A journey through the FCA regulatory sandbox
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s regulatory sandbox has now been in place for two years, and has continued to draw in innovative firms keen to test their business models, products and services in the market.
The FinTech team in Deloitte’s EMEA Centre for Regulatory Strategy, in collaboration with Innovate Finance, interviewed several current and previous FCA sandbox participants to seek their views on their sandbox journeys.
The result is A journey through the FCA regulatory sandbox: the benefits, challenges, and next steps.
It highlights the key themes, challenges, unexpected benefits and broader observations that firms expressed in relation to their sandbox journey, including their views of what the FCA’s next steps should be.
The unequivocal message is that the FCA sandbox has delivered real value to firms. In particular, being accepted into the sandbox and proving the underlying technology in a live environment has helped firms to better understand and fine tune their business models. Many also believe that the sandbox journey increased their credibility with both investors and customers.
Yet, while the usefulness of the sandbox is undisputed, the report also highlights areas where there is still room for improvement.
Overall, this report should make compelling reading for anyone considering a sandbox application.
