FCA Reports Crackdown on Illegal Promotions and Market Abuse

The Financial Conduct Authority said on 9 July that its first year under a new five-year strategy included a broader crackdown on illegal financial promotions, finfluencers and market abuse.

According to the regulator, an international week of action on finfluencers in June 2025 involved nine regulators and led to three arrests, six criminal proceedings, 11 targeted warning or cease-and-desist letters, 50 warning list alerts and 650 social-media takedown requests.

The FCA also said it secured 17 criminal convictions during the year, including fraud, insider dealing, money laundering and Data Protection Act offences. Two individuals received a combined 11 years in prison for insider dealing and money laundering, while 12 people were fined a total of GBP 1.77 million for market-abuse offences.

The regulator also reported approximately GBP 14.4 million in fines for transaction-reporting failures and control weaknesses, alongside a GBP 42 million fine against Barclays for anti-money-laundering failures.

Why it matters

For traders, the FCA update is a reminder that promotion, market-abuse and transaction-reporting rules are becoming more data-driven and cross-border. Social-media trading claims, suspicious flows and poor reporting controls are all areas where regulators can connect activity across firms and platforms.

The transaction-reporting point is especially relevant for brokers and venues. Weak reporting or surveillance controls can become enforcement risk even when the underlying trading product is mainstream.

What to watch next

Watch how the FCA uses its warning list, finfluencer actions and market-abuse cases over the next year. Broker compliance teams should also monitor whether transaction-reporting fines remain a priority in future enforcement updates.