The bar is high, and it should be!
In a speech delivered on 22 April 2026 at the APCC Spring Conference, Sheree Howard, the FCA’s Executive Director of Authorisations, made a clear statement: “Becoming authorised as a regulated financial services firm is hard, and it is deliberately so.”
Howard’s message was direct and deliberate; clean markets don’t happen by accident but rather are the product of a rigorous gatekeeping process which filters firms which aren’t, or don’t appear, ready, don’t have viable business models, lack adequate governance, or fail to put the customer at the heart of what they do. The FCA isn’t placing obstacles in the way of good firms; it is protecting the integrity of the UK system which competent and compliant firms depend on.
Howard went on to highlight the invaluable and supportive role regulatory consultants, like us, play in keeping the FCA’s gateway effective. We are proud to be part of that mechanism and uphold the FCA’s expectations in that regard. Blueprint GRC attests to continuing to provide comprehensive professional support which, in the FCA’s view, must deliver three outcomes:
1. Set Clear Boundaries
Consultants prepare firms for the process ; they do not run the race on their behalf. The knowledge, governance, and understanding must reside within the firm itself. A consultant’s job is to close the gaps, not to paper over them.
2. Hold Clients to High Standards
This is the part that separates genuine advisors from those simply chasing fees. Howard was explicit: “Sometimes, it means having the hard conversations, like telling a client they aren’t yet ready. Or suggesting they withdraw their application rather than waste everyone’s time, including the FCA’s and the firm’s own.” At certain times, withdrawal is not failure; it is sound judgement.
3. Take the Long View
The best consultants are not just advising firms on how to get through the door. They are helping them thrive once inside, understanding not just where regulatory expectations are today but where they are going.
At Blueprint GRC, we support the FCA’s approach.
Their recent pronouncement on authorisation is welcome and informs our processes, our advice and speaks to everything we do for our clients. We highly recommend reading Ms Howard’s short speech.
