On August 3, 2015, the UK government announced the launch of the Financial Advice Market Review which will be led by HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority and include a separate expert advisory panel made up of leading individuals from financial services providers, financial advisors and consumer representatives. The review will assess the current regulatory and legal framework for the provision of financial advice and guidance to consumers and its effectiveness in ensuring access to the information, advice and guidance for consumers. The review will gather a broad range of initial evidence and then conduct the assessment on narrower terms according to where the advice gap is most evident. The initial evidence gathering will request examples of problems in obtaining advice in investments, savings, pensions and retirement income products, mortgages, consumer credit and general insurance. A consultation is expected to begin around the start of Q3 2015 and proposals are expected to be produced before the Budget is announced in 2016.
The review's terms of reference are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/financial-advice-market-review-terms-of-reference/financial-advice-market-review-terms-of-reference.
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