The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorises investment firms, payment institutions, electronic money institutions, and alternative investment fund managers operating in the United Kingdom.
FCA authorisation provides access to the world's most internationally recognised regulatory label — and is often the benchmark against which other regulators assess applicant credibility. For firms targeting institutional or professional clients globally, an FCA licence remains the gold standard for reputational legitimacy.
Marensa Advisory advises on FCA applications for investment management, payment services, e-money issuance, and fund management — covering application strategy, compliance framework design, and ongoing FCA reporting obligations.
Discuss Your FCA ApplicationThe FCA's New Application process is structured but demanding. Understanding what the FCA needs before you start reduces delays significantly.
FCA applications require a detailed, internally consistent submission. The FCA's case handlers review applications against published standards and issue detailed RFIs where documentation gaps appear. Every gap adds months.
Marensa Advisory supports clients through FCA authorisation with deep knowledge of the Connect portal process, RBP requirements, and SM&CR controlled function submissions.
Start the ConversationThe FCA has a statutory 6-month determination period from receipt of a complete application. In practice, most applications take 9–18 months from initial submission to authorisation, due to RFI cycles. A complete, high-quality application is the most reliable way to shorten this.
The authorised entity must be incorporated in the UK (or in another country with a branch in the UK for certain categories). Non-UK founders can own a UK entity — and frequently do — but the firm itself must have a UK presence and UK-resident senior management.
An EMI (Electronic Money Institution) can issue e-money (prepaid electronic value) and provide payment services. A Payment Institution (PI) can only provide payment services — it cannot issue e-money. EMI capital requirements are higher.
Yes. Post-Brexit, FCA-authorised firms no longer have automatic passporting rights into the EU. To serve EU clients directly, UK firms typically need to establish an EU subsidiary or use national private placement regimes in each target country.