The latest FCA and Practitioner Panel survey indicated firms continue to have “broadly positive” views of the FCA.
The regulator said the survey revealed rising levels of satisfaction, confidence and trust in the FCA among firms.
It said the survey also showed a strong understanding of Consumer Duty expectations.
The FCA’s latest survey published last week showed four out of five, 79%, of firms are highly satisfied with their relationship with the FCA. The figure climbed five percentage points, up from 74% last year.
Source: The FCA & Practitioner Panel 2026 survey
The proportion of firms rating the FCA as a highly effective regulator also increased from 69% to 76%, while 75% reported high levels of trust.
Firms were most confident in the regulator’s work to protect consumers (87%), ensure markets work well (85%) and enhance the integrity of the UK financial system (85%), according to the study.
There was a 27-percentage point increase in firms’ understanding of the Secondary International Competitiveness and Growth Objective and a 25-percentage point increase in confidence in the FCA’s delivery of it.
The regulator said it took on board feedback from last year’s survey and provided further guidance to help firms embed the Consumer Duty. This year, 88% of firms said they understood what the FCA expects on supporting consumers and embedding the Duty.
Matt Hammerstein, chair of the FCA Practitioner Panel, said: 'This year’s survey results indicate firms continue to have broadly positive views of the FCA, including strong understanding of expectations under the Consumer Duty and significant growth in confidence in the FCA’s ability to deliver on its secondary objectives focused on growth and competitiveness.”
Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA, said: “We know there is more to do. For example, while we can’t do our job without the data firms provide, we should continue to simplify requests and make them easier to manage.”