Financial Services Risk and Regulation Unravelled Podcast

David Morrey and Ben Farmer discuss regulatory topics for 2024, including the Consumer Duty, operational resilience, and expected supervisory activity. They also talk about successful prosecutions, the potential impact of the Consumer Duty on various sectors, and challenges in the financial services industry.

In this episode Irina Velkova welcomes Eric Usher, head of the UNEP Finance Initiative, to discuss its Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB). We also addressed The Paris Agreement, critical agreements for COP28, challenges hindering global efforts to finance sustainable projects, and delivering climate goals. 

In this episode, Irina Velkova welcomes Niki Mardas, Executive Director of Global Canopy, to discuss nature-positive investments, COP28 notable moments and key takeaways, the State of Finance for Nature report, and TNFD final recommendations for nature-risk management and disclosure.

In our final podcast of the year David Morrey and Ben Farmer discuss the latest edition of the Regulatory Initiatives Grid and recap on regulatory policy publications covering access to cash, sustainability disclosures, critical third parties, the advice guidance boundary and much more.

In this episode Irina Velkova welcomes Chris Dodwell, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Impax Asset Management, live at COP28, to discuss the role of investors in contributing to climate solutions. We also covered what's happened since The Paris Agreement, critical agreements for COP28, and investors approach to risk, including policy risk and country risks.

Can insurance be a force for good in the fight against climate change? In this episode Irina Velkova welcomes Anthony Hobley, Senior Strategic Advisor at Howden Group, live at COP28 to discuss the role of insurance with respect to net zero nature-positive transition. We also covered acceleration of carbon extraction development and carbon capture storage, as well as standardisation of carbon tracking.

We bring you this episode live from COP28, where Irina Velkova welcomes Michael Mainelli, Lord Mayor of the City of London. The Lord Mayor has voiced that climate action is investable and solvable, so in this episode we delve into this further, discussing the important decisions that will come out of COP28, carbon credit-trading, and Government Green Bonds.

Fossil fuel debate takes centre stage as COP28 continues in UAE, with more than 100 countries already supporting a phase-out to bring fossil fuel emissions to zero.  We bring this episode live from COP28 where Irina Velkova welcomes Andrew Griffiths, Director of Policy & Partnerships at Planet Mark, to discuss the latest update on fossil fuel phase-out. The key talking point is the claim by Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, President of COP28, that there's ‘no science’ indicating that a phase-out of fossil fuels is needed to restrict global heating to 1.5C. Decarbonisation of the global energy system and ramping up clean energy as we move away from the use and production of fossil fuels was also discussed. 

David Morrey and Ben Farmer discuss new reporting changes for diversity and inclusion (D&I) and how firms will need to improve their D&I strategies, reporting further on disability and ethnicity alongside the already-reported gender pay gap. Other developments discussed include: Consumer Duty, crypto, interest rates, and much more – sharing insight on how firms and consumers can prepare for the changes ahead.

What factors affect 'fair value' for the Consumer Duty?  Setting higher and clearer standards for firms of consumer protection within the financial services sector, David Morrey and Ben Farmer discuss the FCA's Consumer Duty initiative and the outcomes that it's trying to achieve through 'fair value' in their recent regulatory update.  Other developments discussed include: cost of living, crypto, lending and mortgages, and much more – sharing insight on how firms and consumers can prepare for the changes ahead.