Context
On 16 May the FCA announced it had brought charges against nine individuals in relation to an unauthorised foreign exchange trading scheme promoted on social media. The FCA alleges that, between 19 May 2018 and 13 April 2021, Mr Emmanual Nwanze (who has been charged with running an unauthorised investment scheme and issuing unauthorised financial promotions) and Holly Thompson used an Instagram account to provide advice on buying and selling CFDs for which they were not authorised.
The FCA also alleges that Mr Nwanze paid seven other individuals to promote the Instagram account to their combined 4.5m Instagram followers. These seven, along with Holly Thompson, each face one count of issuing unauthorised communications of financial promotions.
Key points to note and next actions
An update has been provided by the FCA on 13 June, which confirms that three of the nine individuals involved, including Mr Nwanze, have now entered pleas of not guilty, with three others not indicating a plea. The first hearing for the remaining three will take place on 3 July.
The FCA published finalised guidance on financial promotions on social media in March 2024, which clarifies its expectations for firms and influencers that use social media to communicate financial promotions, and to address emerging consumer harm that the FCA have seen arising from the use of social media.