FCA Compliance Consultancy for Fintechs & Smaller Firms
Navigating Compliance with Clarity and Confidence
We equip Fintechs and smaller financial services firms to confidently navigate regulation and financial crime prevention through a balanced, plain-English approach. By working closely with you, we develop a deep understanding of your business and customer needs to build a proportionate path to regulatory maturity. Equipping and enabling Fintechs and smaller financial services firms to navigate regulatory compliance.
End-to-end
compliance support
From initial FCA registration or authorisation, to policy development and risk management maturity, through to on-going retainer services that can be dialled up or down as needed, we provide the reassurance and resilience to navigate regulatory expectations and regulatory change.
More about our workFCA Authorisation & Registration
Full support with FCA applications including Payment Institution licensing, and e-money registration and FCA interview preparation.
Fractional MLRO and Head of Compliance
Providing fractional / part time MLRO and or Head of Compliance services where, depending on the current size of firm, a full time appointment is not financially viable or necessary. Learn more →
Regulatory Policy Development
Drafting and reviewing compliance policies, procedures, and controls that satisfy FCA expectations while remaining practical and proportionate for your firm.
Risk Management Frameworks
Proportionate risk frameworks, compliance risk registers, risk appetite statements, and business-wide risk assessments tailored to your FCA obligations.
Compliance Monitoring & Oversight
Independent compliance reviews, FCA gap analyses, and health checks to identify control weaknesses before they attract regulatory scrutiny or enforcement.
Training & Competency
Tailored training, depending on role, suitable for all employees, covering such topics as AML & Fraud awareness, Consumer Duty, and Operational resilience.
Founder & Principal Consultant
Our aim is to strip away the complexity of financial regulation and deliver proportionate compliance that fits your scale.
The FCA’s regulatory expectations can be a challenge for smaller financial services firms, who need to deliver the same standard of compliance as a major bank, but with far fewer resources on-hand.
Clarionet Consulting brings deep expertise drawn from many years working within the regulatory ecosystem; from inside the Regulator, to major financial institutions, and smaller financial services firms. We provide commercially astute guidance that embeds seamlessly into your business.
Whether you are seeking FCA authorisation for the first time, strengthening AML controls, developing regulatory policies, or needing a fractional MLRO to join your team, we scale with you. We deliver proportionate regulation that aligns with your strategy, reinforces management oversight, and enables your business to scale with a customer-centric compliance culture.
FCA compliance with clarity
The FCA's requirements can be a challenge for smaller firms. Clarionet Consulting breaks them down into clear, manageable steps, providing the expert guidance your team needs to scale compliantly.
FCA Authorisation
We guide you through every stage of the application process, helping you present your business model clearly and compliantly to the regulator, reducing the risk of delays or rejection. Payment Institution and Small Payment Institution registration, Electronic Money Institution authorisation, Open Banking compliance, and Payment Services Regulations.
Whether you're launching a payment product or scaling an existing service, we ensure your regulatory framework keeps pace with your business.
Discuss your authorisationFractional MLRO / Compliance
Part-time MLRO / Head of Compliance services, providing support, guidance, and oversight without the cost of a full-time senior hire.
Ideal for growing firms that need experienced compliance leadership on a flexible, cost-effective basis as they scale.
Retainer Services
Continuous regulatory support, monitoring, and advice to ensure firms maintain pace with regulatory change and expectations.
From policy development, to proactive compliance monitoring, to training and advisory services.
Explore retainer optionsAML & Sanctions
Anti-money laundering programme and sanctions screening frameworks review. MLRO advisory, and National Crime Agency SAR reporting requirements.
From developing your business-wide risk assessment to supporting your MLRO function, we focus on financial crime controls that are robust and proportionate.
Strengthen your AML controlsConsumer Duty
Consumer Duty implementation, fair value assessments, customer outcomes monitoring, meeting the FCA's higher standard of consumer protection.
We help firms move beyond tick-box compliance to genuinely demonstrate good outcomes for consumers.
Get Consumer Duty supportAnnex 1 Firms
AML support for FCA-registered lenders, leasing firms, money brokers and other Annex 1 firms, as the FCA moves from light-touch registration to active supervision following its 2026 AML questionnaire.
From questionnaire follow-up and gap analysis to business-wide risk assessments, policies and nominated officer support, we help you put proportionate controls in place and show the FCA, and your funders, that they work.
See our Annex 1 supportA clear path to compliance
Our structured approach ensures nothing falls through the cracks, from initial assessment through to ongoing FCA compliance support.
Discovery Call
We learn about your business model and objectives. No charge, no obligation, just plain-English conversation.
Gap Analysis
A thorough review of your compliance position against FCA requirements and the Money Laundering Regulations.
Remediation Plan
A prioritised roadmap addressing compliance gaps, with clear ownership, timelines, and deliverables.
Implementation
Hands-on support drafting policies, preparing FCA submissions, and embedding controls into your operations.
Ongoing Support
Retainer or ad-hoc advisory to keep pace with FCA regulatory change and maintain a strong compliance posture.
Let's talk compliance
Book a free, no-obligation consultation with Clarionet Consulting. We'll discuss your regulatory challenges and explain exactly how we can help, in plain English, with no jargon.