to generate returns from cryptoasset holdings, which its believes may need further regulatory or legislative action to address. I'd say that's the understatement of the century, given the recent shriek of alarm from the Bank of England about the threat to financial stability from cryptoassets. I'd say investors are more likely to understand that 'unbacked' cryptoassets (e.g. bitcoin) are very high risk investments, but vulnerable to being misled to believe that a cryptoasset is somehow "backed" by other assets (i.e. 'stablecoins') or somehow include rights to other assets or income.

The problems identified here are likely to have arisen from investigations or complaints where the FCA would particularly like to have acted but didn't immediately have all the powers it would have liked. Therefore, it also seems likely that these areas will be the subject of future enforcement if those powers are forthcoming...