FinTech Awards 2020

Wealth & Finance International - FinTech Awards 2020 APR2w2 Working in financial services comes with a veritable mountain of regulation and legislation, from GDPR to anti-money laundering legislation. Thistle offers comprehensive advice and support on FCA and PRA regulation and on legislation that affects any financial services firm. The consultancy can handle everything from helping start-ups seeking direct authorisation and firms transitioning from Appointed Representative to Directly Authorised status, to advising on regulatory requirements, annual returns, capital adequacy, and FCA supervision and enforcement issues. In order to help prepare clients for the oftentimes imposing amounts of regulation and legislation, Thistle also provides training, locum compliance office services, audits, due diligence, and ongoing support and advice to clients. Since its inception, Thistle has grown to become one of the largest members of the Association of Professional Compliance Consultants (APCC), the body that represents compliance consultancies advising FCA-regulated firms in the United Kingdom. The APCC promotes highly professional standards, sets best practice guidance for members to follow, and often works with regulators to pilot or test new initiatives and provide feedback on a range of topics. This relationship gives members such as Thistle valuable direct access to the FCA, from which clients ultimately benefit. As part of its membership to the APCC, Thistle provides compliance support to more than 150 FinTech companies, with clients varying from robo-wealth managers and advisors, banks, credit lenders, and credit brokers, to crypto asset firms, payment services firms, and e-money institutions. FinTech may have started off as a disruptive tool against the more traditional markets, but it is now transitioning into a collaborative and partnered marketplace. Thistle’s experienced team understands the nuances of that market and works with clients to provide them tailored support for gaining a foothold in the FinTech space. Over the years, it has created a structured client approach where it examines the offering, and subsequently provides a tailored service to each client based on what the individual customer’s product and service looks like. However, given the constant evolution and development within the FinTech space, Thistle also continues to evolve alongside various financial services sectors and enhance its own knowledge. Financial services are often subject to ongoing regulation, so being up to date with the latest compliance regulations is an absolute necessity for any individual or business. Thistle Initiatives is an award-winning compliance consultancy, providing expert compliance advice and support across the financial services sector, to niche start- ups and long-established market leaders alike. We take a closer look at its expertise in FinTech, Investments, Payment Services, Insurance, and Consumer Credit following its success. Best FinServ Compliance Consultancy 2020 Ensuring that any FinTech firm, at any stage of development, can get the support and guidance required to operate effectively and compliantly is core to what Thistle does, no matter the innovation or development. Responding to an increasingly dynamic FinTech marketplace, Thistle also offers a service called Innovation Hub, which helps businesses with innovative and exciting propositions set up and move into regulated markets. This is also supported through the firm’s sister company, Resolution Compliance, which can support firms bringing a new product or service to market under its appointed representative ‘umbrella’ service. Standing out from the competition, Thistle offers a practical and bespoke service to each individual client. Businesses are often quoted the rules and regulations applicable to their operation, and then left to implement these on their own. To help with this, Thistle has always focused on ensuring that it provides the correct and appropriate guidance, as well as support firms in executing these on a practical level. Where applicable, this often involves a number of face-to-face meetings and audits, with ad hoc support to follow as required. Thistle Initiatives May20105 As people increasingly use and utilise innovative FinTech products brought to market by exciting and dynamic new technologies, Thistle continues to be at the forefront of the regulatory space for them. Proving itself to be a vitally important partner for any FinTech companies, the diversity and pace of innovation is matched only by Thistle’s ability to effectively communicate those regulations to clients in the marketplace. Innovative firms can navigate the space with the confidence and peace of mind that they are in line with a complex and ever- evolving regulatory framework, thanks to Thistle’s exceptional work. Company: Thistle Initiatives Contact: Matthew Williamson, Head of Fintech Website: www.thistleinitiatives.co.uk