The regulator will open its new office in the city in September.

The office will be the base for the FCA’s Digital Delivery Centre.

In July the regulator committed to expanding its regional footprint to have more of a national footprint as part of a recruitment drive in data and technology announced in the regulator’s annual Business Plan.

It has already established offices in Cardiff and Belfast.

William Hague, director of change and transformation at the FCA, is leading the establishment of the new Leeds office. He has a background working in central government including at The Cabinet Office and HMRC.

The regulator’s Digital Delivery Centre based in the office will be led by Phil Nixon. He will join the regulator in September and has worked within data services for the NHS and IBM.

Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA, said: “As a national regulator, it is vital we have a truly national footprint. That means having colleagues in all parts of the UK.

“I’m delighted that we’re moving a step closer to opening our new Leeds office, in a city with a growing reputation as a digital and tech hub.”

The regulator’s Leeds office will be at 6 Queen Street in the business district of the city.

The FCA has also previously committed to doubling the number of staff in its Edinburgh office to around 200.

The regulator has appointed six new directors and added 500 new staff since the beginning of this year. 

The number of full-time employees at the Financial Conduct Authority fell by 4% to 3,791 in the 2021/22 financial year, according to its annual report published last month. 

The regulator said the drop was due to a return to pre-pandemic levels of attrition and ‘recruitment challenges’.

For the previous financial year, the regulator had 3,938 full-time employees.

Overall staff turnover for the FCA in 2021/22 was 17.3%. Of this 15.5% was voluntary turnover with staff choosing to leave the regulator.