Whistleblowing: Speaking to the FCA

If you have witnessed, or are aware of, wrongdoing happening in the workplace, by an individual or a firm we regulate, you can report your concerns to us in confidence.

Whistleblowing information gives us an insight into what’s happening in the markets we regulate. We can only act on what we know – so any information that you provide allows us to consider any potential risks.

Deciding to speak to us 

If you are considering making a report to us about your employer, or someone that you know well, you may be nervous and have questions about what will happen next.

We understand that making a report isn’t something that is done lightly and that a lot may have happened before you have considered taking this step.

You should know that we greatly value the information that whistleblowers share with us in confidence.

If you contact us, we will take the time to listen and understand your concerns. We can arrange to speak with you or meet you in person, and we will protect your identity throughout.

How we protect whistleblowers' identities _​​​​

Protecting the identity of our whistleblowers is at the heart of what we do. Our team will work with you to ensure we understand what has happened, or may happen in the future. 

We will use your information to shape the work we do and prevent it from becoming known that you contacted us. You won’t need to prove to us that you are right. We will only ask you to share with us what is already in your knowledge.

We store the details of whistleblowers securely and limit access to this information to the Whistleblowing team. 

Providing us with your details is up to you − we will accept and process your information if you want to remain anonymous as well.

Staying anonymous

When you should speak to us

If you are an employee or ex-employee who has witnessed wrongdoing at work, you can tell us your concerns[3] with confidence.

You may also want to report wrongdoing that you are aware of because of a personal relationship with someone − for example, your partner may be an employee in a financial services firm witnessing wrongdoing. 

It could also be that you wish to report a family member or neighbour and, in these cases, you may also want to speak to us confidentially.

If you're a consumer or a shareholder with concerns, you can speak to our consumer contact centre:

• use our webform[4]
• call: 0800 111 6768 (freephone), 0300 500 8082 (from the UK) or +44 207 066 1000 (from abroad)

If you're reporting on behalf of your firm, speak in confidence to our firm contact centre:

• email: [email protected]
• call: 0300 500 0597 from the UK, +44 207 066 1000 from abroad

If you're still unsure, use our decision tree to find out where to make your report.

Where to make a report[5]

Before you speak with us 

You may want to understand more about the legal protections given to whistleblowers and where you can find legal advice:

• legal advice and whistleblowing[6]
• Protect – The Whistleblowing Charity[7]

What we will do with your information

We understand you will want to know how we record and use the information you share with us, and how we protect your identity.

Whistleblowing reports are handled by our dedicated team. Your details, if you choose to provide them, are held on a secure database that is only accessed by the Whistleblowing team.  

The Whistleblowing team create and record a report of your concerns − it focuses on the concerns, not the person who reported them. 

We share this report with FCA colleagues who need the information to work out the next steps. For example, we may share a report that raises concerns about mis-selling with colleagues in the relevant firm's Supervision team.

The report is also held on file as intelligence, which can be reviewed again by our teams.

Find out more about the whistleblowing process[3].