The Financial Conduct Authority said its 2025/26 work delivered £5.6 billion in estimated benefits to consumers, firms and the wider economy — equivalent to £7.20 for every £1 spent running the regulator.
The figures, shared at the FCA’s Annual Public Meeting in Edinburgh on 6 October 2026, cover the first year of the regulator’s 2025–2030 strategy. The meeting — the first time the FCA has held its annual public gathering in Edinburgh — took place at the Assembly Rooms, with consumers and firms joining both in person and online.
The FCA issued 2,329 warnings about unauthorised or potentially fraudulent firms in 2025, up from 2,240 in 2024. Its Firm Checker tool, launched in January 2025, has been used more than 1.9 million times. The figures show a regulator leaning harder into consumer-facing enforcement — though the FCA itself cautioned that first-year strategy data represents early signals and trends rather than a final assessment of impact.
Two insider-dealing cases resulted in combined prison sentences of 11 years during the year. And as part of international action against illegal financial promotions by influencers, the FCA made three arrests and submitted 650 social-media takedown requests.
The £5.6 billion benefit figure is an FCA estimate, not a directly measured cash payment. The regulator oversees around 35,500 regulated firms and prudentially supervises around 34,000 more.
The FCA’s five-year strategy runs to 2030 and is built around four priorities: becoming a smarter regulator, supporting economic growth, helping consumers manage their financial lives, and fighting financial crime. The 2026/27 work programme now under way represents year two.
Key information
- Firm Checker tool: search the FCA register at fca.org.uk before dealing with any financial firm
- Report a scam: contact the FCA’s consumer helpline on 0800 111 6768
Source: @TheFCA
FCA reports £5.6 billion in estimated benefits in first year of five-year strategy Quiz
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