Consultation paper on draft innovation plan for financial services

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Background

The us government announced with its Productivity Plan 2015 that departments will likely to be required to make use of regulators to write innovation plans by spring 2016. This announcement reflects the main element government aim to make sure the UK is giving support to the development of home based business models and disruptive technologies, breaking down barriers to entry and productivity that is boosting. To get this done the UK’s regulation and enforcement frameworks must certanly be agile adequate to respond flexibly to continuing developments in new technologies and disruptive business models.

The goal of this consultation is always to set out ongoing and work that is proposed foster a supportive regulatory framework for financial services which allows innovation to flourish.

The innovation plan covers the work regarding the services that are financial: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA ), Payment Systems Regulator (PSR ), Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA ) in addition to wider Bank of England.

The innovation plan covers three key issues:

• How technology that is new shaping financial services
• How financial services regulators are adapting to new technologies and disruptive business models to encourage growth
• How financial services regulators are better utilising new technologies to come up with efficiency savings and minimize burdens on business

This consultation invites comment on the job of financial services regulators to aid technology that is innovative disruptive business models. We might also want to understand where there can be gaps in regulatory approach when it comes to supporting innovation.

Draft innovation policy for financial services

2.1 Innovation and regulation

The government’s vision is for UK financial services to function as most competitive and innovative on earth, delivering greater choice and value for consumers.

The government has recently taken significant action to reach this vision. This includes:

Creating the proper regulatory environment is particularly important to make sure innovative firms can compete and grow. To the end, HM Treasury has firmly embedded competition and innovation objectives when you look at the regulatory landscape for financial services through the key regulators’ objectives and remits.

2.2 How technology that is new shaping financial services

A key focus of innovation in financial services in the last few years may be the development of fintech – technology solutions which deliver financial services, often in an even more efficient and way that is customer-focused. As an example, technology has enabled:

• consumers to produce payments via their smartphones
• the matching of consumers and businesses with money to truly save and invest with people who need certainly to borrow
• personal insurance pricing in line with the characteristics and behaviours of individual consumers
• the development of new currencies that are digital

The services that are financial is characterised by both new disruptive players and fintechs working together with incumbents to deliver more innovative services and products through existing networks and infrastructure.

The sector that is fintech diverse: from small dynamic start-ups to more established players. Fintechs operate in many areas of financial services – for example, payments, peer-to-peer lending, big data analytics and robo-advice – and also the prospect of technology to change financial services is substantial. 25% of most fintechs globally come in the retail payments industry 1 )

The UK could be the world-leader in fintech. An independent report from Ernst and Young (EY) published in February ranked great britain whilst the leading fintech centre in the world – ahead of other leading hubs like Silicon Valley, New York and Hong Kong.

The UK’s fintech sector has been rap >2 that is growing .

2.3 How financial services regulators are adapting to new technologies and disruptive business models to encourage growth

This section outlines how each financial services regulator plans to support and promote innovation, facilitating the introduction of new technologies and disruptive business models in financial services.

The government’s priority is to make sure that regulation is proportionate and promotes innovation, instead of constrains or inhibits it. Indeed there are apt to be some areas of existing regulation, developed well before digital and technological advances, that may now be acting as a barrier to innovation.

2.4 Financial Conduct Authority (FCA )

Project Innovate

It will help innovative firms get access to fast and feedback that is frank the regulatory implications of these concepts, plans and choices. It also seeks to tackle the issues that are structural impede the progress of innovators going into the market.

Section of Project Innovate could be the Innovation Hub which helps new and established businesses (both regulated and non-regulated) introduce innovative financial loans and services into the market. The Innovation Hub also identifies areas where the regulatory framework needs to adjust to enable further innovation within the interests of consumers.

To date, Project Innovate has helped over 250 firms, 18 of that have been authorised to undertake regulated activities. It offers an experience that is end-to-end new entrants. Firms that receive initial support from the Innovation Hub have their applications for authorisation handled via a specialised Project Innovate authorisation process.

• working with government on its plans to introduce anti-money laundering regulation for digital currency exchanges, to offer a environment that is supportive legitimate digital currency users and businesses, and produce a hostile environment for illicit users
• making a statement taking a look at the extent for the dilemma of disproportionate de-risking, which denies businesses use of banking facilities, and exactly how the FCA might influence firms to take a more approach that is proportionate
• using informal steers on proposed innovations to enable more direct communication with firms

The UK attracts fintech innovators from around the world – many choose to base themselves into the UK, not only to engage in a captivating local ecosystem, but additionally because they see the UK as a springboard to launch their businesses or products internationally and bolster their competitiveness.

The FCA as part of this work

• Helps put UK-based innovators in contact with the right regulators if they aim to start business that is doing other regulatory jurisdictions
• Stand ready to help non-UK innovators interested in entering the UK market
• Seeks co-operation agreements with key regulators. As an example, the FCA recently signed a world-first Co-operation Agreement with the Australian regulator, ASIC, to facilitate the referral of innovative firms between their respective innovation hubs
• Promotes pro-innovation regulatory answers to international standard-setters

Other initiatives to support innovation and competition

The guidance is designed to dispel misconceptions about regulators’ opposition to your cloud and encourage innovation in this area.

It is designed to encourage greater utilization of technology and behavioural insights to provide communications that help people make effective decisions about products and services. The FCA is dedicated to working with industry where an idea has strong potential to enhance consumer outcomes; the FCA may consider waiving or modifying disclosure rules where appropriate to facilitate this testing.

It’s also looking at amending its Handbook to www.edubirdies.org/buy-essay-online remove a quantity of disclosure requirements that have not been as potent as initially envisaged with regards to providing information that is appropriate consumers.

2.5 Payment Systems Regulator (PSR )

Use of payment systems is an driver that is important of and innovation within the provision of payment services. Limited access is certainly considered a barrier to entry for new banks, e-money issuers along with other payments institutions, with all the concern that the pace of innovation in this area is simply too slow.

A objective that is main to work proactively with small payments institutions and fintech firms to spot in which the barriers to innovation exist, which feeds in to the PSR ’s policy development and implementation.

Competitive innovation

This includes publishing reports that are annual assess each scheme’s compliance, which include areas where the PSR expects to see improvements. The PSR will consider further regulatory action if improvements are not made.

The PSR is conducting two market reviews to ensure that the market is operating in a way that supports competitive innovation

The interim findings for both reviews were published in February and March ahead of the final reports later in 2010. Dependent on its findings, the PSR may implement remedies or undertake further policy strive to support competitive innovation.

Collaborative innovation

Following engagement using the wider payments community, the Forum developed its initial set of priority areas. This consists of:

• Greater control and assurance for end users
• Simplifying usage of market for payment services providers
• An assessment of how industry can perhaps work to detect and reduce crime that is financial
• An evaluation of this costs and great things about account number portability