Using the Financial Services Register

In the UK, almost all financial firms must be authorised by us.

Being authorised means that firms must meet certain standards and follow our rules.

These rules are there to make sure that you’re treated fairly, you’re protected, and the products and services you’re offered are suitable. 

How to check a firm is authorised

You can check our Financial Services Register (FS Register) to make sure a firm or individual is authorised. It will also tell you the activities the firm has permission for. 

Search the FS Register 

Using authorised firms

If a firm is authorised, it gives you greater protection if things go wrong. 

If you deal with a firm that isn’t authorised, or that doesn’t have permission for the activities you need, you won’t have access to the Financial Ombudsman if you have a complaint.

You also won’t be protected by the FSCS if the firm goes out of business. This means that it’s unlikely you’d get your money back.  

What to do if a firm is unauthorised

Unfortunately, there are firms that work without our authorisation. This is against the law.

If we’ve published a warning about an unauthorised firm, this will appear on the FS Register when you search for the firm.

Some unauthorised firms might appear as clone firms. A clone firm is a copy of a genuine, authorised firm. Scammers pretend to be working for the authorised firm to con you.

For a full list of the firms we’ve published warnings about, you can search our Warning List. 

Find out more about how to protect yourself from scams.

No longer authorised or revoked firms

If you see a firm that's 'No longer authorised' or 'Revoked' it means that the firm's authorisation has been cancelled and you should avoid dealing with it.