Are your financial promotions genuinely clear? Not just compliant-on-paper clear, but actually clear to the everyday investor who has £10,000 sitting in a cash savings account because the investment world feels too complicated to engage with?
That’s the challenge the FCA has put front and centre in its Consumer Investments Regulatory Priorities report (March 2026). It’s one of a new series of annual reports that replace more than 40 previous portfolio letters, and it sets out plainly what the regulator expects from the sector over the coming year. If you’re a decision-maker at an advice firm, wealth manager, investment platform, SIPP operator, crowdfunding platform or CFD provider, this report is written for your board and your chief executive. You should be reading it carefully and acting on it.
This article breaks down the key priorities, explains what they mean in practice and explores why the words your business uses, quite literally, determine whether you’re on the right side of the regulator.
The impact of the report today
The FCA oversees a consumer investments sector with over 5,000 firms and more than 7,000 appointed representatives, collectively stewarding £1.49 trillion of UK retail investment funds. The stakes are enormous, and so is the gap between where consumers are and where the FCA wants them to be.
Consider this: 41% of UK adults with £10,000 or more in investable assets held it all in cash savings in 2024, according to the FCA’s own Financial Lives Survey. That’s nearly half of people with meaningful savings sitting on the sidelines. The FCA believes part of the problem is that the investment world simply doesn’t communicate clearly enough. Products are jargon-heavy, risks and rewards aren’t explained in ways that build confidence and firms aren’t meeting consumers where they actually are: online, on social media, asking questions.
The regulator also flags something worrying at the other end of the trust spectrum. In 2024, 0.8 million UK adults reported experiencing a pension or investment-related fraud or scam in the previous 12 months. Fraudsters, many operating through so-called “finfluencers”, are winning the content war. The FCA wants legitimate firms to fight back by producing better, more accessible content that reaches consumers before the scammers do.
The four priorities: what the FCA expects
The report is organised around four core priorities. Here’s what each one means for how your firm communicates.
Building a stronger investment culture
This is the big one for content teams. The FCA is explicit: firms must “communicate clearly and honestly” and give consumers “clear, jargon-free information” about the benefits, risks and costs of investments before any decisions are made. It’s not a suggestion. It’s a requirement.
Alongside this, the FCA’s new Consumer Composite Investments (CCI) rules came into force in April 2026, with a transition period. These rules give you more freedom to create engaging product information, but that freedom comes with responsibility: your content needs to help consumers understand both potential rewards and genuine risks, without burying them in unnecessary information. That’s a harder brief than it sounds. Writing that’s genuinely clear, proportionate and engaging is a specialist skill.
The Advice Guidance Boundary Review (AGBR) is also continuing, with targeted support rules having come into force in April 2026. Firms can now provide suggestions to groups of consumers with common characteristics to help them make pension and investment decisions. Getting the language right here, so it’s helpful but not advisory in the regulated sense, requires real precision.
Strengthening trust
Trust, says the FCA, comes from strong governance, robust risk systems and responsible innovation. But trust is also built (or destroyed) through communication. When things go wrong, or when markets are volatile, how your firm talks to clients matters enormously.
The report highlights significant consolidation and rapid growth across parts of the sector, particularly among platforms and Model Portfolio Service (MPS) providers. Growth is good, but the FCA is watching closely to ensure that controls, including communication standards, keep pace. It’s also supporting the use of AI and new technology through its sandbox, but it’s clear that firms adopting new technologies still need to “deliver good consumer outcomes”. AI-generated content that isn’t properly reviewed, edited and quality-controlled is a risk, not a solution.
Securing good consumer outcomes
Consumer Duty continues to be the overarching framework here. Firms must design products and services that genuinely meet consumer needs, including those in vulnerable circumstances, and monitor outcomes actively. The FCA is consulting this year on how the Duty applies across distribution chains, which means every business involved in getting a product to market needs to take responsibility for the quality of the consumer experience, including the quality of the information provided.
Fair value needs to be demonstrated clearly. Costs and charges must be transparent. And “timely information” isn’t just about speed; it’s about providing the right level of detail, in the right format, at the right moment. That’s a content challenge as much as an operational one.
The FCA is also publishing a guide for finfluencers this year to promote accurate, responsible content. The direction of travel is clear: everyone in the information chain, whether a regulated firm, a content creator or a social media channel, is expected to be accountable for what they put out there.
Strengthening financial crime controls
The numbers are striking. In 2024, there were 24,621 reported victims of investment scams and fraud, with reported losses of £553 million (FCA Annual Report and Accounts 2024/25). Meanwhile, the FCA found that 29% of principal firms did not conduct financial crime risk assessments for their appointed representatives. That’s a significant control gap.
The FCA’s answer, in part, is for legitimate firms to compete for attention. To “flood the market” so that consumers encounter trustworthy content first. Criminal finfluencers are already doing this well. Regulated firms need to do it better, with content that’s accurate, accessible and genuinely useful.
So, how does this impact your content strategy?
Let’s be direct about this. The FCA’s priorities translate into a series of very concrete content challenges for your team:
Clarity over complexity. Every piece of consumer-facing content, whether it’s a product page, a risk warning, a factsheet or an email, needs to be tested against the question: would someone who isn’t a financial professional understand this? Not dumbed down, but genuinely accessible.
Precision in the advice/guidance boundary. The new targeted support rules require careful, deliberate language. Say too little and you’re unhelpful. Say too much and you’ve crossed into advice. Getting this right requires writers who understand the regulatory landscape, not just the subject matter.
Financial promotions under the microscope. The FCA amended or withdrew 3,742 non-compliant promotions in 2025 alone. If your content team is producing financial promotions without specialist review, you’re taking a risk that’s both regulatory and reputational.
Content that builds confidence. The FCA wants consumers to feel confident about investing. Your job is to help them get there with content that’s honest, proportionate and genuinely engaging. That’s not a checkbox exercise. It takes skill.
Keeping pace with regulatory change. With the CCI framework, AGBR, Consumer Duty updates and the Senior Managers and Certification Regime all in flux simultaneously, your content needs to reflect the current rules, not last year’s.
At Alex Genn Copywriting, our specialist financial services writers have over 20 years’ experience, with global brands, SMEs and disruptive startups. Get in touch today to discuss your requirements.
The finfluencer problem (and the opportunity)
One of the more striking themes in this report is the attention the FCA pays to finfluencers, both as a threat and as a potential asset. Criminal finfluencers are actively targeting inexperienced investors. The FCA has already charged seven influencers who promoted an unauthorised foreign exchange trading scheme. They’ve been sentenced.
But the FCA is also working with legitimate finfluencers to promote good-quality guidance and is publishing a dedicated guide to responsible financial content creation. This signals something important: the channel matters less than the quality of the content. Whether you’re publishing via an authorised firm’s website, a LinkedIn thought-leadership piece or a collaborative content campaign with a trusted voice in the investment space, the standard is the same. Clear. Fair. Not misleading.
That’s both a compliance requirement and a strategic opportunity. Firms that can produce genuinely compelling, compliant content across multiple formats and channels will have a real competitive advantage in attracting and retaining clients.
A practical compliance content checklist
Before any consumer-facing financial content goes out, ask yourself:
- Is it written in plain English, free from unnecessary jargon?
- Does it explain both the risks and the potential rewards in a balanced way?
- Are costs and charges clearly set out?
- If it’s a financial promotion, has it been reviewed against FCA financial promotion rules?
- Does it meet your Consumer Duty obligations, particularly around fair value and consumer understanding?
- If it mentions targeted support or guidance, does it stay clearly within the advice/guidance boundary?
- Has it been reviewed by someone who understands both the regulatory requirements and how to write clearly for a non-expert audience?
That last point is the one most brands struggle with. Technical compliance teams know the rules. General content teams know how to write. The intersection of those two skill sets is rarer than you’d think and more valuable than ever.
At Alex Genn Copywriting, we’ve been working with global brands, SMEs and startups for over twenty years, ensuring their financial services content works harder for them while staying compliant. We’ve written for American Express, Invesco, Lloyds Banking Group, Rathbones, Moody’s Analytics, NatWest and many others.
The cost of getting it wrong
We’ve focused so far on the positive case for clear, compliant content. It’s worth being honest about the downside too.
The FCA’s approach to supervision is changing. The regulator is promising “less intensive attention on firms doing the right thing, and stronger, faster action where harm is greatest”. In practical terms, that means firms that consistently fall short on financial promotions, Consumer Duty obligations or the transparency of their communications are increasingly likely to find themselves on the receiving end of regulatory action.
And beyond the regulatory risk, there’s the reputational one. In a sector where trust is everything, content that misleads, confuses or misinforms, even unintentionally, can do lasting damage to a brand that took years to build.
Why specialist financial services copywriting makes the difference
This is where we have to be honest about what generic content agencies can’t offer. Financial services copywriting isn’t just about producing well-written prose. It requires:
- A working knowledge of the FCA’s rules and how they apply in practice
- Understanding of the Consumer Duty and what “good outcomes” actually look like in content terms
- Familiarity with the nuances of the advice/guidance boundary
- The ability to write clearly for consumers without stripping out the detail that sophisticated investors need
- Experience of producing content across the full range of financial services formats: factsheets, annual reports, website content, financial promotions, thought leadership, ESG reporting and more
You can see examples of how we approach financial services copywriting on our samples page. The work spans wealth management, insurance, fintech, investment platforms and beyond. It’s always compliant. It’s always clear. And it’s always built to do a job, whether that’s driving organic search traffic, building client confidence or demonstrating thought leadership.
Frequently asked questions
What is the FCA’s Consumer Investments Regulatory Priorities report?
It’s an annual report published by the Financial Conduct Authority setting out its key areas of focus for the consumer investments sector. The March 2026 edition replaces more than 40 previous portfolio letters and is aimed directly at boards and chief executives of regulated firms, including advisers, wealth managers, investment platforms, SIPP operators, crowdfunding platforms, peer-to-peer lending platforms and CFD providers. You can read the full report here.
Who does the report apply to?
The report applies to any FCA-regulated firm involved in consumer investments. That includes financial advisers, wealth managers, SIPP operators, investment platforms, crowdfunding platforms, peer-to-peer lending platforms and CFD providers. If your firm sits anywhere in the distribution chain for retail investment products, the FCA expects you to read this report and act on it.
What are Consumer Composite Investments (CCI) rules and why do they matter?
The CCI rules, which came into force in April 2026, replace the previous PRIIPs and UCITS disclosure frameworks. They give firms more freedom to create engaging, useful product information rather than following rigid templates. The catch is that freedom cuts both ways: your content still needs to clearly explain risks and rewards, and it can’t mislead. If you’re producing factsheets, product summaries or key information documents, you need to ensure they’re compliant with the new CCI framework. The FCA’s final rules are set out in PS25/20.
What is targeted support and how does it affect what firms can say?
Targeted support is a new regulatory category that came into force in April 2026. It allows firms to provide suggestions tailored to groups of consumers with common characteristics, to help them make decisions about their pensions and investments, without that constituting regulated financial advice. It’s a meaningful step forward, but the language firms use matters enormously. Stray too far into personalised recommendations and you’ve crossed into advice territory. Getting the wording right requires real care and ideally input from writers who understand where the boundary sits.
What does Consumer Duty mean for financial services content?
Consumer Duty, introduced by the FCA in 2023, requires firms to demonstrate that they’re delivering good outcomes for retail customers across four areas: products and services, price and value, consumer understanding and consumer support. From a content perspective, the “consumer understanding” outcome is particularly relevant. It means your communications need to genuinely help consumers make informed decisions, not just tick a disclosure box. The FCA is actively consulting on how the Duty applies across distribution chains, so this is an evolving area. Find out more on the FCA’s Consumer Duty page.
What counts as a financial promotion and what are the rules?
A financial promotion is any communication that invites or induces someone to engage in investment activity. That covers a lot of ground: website content, social media posts, emails, factsheets, ads and more. All financial promotions must be fair, clear and not misleading. They must be approved by an authorised person before being published, unless an exemption applies. The FCA withdrew or amended 3,742 non-compliant promotions in 2025, so this is an area of active scrutiny. The FCA’s financial promotions guidance is here.
What is the advice/guidance boundary and why is it a content issue?
The advice/guidance boundary is the line between giving a consumer a personalised recommendation (regulated advice) and providing general information or guidance (which doesn’t require FCA authorisation). For content teams, this boundary matters because crossing it inadvertently, through poorly worded website copy, emails or marketing materials, can create significant regulatory risk. The FCA’s Advice Guidance Boundary Review is ongoing, and the new targeted support regime adds a third category into the mix. Writers producing consumer-facing content need to understand where each piece of communication sits.
How should financial services firms respond to the rise of finfluencers?
The FCA’s view is that legitimate firms should compete for attention online rather than cede the digital space to unregulated or fraudulent voices. That means producing content that reaches consumers where they actually look for financial information: social media, search engines, YouTube and beyond. The FCA is publishing a dedicated guide for finfluencers in 2026 and has already taken enforcement action against those promoting fraudulent schemes. For regulated firms, the message is clear: good content is a compliance strategy as much as a marketing one.
Why use a specialist financial services copywriter rather than a general agency?
Financial services content carries regulatory risk that general copywriting doesn’t. A piece that’s well-written but non-compliant can result in the FCA requiring amendments, enforcement action or reputational damage. A specialist financial services copywriter understands the rules around financial promotions, Consumer Duty, the advice/guidance boundary and product disclosure. They can produce content that’s clear and engaging for consumers while meeting the FCA’s expectations. That combination is genuinely rare and increasingly valuable. See examples of Alex Genn Copywriting’s financial services work here.
How can Alex Genn Copywriting help my firm stay compliant?
We’ve been writing financial services content for over twenty years, working with firms including American Express, Invesco, Lloyds Banking Group, Rathbones, Moody’s Analytics, NatWest, AXA and many others. We understand the regulatory landscape and produce content that’s clear, compliant and built to work hard for your brand. Whether you need a review of your existing financial promotions, support with Consumer Duty communications, CCI-compliant product content or ongoing thought leadership, we can help.
Ready to make your content more effective while staying compliant?
The FCA’s 2026 consumer investments priorities make one thing very clear: financial services firms can no longer afford to treat content as an afterthought. The regulator is watching financial promotions closely. Consumer Duty obligations are tightening. And the firms that communicate well are the ones that will build the trust, attract the clients and stay on the right side of the rules.
If you want content that does all of that, you need writers who genuinely understand the landscape you’re operating in.
At Alex Genn Copywriting, we specialise in financial services content that’s clear, compliant and actually works. Whether you need a full content strategy review, help with financial promotions, support with Consumer Duty communications or ongoing thought-leadership content, we’d love to have a conversation.