FCA authorisation for investment business in the United Kingdom

About This Company

FCA authorisation for investment business (IFPR) represents a Part 4A permission under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Applicants creating a fresh entity pay an application fee between GBP 2,820 for Category 4 and GBP 11,260 for Category 6. Statutory review under Section 55V takes 6 months for a complete file or 12 months for an incomplete submission. Across 310 Part 4A solo-regulated determinations in Q4 2025/26, the median determination time reached 138 calendar days. The lower quartile stood at 105 days, while the upper quartile reached 183 days. Acquiring an existing entity replaces that route with a change of control application under FSMA Section 189. This assessment runs for 60 business days from complete acknowledgment, pausable once for up to 30 business days on information requests. Acquirers must obtain FCA approval prior to acquiring or increasing control. Section 191F designates unauthorised acquisition of control as a criminal offence. Control bands for Directive firms like MiFID investment firms trigger at 10%, 20%, 30%, and 50% of shares or voting rights. Non-Directive firms use a single 20% or more threshold. Becoming a parent undertaking also triggers the requirement for approval.