How to check a firm or individual is authorised

Checking if a firm has the right permissions is the most effective and simplest way to reduce your risk.  

But if you do want to check an individual, you can do this on the Financial Services Register. Not all individuals at a firm will need approval, so they may not be on the FS Register.

Using an authorised firm, rather than an approved individual, increases the likelihood that you’ll be protected if something goes wrong.

FCA employees are not listed on our FS Register or Firm Checker.

The Financial Services Register is the official public record for all firms and individuals. It contains our full regulatory record for firms, individuals, and other bodies, with detailed information including:

• Historic fines.
• Firms' right to approve financial promotions.
• Firms' ability to handle client money.

You can use the FS Register to find out whether a firm was authorised when you first bought a product or service.

Firms must be authorised by us to provide you with the following types of products and services. You should avoid using firms for the following services if they aren't authorised or don’t have the correct permissions:

• Bank accounts, for example, current and savings accounts.
• Lending money, including credit cards, Buy Now Pay Later, hire, credit broking and debt advice.
• Debt-related services, including debt advice and debt collection.
• Crowdfunding platforms.
• Claims management services.
• Insurance (life insurance or general insurance, for example, for travel or your home).
• Funeral plans.
• Investments, for example, shares, funds and derivatives.
• Pensions, including workplace and personal pension plans.
• Home finance options, for example, residential mortgages, equity release or home purchase plans (including Sharia-compliant mortgages).
• Payments and e-money services, for example, online wallets and money transfers.

For a full list of the activities we regulate, see the FCA Handbook. For more information on the types of activities that aren't in our current remit, see our perimeter report.

Firms must be registered with us so we can supervise the following specific activities. You should avoid using firms for the following services if they aren't registered: 

• Certain crypto activities, for example, crypto exchanges, crypto ATMs and custodian wallet providers (those crypto firms are registered with us for anti-money laundering purposes).
• Consumer buy-to-let mortgages (CBTL), for example, if you become an ‘accidental landlord’. (See 'Products and services we don’t regulate' for buy-to-let mortgages).
• Payments and e-money services provided by certain small firms.

There are other financial products and services that we don’t regulate or supervise shown below. Firms don't need to be authorised or registered to provide these: 

• Unregulated Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL).
• Advice on estate planning, wills and probate.
• Individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) (an agreement between you and your lender to pay back your debts over a certain period).
• Debt collection of unpaid council tax, water, gas or electricity bills.
• Buy-to-let mortgages. (See 'Products and services we supervise' for consumer buy-to-let mortgages).
• Commercial mortgages and lending.
• Timeshares.

You may notice that some firms on the Firm Checker and FS Register are listed as appointed representatives (ARs). This means they’re carrying out activities on behalf of another firm, known as their principal.

ARs can have more than one principal. The principal agrees what activities the AR can do and is responsible for that business.  

It’s important you check with the principal if you have concerns about an AR or the products and services it can offer. If an AR has gone beyond the activities the principal has allowed, you may not be protected by the Financial Ombudsman or the FSCS if something goes wrong.  

You can find contact details for ARs and principals on the Firm Checker and FS Register. You can ask the principal to confirm what activities the AR has permission for and how you'd be protected if something went wrong.

Some firms are listed on the Firm Checker and FS Register as PSD (payment services directive) or EMD (e-money directive) agents. This means they can carry out payment services on behalf of another firm, known as their principal.  

It’s important you check with the principal what activities the agent has permission for. If the agent has gone beyond the activities the principal has agreed, you may not be covered by the Financial Ombudsman if you want to complain.

It’s also important to know that if your agent goes out of business, your money won’t be protected by the FSCS. Find out more about how you’d be protected if your provider failed.

You can find details for both agents and their principals on the Firm Checker and the FS Register.