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Non-exempt activities order meaning

What does Non-exempt activities order mean?
In practice, the non-exempt activities order refers to the UK statutory list of regulated activities for which a person cannot rely on an exemption from FSMA’s general prohibition (section 19). It is set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Non‑Exempt Activities) Order 2001 (as amended), a piece of secondary legislation. The Order identifies activities where “exempt person” status under FSMA, or other exemption routes, cannot be used. If an activity is listed, the firm must be authorised (or have the relevant permission) from the FCA/PRA to carry it on by way of business. Practitioners use it alongside the Regulated Activities Order and the Exemption Order when conducting perimeter analysis, structuring transactions, assessing appointed representative arrangements, or scoping due diligence. The term is legislative (not merely descriptive) and is applied consistently across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It does not apply in Ireland, where FSMA is not in force; Irish practitioners instead consider the Central Bank of Ireland authorisation regime and exemptions under domestic MiFID legislation.
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CHECKLISTS
FSMA 2000 RAO exclusions for investment, insurance, credit and home finance: practitioner checklist with MiFID II, IDD and MCD overrides (UK)

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...

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FLOWCHARTS
Flowchart: process to exercise step-in rights under a collateral warranty

The defined terms in the flowchart shall have the following meaning: Appointed Representative Regulations — the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Appointed Representatives) Regulations 2001, SI 2001/1217 Business Order — the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Carrying on Regulated Activities by Way of Business) Order 2001, SI 2001/1177 Exemption Order — the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Exemption) Order 2001, SI 2001/1201 Non-Exempt Activities Order — the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Professions) (Non-Exempt Activities) Order 2001, SI 2001/1227 PRA-regulated activities — denotes regulated activities designated as PRA‑regulated activities under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (PRA‑regulated Activities) Order 2013, SI 2013/556 RAO — the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001, SI 2001/544 UCITS qualifier — carries the meaning attributed to it in the Glossary of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Handbook To determine whether an activity is regulated, follow the flowchart below. Click below to view or print...

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NEWS
Weekly financial services regulatory round-up: prudential, financial crime and sanctions, enforcement, capital markets, ESG, banking, insurance, MiFID II, consumer credit, payments, pensions dashboards, and key dates — 14 November 2024

In this issue: Prudential requirements Financial crime and sanctions Complaints, compensation and claims management Investigations, enforcement and discipline Regulation of capital markets Sustainable finance and ESG Banks and mutuals Investment funds and asset management UK 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 Prudential requirements COREPER asked to endorse agreement on CCP concentration risk treatment After the European Parliament adopted, in April 2024, a proposal for a directive of the Parliament and the Council to amend Directive 2009/65/EC (UCITS), Directive 2013/36/EU (CRD IV) and the Investment Firms Directive (EU) 2019/2034 (IFD), the Council of the EU’s General Secretariat released an ‘I/A’ Item Note inviting the Council’s Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER) to confirm its agreement...

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NEWS
EU financial services round-up: MAR Level 2 amendment, Retail Investment Strategy provisional agreement, DORA scope, VOP consultation, EBA equivalence, ESMA internal controls and LMTs (18 December 2025)

EU financial services developments Commission publishes draft amendment to MAR level 2 measure The European Commission has released a draft modification to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/522, a level 2 instrument under Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (MAR). Feedback is invited until 14 January 2026. The proposal would amend Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/522 to: create a list of designated trading venues to implement the order data exchange mechanism in Article 25a of MAR for shares; and revise Annex II on practices outlining indicators of market manipulation, reflecting technological advances such as algorithmic trading, and correcting several erroneous cross-references Source: Consultation: Clarifications to the indicators of market manipulation and definition of scope of new order data exchange mechanism Council of EU and European Parliament agree Retail Investment Strategy measures The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have announced agreement on a directive amending MiFID II, Solvency II, the UCITS Directive and AIFMD, and on a regulation amending the PRIIPs Regulation....

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NEWS
UK Public Law Weekly: Brexit and regulatory SIs, competition/IP divergence, constitutional updates, judicial review, ECHR, subsidy control, NSI guidance and FOI—14 November 2024

In this issue: Brexit highlights Brexit SIs Post-Brexit transition guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19) SIs Constitutional and administrative law Judicial review Equality and human rights Subsidy control and State aid State security and intelligence Information law Other Public Law updates Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Brexit highlights Supreme Court finds Sky applied for trade marks in bad faith (SkyKick UK Ltd v Sky Ltd) In SkyKick UK Ltd and another (Appellants) v Sky Ltd and others (Respondents) [2024] UKSC 36, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s view that Sky pursued its trade marks in bad faith and that the first‑instance process was fair, overturning the Court of Appeal’s conclusions. It nevertheless aligned with the Court of Appeal in holding that, on the reduced specification of goods and services, Cloud Migration—SkyKick’s email migration product and service—did not infringe...

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PRACTICE NOTES
UK regulated activity of managing investments: FSMA 2000 RAO article 37—scope, discretion, qualifying investments, exclusions and FCA conduct requirements

This Practice Note addresses the regulated activity of managing investments... Definition Managing investments is a regulated activity under article 37 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001, SI 2001/544 (RAO). It entails exercising discretion over assets that beneficially belong to another person, where those assets consist of, or include, any investment categorised as a ‘security’, a ‘structured deposit’ or a ‘contractually-based investment’. For further detail on what constitutes a ‘security’, a ‘structured deposit’ or a ‘contractually-based investment’, see Securities, structured deposits or contractually-based investments below)... The exercise of discretion This regulated activity only arises where the investment manager exercises discretion. Where portfolio management is non-discretionary—for example, the manager purchases shares strictly on client instructions, or simply receives and forwards client orders—the work is more likely to fall within another regulated activity, such as ‘dealing in investments, either as principal or agent’ (RAO SI 2001/544, arts 14 and 21) or ‘arranging deals in investments’ (RAO SI 2001/544, art 25)...

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PRACTICE NOTES
UK PRA prudential capital regime for banks, building societies and designated investment firms: UK CRR restatement under FSMA 2023, Basel 3.1, Strong and Simple, buffers, MREL and leverage ratio

This Practice Note outlines high-level details of the prudential capital framework that applies to UK banks and building societies, as well as to large, systemically important investment firms designated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) under Article 3 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (PRA-regulated Activities) Order, SI 2013/556. The requirements are contained in: the onshored Capital Requirements Regulation, Retained Regulation (EU) 575/2013 (UK CRR), and associated technical standards—for information, see Practice Note: UK Capital Requirements Regulation (UK CRR)—technical standards [Archived] PRA Supervisory Statements (SSs), and the PRA Rulebook In the PRA Rulebook, banks, building societies and designated investment firms are collectively termed ‘CRR firms’. For information on the regulatory capital requirements applying to non-designated UK investment firms, see Practice Note: The UK investment firms prudential regime (IFPR). Significant upcoming changes to regulatory capital requirements Revocation of UK CRR under FSMA 2023 Sections 1 and 4 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (FSMA...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Regulators’ Code (LRRA 2006): scope, principles and implications for regulators and regulated businesses

The Regulators’ Code is issued by the Secretary of State under section 22 of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 (LRRA 2006). Section 21 of the LRRA 2006 places a duty on anyone exercising a specified regulatory function to have regard to two key principles: regulatory activities should be undertaken in a manner that is transparent, accountable, proportionate and consistent regulatory activities should be targeted solely at cases where action is required Who does the Regulators’ Code apply to? Any person or body exercising a specified regulatory function must take the Regulators’ Code into account when setting general policies or principles for the functions that the particular regulator carries out. The Code is designed to set out a clear framework for how regulators should deal with those they regulate. It seeks to improve relations between regulators and the regulated and to remove barriers to growth by enhancing the way regulation is delivered. The Regulators’ Code applies to all non-economic regulators listed...

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Q&As
Consumer credit regime: family, friends & trust loans caught?

The regulation of consumer credit Under section 19 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA 2000), no one may perform a regulated activity, or even hold themselves out as doing so, within the UK unless they are an authorised person—authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and/or the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)—or an exempt person, for example as an appointed representative. For a high-level outline of the UK regulated activities regime, see Practice Note: What are regulated activities? An activity is regulated where it is of a ‘specified kind’—that is, specified in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 (RAO), SI 2001/544—and is carried on by way of business...

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Q&As
Oral loan for friend's property purchase: CCA & FCA authorisation

What is the regulatory regime under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA 2000) Under section 19 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the general prohibition applies: a person must not carry on a regulated activity in the UK, or even purport to do so, unless they are within one of the permitted categories below. An authorised person (that is, authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and/or the Financial Conduct Authority) An exempt person (for example, an appointed representative) For an outline of the UK regime governing regulated activities, see Practice Note: What are regulated activities? An activity is regulated if it is of a ‘specified kind’—as listed in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 (RAO 2001), SI 2001/544—and it is carried on by way of business. For further detail on what amounts to carrying on a regulated activity ‘by way of business’ in the UK, refer to Practice Notes: What does ‘by...

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UK PARLIAMENT ACTS
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (2000 c 8)

Financial Services and Markets Act 20002000 CHAPTER 8An Act to make provision about the regulation of financial services and markets; to provide for the transfer of certain statutory functions relating to building societies, friendly societies, industrial and provident societies and certain other mutual societies; and for connected purposes.[14th June 2000]BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—Part I . . .1 . . .. . .2 . . .. . .3 . . .[3A . . .]4 . . .5 . . .6 . . .[. . .][6A . . .]. . .7 . . .. . .8 . . .9 . . .10 . . .11 . . .. . .12 . . .13 . . .. . .14 . . .15 . . .16 . . .17 . . .18 . . .[Part 1A The Regulators][Chapter 1 The Financial Conduct Authority][The Financial Conduct Authority][1A The Financial Conduct Authority][The FCA's general duties][1B The FCA's general duties][1C The consumer protection objective][1D The integrity objective][1E The competition objective][Interpretation of terms used in relation to FCA's general duties][1F Meaning of “relevant markets” in strategic objective][1G Meaning of “consumer”][1H Further interpretative provisions for sections 1B to 1G][1I Meaning of “the UK financial system”][Modifications applying if core activity not regulated by PRA][1IA Modifications applying if core activity not regulated by PRA][Power to amend objectives][1J Power to amend objectives][Recommendations][1JA Recommendations by Treasury in...