Welcome to the UKGI weekly regulation update service for Aviva ABC brokers

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The FCA has published its latest whistleblowing data, for July – September 2025, showing the number of new reports received and the number closed.  The data shows how the FCA received the reports, what the reports were about, and what level of action was taken.

Key points to note and next actions

• In this quarter (Q3 2025, July to September), the FCA received 405 new whistleblowing reports.  For the same period in 2024 the team received 322 reports.  In 2025 Q2 (April to June), the FCA received 315 reports.
• The reports numbers for this quarter represent a 26% increase on the same period last year, and a 28.5% increase on the previous quarter.
• Whistleblowers were happy to share their identity in 70% of the reports, with 30% being anonymous.
• The three highest categories of allegations were fitness and propriety, the culture of the organisation, and compliance.
• The FCA closed 356 whistleblowing reports between July and September 2025.  ‘Significant action’ to manage harm was taken in 19 reports (5%), with ‘action to reduce harm’ taken in 141 reports (40%).

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The FCA has published a Decision Notice, referring to breaches of FIT related to a lack of fitness and propriety in the consumer credit sector. The FCA has made an order, prohibiting Mr Howard Roland Duckett from performing any function in relation to any regulated activity carried on by an authorised person, exempt person or exempt professional firm; and withdrawn the approval given to Mr Duckett to perform the SMF3 (Executive Director) and SMF16 (Compliance Oversight) senior management functions at Beauforce Corporation Limited (Beauforce).

Key points to note and next actions

Mr Duckett has been an approved person at Beauforce since 20 December 2017, approved to perform the SMF3 (Executive Director) and SMF16 (Compliance Oversight) senior management functions.

A summary of the reasons given for the FCA’s actions are:

• Effective on 4 December 2020, Mr Duckett was disqualified from being a company director for a period of ten years. This was because he failed, whilst a de facto director of an unrelated company, to ensure adequate books and records were maintained.
• Mr Duckett was found to have repeatedly lied on oath before the Court during the disqualification proceedings, and had attempted to rely on fabricated evidence in his defence, in an attempt to distance himself from the company and to deny that he was a director of the company.
• Mr Duckett also failed to disclose to the FCA that he had been disqualified from acting as a director, despite being an approved person at the time, as required pursuant to COCON 2.2.4R.

The FCA determined that Mr Duckett is not a fit and proper person to perform any function in relation to any regulated activity carried on by an authorised person, exempt person or exempt professional firm. His conduct during the disqualification proceedings, which included providing answers which the Court considered to be untrue and/or fabricated, demonstrates a clear and serious lack of honesty, integrity and reputation.

In concluding that it is appropriate to impose its prohibition order and to withdraw Mr Duckett’s approval, the FCA has had regard to all relevant circumstances, including his failure to notify the FCA of his disqualification and the severity of the risk posed by Mr Duckett to consumers and to confidence in the UK financial system. The FCA considers that it is appropriate to take this action to advance its consumer protection and integrity objectives.

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A prosecution by the FCA has resulted in a fine and conviction for Luke Coleman, a former Virgin Media O2 employee, who sold confidential customer data to family friend for use in a boiler room fraud.

Key points to note and next actions

This conviction follows the conviction of Raymondip Bedi and Patrick Mavanga, who were sentenced to a combined 12 years of imprisonment for their role in a crypto scam, linked to the confidential customer data, which resulted in least 65 investors being defrauded to the value of £1,541,799.

Luke Coleman sold confidential customer data to family friend Nicholas Harper for use in the boiler room fraud carried out by Bedi and Mavanga. Harper had pleaded guilty to assisting an offence to be committed in breach of the Data Protection Act but was subsequently acquitted of conspiracy to defraud by a jury.

Coleman was suspended by his employer, pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.

Steve Smart, executive director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA, said: “Coleman abused his position of trust and enabled others to commit crimes which led to huge financial and emotional consequences for victims. This is our first prosecution under the Data Protection Act. Going forward, those who enable crime should be clear that we will use all of our powers to hold them to account.”

Coleman was fined £384 and ordered to pay a £38 surcharge and prosecution costs contribution of £500. A fine is the maximum penalty for this type of offence.

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FOS has announced the publication of its latest Q3 complaints data (July to September 2025). During this period, FOS received 46,300 complaints.  It has also published its half-yearly complaints data on individual firms for H1 2025

New cases coming through to FOS have dropped by more than a third, as professional representatives bring fewer cases following the introduction of its new charging model. Those cases that are referred are however more likely to be investigated and upheld; suggesting representatives are undertaking better due diligence on referrals to the service.

Key points to note and next actions

The rise in mass claims coming through to FOS in recent years is one of the reasons it has been working with the Treasury and the FCA to modernise the dispute resolution system – ensuring consumers can continue to access a quick and high-quality alternative to the courts.

• Motor finance commission and perceived irresponsible and unaffordable lending were the two areas where complaints from professional representatives previously made up a significant proportion of cases.  In the second quarter of this financial year, FOS received 4,500 complaints about irresponsible and unaffordable lending compared to 24,900 cases in July to September 2024.
• FOS received 3,200 complaints relating to car or motorcycle insurance in Q3. FOS received 3,400 complaints for the same period in 2024.

The half-yearly data on individual firms shows a slight reduction in the FOS upheld rate from 35% of complaints resolved in favour of the consumer during  in the first half of 2024, to 32% upheld in between January and June 2025.

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Companies House has published an article supporting its recently published five-year strategy, written by Andy King (Chief Executive and Registrar of Companies for England and Wales).

Key points to note and next actions

• The article sets out that Companies House has been offering free access to its data for 10 years, that it has been a pioneer in truly open business registers, and that its openness has created enormous value for the UK economy.
• Companies House wants to ensure that its registers deliver greater value for legitimate businesses whilst stopping the criminals who try to abuse them.
• By 2030, Companies House wants to be known as the trusted guardian of corporate transparency. That means when someone looks up a UK company anywhere in the world, they can be confident the information they’re seeing is accurate, up-to-date, and reliable.
• For business owners, this means operating in a fairer, more equitable business landscape, where legitimate companies which play by the rules can thrive. For every citizen, it means better protection from economic crime and a stronger, more trustworthy business environment.

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The ICO has fined Bharat Singh Chand £200,000 for sending nearly one million spam texts about debt solutions and energy saving grants. He has also been issued with an enforcement notice ordering him to stop sending marketing messages without the appropriate consent. Chand has appealed the ICO decision. 

Key points to note and next actions

• Bharat Chand came to the ICO’s attention through other investigations, most recently one into Daniel George Bentley, who was sending texts on behalf of Chand and providing advice about using a SIM farm – a technical device capable of holding multiple SIM cards to send hundreds of text messages in quick succession. 
• The ICO’s investigation also found that evasion tactics, such as giving false company names in follow-up calls, were used.  
  Complainants said the messages did not contain a website address, or any information as to the identity of the sender but invited recipients to ‘reply YES’ to find out more.
• Several recipients replied ‘YES’ to the messages to identify the sender and the source of their data. They subsequently received phone calls from a company calling themselves ‘The Debt Relief Team’, which they reported to the ICO or the Telephone Preference Service.  
• On 11 June 2024, the ICO searched Bharat Chand’s then home address in Burry Port, where Chand denied any involvement in the marketing of green energy schemes, despite a call script being on open display. Evidence also included WhatsApp messages discussing excuses to provide to another related ICO investigation. In one conversation, Chand appears to encourage another person to lie in response to the ICO investigation letter.
• The ICO concluded that between 3 December 2023 and 3 July 2024, the transmission of 966,449 text messages were deliberately transmitted or instigated without valid consent, breaking direct marketing rules. This resulted in 19,138 complaints via the 7726 spam reporting service. 

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The Chancellor has announced that financial services firms will get new support to help them scale up, invest and create high-skilled jobs.   The Scale-up Unit will be jointly led by the FCA and PRA. Expert and bespoke support delivered by the new Unit “…will help banks, insurers and fintech firms expand faster, create well paid jobs and attract investment.”

Key points to note and next actions

• The Scale-up Unit will initially support firms who are regulated by both the PRA and FCA. The FCA will continue to work closely with industry to develop the Unit so that it can support firms who are only regulated by the FCA.
• The service will open initially for fast-growing deposit-takers and insurers, before expanding to serve other financial services firms including fintechs next year.
• The Unit will also help fast-growing firms by connecting them with a dedicated resource to support them with challenges as they expand.
• The announcements build on the government’s wider work to strengthen the UK’s position as a global hub for financial services and technology, including unlocking more private investment through the Mansion House Reforms and supporting growth in every region through the Leeds Reforms.