Reference Case Number: FOI2026/00771
Freedom of Information: Right to know request:
The FCA website provides information on the number of sandbox applications received in the first seven cohorts, along with the number of applications accepted. For the open model, however, only the number of accepted firms is available. I am interested in seeing the number of applications received and awarded per year from 2021 to 2025.
FCA response:
For completeness, we have also included figures from 2016 to 2026.
| Cohort or Period Covered | Applications Received | Applications Accepted |
|---|---|---|
Cohort 1 (July 2016) | 69 | 24 |
Cohort 2 (January 2017) | 77 | 31 |
Cohort 3 (June 2017) | 61 | 18 |
Cohort 4 (July 2018) | 69 | 29 |
Cohort 5 (April 2019) | 99 | 29 |
Cohort 6 (July 2020) | 68 | 22 |
Cohort 7 (June 2021) | 58 | 13 |
| Post-cohort (to December 2022) | 77 | 2 |
| Total stats from inception up to end of December 2022 | 578 | 168 |
| January 2023 to December 2023 | 51 | 4 |
| Total stats from inception up to end of December 2023 | 629 | 172 |
FY2023/24 (1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024) | 43 | 4 |
FY2024/25 (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025) | 52 | 16 |
FY2025/26 (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026) | 142 | 14 |
Please note that bold-highlighted cells show balancing figures or figures calculated from published totals (some totals are published only in aggregated form). The ‘Regulatory Sandbox accepted firms’ page publishes firms only once they begin testing in the sandbox. Figures reflect the position at the time of extraction (i.e. at the cut-off date in those publications), and some cases may still be pending a decision due to the ‘always open’ rolling assessment process.
Further details on regulatory sandbox accepted firms, including previously published data, can be found at the following links: