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FCA REVIEW INTO NON-ADVISED SALES PUTS CUSTOMER INSIGHT INTO FOCUS

Published by Gbaf News

Posted on January 10, 2014

3 min read
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Equifax Investor Insights provides real consumer investment purchase behaviour
as FCA commences thematic review
www.equifax.co.uk

Nishil Khimasia

Nishil Khimasia

FCA Thematic Review Focus and Scope

The FCA is asking selected wealth firms to provide detailed information on business models, product ranges, and governance and controls as part of a thematic review on non-advised and simplified advice investment sales. Nishil Khimasia, Performance & Marketing Director of leading consumer insights business, Equifax, believes firms must be able to demonstrate to the FCA that they have the best possible understanding of their customers as part of this review.

Emphasis on Customer Treatment by FCA

“There is no question that the FCA is putting the spotlight on how customers are treated at every stage of a financial relationship” said Nishil Khimasia. “This requires a depth of understanding that simply cannot be achieved through the traditional approach of gathering survey data. Real consumer investment purchase behaviour at postcode level will be the only way to give the FCA confidence that ‘know your customer’ requirements have been met fully. The new Equifax Investor Insights solution delivers precisely this insight.

Equifax Data Powers Insight Into Investments

“Based on more than £345 billion of actual investment sales shared by wealth and investment providers through the Equifax Touchstone Data Exchange, Equifax Investor Insights enables companies to build a clear picture of customers to ensure they are targeted in the most effective way with the products that are right for them. Applied retrospectively to existing customer data, it can also enable firms to demonstrate to the FCA a clear understanding of previous purchase behaviour which we believe is an integral part of the thematic review.”

Key Features of Equifax Investor Insights

Featuring more than 200 investment characteristics, Equifax Investor Insights provides the value and frequency of investment product purchases, including age, risk and products held, giving providers a better understanding of their customers.

Equifax Investor Insights provides real consumer investment purchase behaviour
as FCA commences thematic review
www.equifax.co.uk

Nishil Khimasia

Nishil Khimasia

The FCA is asking selected wealth firms to provide detailed information on business models, product ranges, and governance and controls as part of a thematic review on non-advised and simplified advice investment sales. Nishil Khimasia, Performance & Marketing Director of leading consumer insights business, Equifax, believes firms must be able to demonstrate to the FCA that they have the best possible understanding of their customers as part of this review.

“There is no question that the FCA is putting the spotlight on how customers are treated at every stage of a financial relationship” said Nishil Khimasia. “This requires a depth of understanding that simply cannot be achieved through the traditional approach of gathering survey data. Real consumer investment purchase behaviour at postcode level will be the only way to give the FCA confidence that ‘know your customer’ requirements have been met fully. The new Equifax Investor Insights solution delivers precisely this insight.

“Based on more than £345 billion of actual investment sales shared by wealth and investment providers through the Equifax Touchstone Data Exchange, Equifax Investor Insights enables companies to build a clear picture of customers to ensure they are targeted in the most effective way with the products that are right for them. Applied retrospectively to existing customer data, it can also enable firms to demonstrate to the FCA a clear understanding of previous purchase behaviour which we believe is an integral part of the thematic review.”

Featuring more than 200 investment characteristics, Equifax Investor Insights provides the value and frequency of investment product purchases, including age, risk and products held, giving providers a better understanding of their customers.

Key Takeaways

  • FCA is conducting a thematic review focused on non‑advised and simplified advice investment sales to assess firms’ customer understanding and governance models.
  • Equifax Investor Insights offers postcode‑level, real consumer investment purchase data—more than £345 billion—from the Touchstone Data Exchange to help firms demonstrate strong Know Your Customer (KYC) practices.
  • The solution includes over 200 investment characteristics (such as value, frequency, age, risk profile, products held) to enable precise customer targeting and retrospective behavioral analysis.
  • Traditional survey‑based data is insufficient; FCA expects depth of customer insight which real transaction data can deliver.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the FCA reviewing?
The FCA is reviewing firms’ non‑advised and simplified advice investment sales practices, focusing on customer treatment, governance, business models and product ranges.
What does Equifax Investor Insights offer?
It provides real consumer investment purchase behavior data—over £345 billion—aggregated at postcode level, with 200+ investment characteristics to help firms understand and target customers.
Why is customer insight important for the review?
The FCA expects firms to show they truly know their customers at every stage — traditional surveys fall short, while actual behavior data offers the necessary depth to meet KYC requirements.

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