We make sure the UK's financial markets are honest and fair, where firms can operate with certainty and confidence.
When markets work well, it benefits firms, individuals and society as a whole.
One of our operational objectives is to protect and enhance the integrity of the UK financial system, and to make sure that markets are effective, efficient and reliable.
High and clear standards build trust in financial services and help firms operate with certainty and confidence, which is essential for the growth and competitiveness of the UK economy.
Effective and reliable markets
To be effective and reliable, markets must be supported by resilient infrastructure, with appropriate access and transparency to meet the needs of consumers, corporates and other wholesale clients that use them.
We aim to make sure that:
- Senior management are accountable for their capital markets activities, including principal and agency responsibilities.
- There is a positive culture of identifying and managing conflicts of interest.
- There is orderly resolution and return of client assets.
- Firms’ business models, activities, controls and other behaviour maintain market trust and don’t create or allow market abuse, systemic risk or financial crime.
- Market efficiency, cleanliness and resilience is delivered through transparency, surveillance and the supervision of infrastructures, as well as their main users.
- Firms put consumers’ best interests at the heart of their businesses.
We step in early when we suspect potential harm, to protect consumers and market integrity.
Promoting competition
As part of our objective to address market integrity, we foster innovation and competitive financial services markets in the interests of consumers.
To do this, we normally aim to choose the most pro-competitive measure open to us, if it’s compatible with our wider duties. We consider how to apply this on a case-by-case basis.