MiFID II meaning

Regulated activities and exclusions Section 19 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA 2000) bars any individual or entity from undertaking, or holding themselves out as undertaking, a regulated activity in the UK unless they are authorised or exempt under FSMA 2000 (the General Prohibition). Usefully, most activities specified in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001, SI 2001/544 (RAO) are carved out by exclusions. Where you conduct a given activity in a manner that fits an exclusion, you will not contravene the General Prohibition. For additional detail on the General Prohibition, see Practice Notes The general prohibition and implications of its breach and Carrying on unauthorised business and breaching the general prohibition. Most RAO regulated activities are subject to exclusions that can be used where applicable. Exclusions fall into two groupings: exclusions tailored to a specific regulated activity; and exclusions that, in defined situations, span several regulated activities...

This Checklist outlines the outsourcing requirements for common platform firms in the UK, set out in Chapter 8 of the Systems and Controls Sourcebook in the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Handbook (SYSC 8). It also captures provisions that replace Commission Delegated Assimilated Regulation (EU) 2017/565 (the UK MiFID II Organisational Regulation) from its revocation on 23 October 2025. For fuller guidance on the outsourcing rules that apply to all firms (including common platform firms), see Practice Note: Financial services outsourcing. Firms should also be aware of obligations under the UK regulatory framework for operational resilience that relate directly to outsourcing; for information, see Practice Note: Operational resilience-UK regulatory framework. Which financial services firms do the outsourcing rules apply to? The outsourcing rules described in this Checklist apply to common platform firms, including: banks building societies investment firms For a detailed definition of common platform firm, see the FCA Handbook Glossary. Dual regulated firms should also refer to the parallel rules...

ARCHIVED : This Practice Note is archived and is no longer maintained. The LEI is a 20-character, alphanumeric identifier created by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). Under Article 5 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/590, a Level 2 instrument under MiFID II, from 3 January 2018 firms carrying out transactions must hold a valid LEI at all times and ensure their LEI is used to identify them in transaction reports. For detail on this obligation, refer to Practice Note: EU MIFID II & MIFIR—Transaction Reporting. The Global LEI System High Level Principles and the FSB’s recommendations were issued in 2012 and received G20 endorsement...

In this issue: Sustainable finance and ESG weekly round-up Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Act 2023 Football Governance Bill LIBOR and benchmarks Sustainable finance Debt capital markets Derivatives Regulation for derivatives lawyers Technology in banking & finance transactions Structured products and securitisation Regulation for banking lawyers Banking & Finance Highlights 2024/2025 Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Useful information Sustainable finance and ESG weekly round-up For this week’s coverage of Sustainable finance and ESG developments, please see: Sustainable finance and ESG weekly round–up—19 December 2024. Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Act 2023 Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Act 2023 (Commencement) Regulations 2024 SSI 2024/378: From 1 April 2025, the outstanding provisions of the Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Act 2023 (the Act) will come into effect. See: LNB News 17/12/2024 9. Moveable Transactions (Forms) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 SSI 2024/379: These prescribe the forms to be used for the purposes set out...

In this issue: UK, EU and international regulators and bodies Acountability, culture and social governance Authorisation, approval and supervision Prudential requirements Financial crime and sanctions Investigations, enforcement and discipline Dispute resolution for financial services lawyers Banks and mutuals EU MiFID II Consumer credit, mortgage and home finance Regulation of insurance FSMA regulated pensions activity Payment services and systems Financial Services Enforcement Database Daily and weekly news alerts Intraday news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary UK, EU and international regulators and bodies Regulation to prioritise UK growth over risk-aversion in 2025 Law360, London: Financial watchdogs have vowed, firmly in line with new government objectives, to elevate economic growth above risk-aversion in 2025 — a recalibration that might cut across the recent stress on safeguarding consumers. See: Regulation to prioritise UK growth over risk-aversion in 2025. Acountability, culture and social governance UK...

In this issue: UK, EU and international regulators and bodies Authorisation, approval and supervision Prudential requirements Financial crime and sanctions Consumer protection Complaints, compensation and claims management Investigations, enforcement and discipline Regulation of capital markets Dispute resolution for financial services lawyers Regulation of derivatives Sustainable finance and ESG Banks and mutuals UK MiFID II EU MiFID II Consumer credit Regulation of insurance Payment services and systems Fintech and cryptoassets LexTalk®Financial Services: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary UK, EU and international regulators and bodies FCA publishes Handbook Notice No 135 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued Handbook Notice No 134, outlining amendments to the FCA Handbook and related materials approved by the FCA board on 27 November 2025. See: LNB News 28/11/2025 48. ESMA sets out planned consultations for...

This Practice Note considers the requirements and guidance on risk control (the risk control rules) relevant to firms, drawn from the Senior Management Arrangements, Systems and Controls sourcebook in the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Handbook (SYSC) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) Rulebook, and includes measures that will replace Commission Delegated Assimilated Regulation (EU) 2017/565 (the UK MiFID II Organisational Regulation) upon its revocation on 23 October 2025. Risk control rules applying to UK financial services firms The risk control rules applicable to firms are contained in: the overarching obligation to maintain effective risk control processes in SYSC 4.1.1R SYSC 7 Risk control SYSC 21 Risk control: guidance on governance arrangements Dual-regulated firms should also be mindful of parallel provisions in the following sections of the PRA Rulebook: Risk Control (which applies to CRR firms, as defined in the PRA Rulebook Glossary) Group Risk Systems (which applies to CRR firms) Credit Unions—11 General organisational requirements...

This Practice Note sets out the applicable product governance obligations under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Directive 2014/65/EU) (MiFID II) that firms must observe and comply with when designing, approving, marketing and overseeing the ongoing management of products throughout their entire lifecycle. It also summarises the relevant delegated acts adopted by the European Commission—particularly Articles 9 and 10 of Directive (EU) 2017/593 (the MiFID II Delegated Directive)—as well as the guidelines issued by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). Background to MiFID II and product governance The recast Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Directive 2014/65/EU) (MiFID II), together with the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (Regulation (EU) 600/2014) (MiFIR) (collectively, the MiFID II framework), entered into force on 2 July 2014. The bulk of the framework’s provisions largely applied from 3 January 2018. MiFID II establishes a suite of product governance requirements so that firms manufacture and distribute products in a manner that ensures they act in clients’ best interests across every stage of the lifecycle...

This Practice Note examines the rules governing systematic internalisers (SIs) within the recast Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Directive 2014/65/EU) (MiFID II), as updated by Directive (EU) 2024/790 (the MiFID II Review), and the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (Regulation (EU) 600/2014) (MiFIR), as revised by Regulation (EU) 2024/791 (the MiFIR Review), collectively referred to as the MiFID II framework. For further detail on trading venues under the MiFID II framework—regulated markets (RMs), multilateral trading facilities (MTFs) and organised trading facilities (OTFs)—see Practice Note: MiFID II: EU trading venues. What are systematic internalisers and why are they regulated? Funds, insurers and other major investors typically choose between two routes when trading securities. They may transact on a trading venue where many participants interact, or deal directly with an investment firm that settles by dealing on its own account. In the latter scenario, the securities traded are drawn from, or placed into, the firm’s proprietary holdings; put differently, the firm executes the trade ‘internally’...