Our data shows the number of new whistleblowing reports we received in July to September and the allegations they featured.
Our Whistleblowing team receives reports about alleged wrongdoing in the areas of financial services that fall within our remit.
We assess every whistleblowing case we receive, to inform the work we do and to help us to identify actual or potential harm that has arisen or could arise. This could be harm to consumers, to markets, to the UK economy or to wider society.
Deciding to blow the whistle is a brave act and we greatly value the information we receive from whistleblowers.
Find out more about the whistleblowing process.
What we can share
We know that greater transparency about the whistleblowing reports we receive is important and we are constantly striving to improve the information we make public.
However, our casework with firms will usually involve confidential information for the purposes of section 348 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA). So we are unlikely to be able to provide more information about particular cases.
Find out more about the information we can share.
Whistleblowing reports
Our Whistleblowing team receives reports via telephone, email and post. In late July, we also launched our new online reporting tool.
In 2021 Q3 (July-September), we received 289 new whistleblowing reports.
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Data table
Figure 1 shows that most of our new reports in 2021 Q3 were received via the online reporting form. The online reporting form, which we introduced in August 2021, allows whistleblowers to report with ease at any time. We're pleased to see that the form is being used by potential whistleblowers. We will monitor its use and look for ways to improve this tool in the future.
Our Whistleblowing team reviews all reports to make sure we only manage information from whistleblowers. Any information that we receive from consumers, firms or others will be redirected to other relevant teams, such as our Supervision Hub, to consider.
Whistleblowing contact details
We accept both anonymous and identified whistleblowing reports.
We understand that, when making a disclosure, you may be hesitant to share your personal information with us.
Protecting the identities of the whistleblowers who contact us is at the heart of what we do. While whistleblowers don't have to provide us with their contact information, it's helpful if we can contact them to understand their concerns further and how we can act without compromising their confidentiality.
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Data table
Figure 2 shows that in most of the reports we received in 2021 Q3, whistleblowers provided us with their contact details.
Whistleblowing allegations
Every report we receive will contain one or more allegations of wrongdoing. This is why our data shows that we received 289 reports but 518 allegations.
Typically, the reports we receive will contain allegations that fall under the following 5 overarching themes:
- treating customers fairly
- FSMA
- fitness and propriety
- culture
- compliance
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Data table
Figure 3 shows our top 10 themes and allegations for 2021 Q3.
SYSC 18 refers to allegations of whistleblower detriment in financial services firms. If a whistleblower tells us that they received detriment after speaking up, we will record both the concerns they had that caused them to speak up and their experiences as a whistleblower at the firm. This information will be then be anonymised and shared with the most relevant teams to consider. Each allegation will be considered separately.
Contact the FCA Whistleblowing team
- call: +44 (0)20 7066 9200 between 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm, or leave a message
- email: [email protected]
- write to: Intelligence Department (Ref PIDA), Financial Conduct Authority, 12 Endeavour Square, London, E20 1JN
- use our online form to make a report
Please note, we record all calls to make sure we capture your information correctly.