200 articles

    Industry Focus

    Browse all articles across people aspects of regulation and people development within UK financial services

    The lifetime ISA – genius or gimmick?
    Industry Focus

    The lifetime ISA – genius or gimmick?

    There are binary opinions about the Lifetime ISA (LISA), for some it is start of a new era for retirement savings, for others it is a spurious gimmick. The technical facts behind the Chancellor’s announcement in the 2016 Budget are easy to understand and simple to explain.

    Henry Tapper · 19 Apr 20165 min read
    Trends in Sales Over the Next Decade
    Industry Focus

    Trends in Sales Over the Next Decade

    Every year I put my thoughts together to predict the trends in the sales sector. I use hard information to predict, changes that are already in situ or are in embryo form. I then look forward to how these might affect sales. Sales Models This change has been well documented.

    Paul Archer · 4 Apr 20169 min read
    Managing your cyber risks
    Industry Focus

    Managing your cyber risks

    Recent high profile cases have highlighted how the cost of cyber security breaches is rising dramatically. Too often technology is seen as the solution, yet it’s regularly reported upwards of 90% successful breaches succeed because of human error.

    Unicorn Training · 29 Mar 20166 min read
    What happens if you take the “regulated” out of financial advice?
    Industry Focus

    What happens if you take the “regulated” out of financial advice?

    Talk to most people in ‘regulated’ financial services and they’ll tell you that for them, auto-enrolment hasn’t really taken off. If you pick beneath the skin, this means that it hasn’t yielded the expected returns in the 2013-15 business plans.

    Henry Tapper · 16 Feb 20166 min read
    Advice for all?
    Industry Focus

    Advice for all?

    The aim of the Financial Advice Market Review is to make advice cheaper, clearer and better for investors. But what issues does the UK Government need to address if it is to achieve these goals? Republished with permission from the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI).

    CISI · 28 Jan 20168 min read
    New thinking in ensuring front line staff provide good customer outcomes
    Industry Focus

    New thinking in ensuring front line staff provide good customer outcomes

    Challenging Times The FCA’s Conduct Risk and Strengthening Accountability agendas are making firms rethink how they ensure good outcomes across the entire customer journey. Formal T&C and QA processes are a key part of most firms’ defence against poor outcomes and, traditionally, these processes have focused on sales advice.

    Colin Fox · 21 Dec 20156 min read
    NED’ucation
    Industry Focus

    NED’ucation

    Recently I have had a couple of conversations which have made me reflect on the general make up of boards within Financial Services.

    Julia Kirkland · 2 Nov 20152 min read
    Can a new wave of regulation really transform an industry into a profession?
    Industry Focus

    Can a new wave of regulation really transform an industry into a profession?

    In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, regulators in the world’s largest financial markets set about trying to rebuild banks, restore credit lines and get markets back to working efficiently. However, the biggest challenge they faced was to restore the level of trust in the financial services industry.

    Kate Lander · 27 Oct 20154 min read
    Developing a social media strategy
    Industry Focus

    Developing a social media strategy

    I came across this recently: ‘Social media is not the crux of your argument. It is an enabler.

    Vince Harvey · 20 Oct 20155 min read
    ‘Murder on the Orient Express’- keep your organisation on the right track
    Industry Focus

    ‘Murder on the Orient Express’- keep your organisation on the right track

    “Industries characterised by weak accountability-or by individuals seeking to protect themselves on a ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ defence (it wasn’t me, could have been anyone) – are almost invariably less financially stable, and more prone to misconduct.

    Sarah Thwaites · 9 Oct 20155 min read
    Compliance and T&C – it’s just a numbers game
    Industry Focus

    Compliance and T&C – it’s just a numbers game

    Over the last 35 years I’ve seen changes happen in financial services. Moving from my well paid job into FS was a shock, commission only and definitely not 9 to 5. It’s been an exciting journey, equipping me with new skills and experiences that have stayed with me.

    Kelvin Smith · 18 Sept 20158 min read
    An introduction to Quant Finance
    Industry Focus

    An introduction to Quant Finance

    Let’s start with a question… You are hosting a children’s party and estimate you need 100 party packs for the event. If one party pack costs $5, how much does it cost for all the packs? This is the type of question famous quant and founder of the Certificate in Quantitative Finance (CQF) Dr.

    Andrew Bennett · 24 Jul 20156 min read