Innovation Pathways can help if you have questions about regulation and how it applies to your innovative product. Find out more and how to apply.
Our support can help you understand the complexities of regulation.
We don’t tell you how to organise your business, but we do help you understand our rules, the implications for your business model, and what you need to do to launch a regulated business.
We welcome applications related, but not limited to, AI and quantum, financial inclusion, open finance and tokenisation.
Innovation Pathways explainer video
What our Innovation Pathways service includes
One-to-one discussions
One-to-one discussions with a dedicated case manager to offer feedback and guide firms through regulation and our processes.
Subject matter experts
FCA subject matter experts offering feedback and informal steers to help firms understand whether specific rules or guidance applies to their business.
Pre-authorisation meetings
Explaining our expectations of regulated firms in a clear and understandable way. To help firms, we can offer pre-authorisation meetings to clarify the authorisation process and the standards firms must meet.
Authorisations case officer
Helping firms that need authorisation to get assigned an Authorisations case officer after they submit their application.
If you are interested in applying for Innovation Pathways, including applications for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Innovation Spotlight[2], please read more about our eligibility criteria[3] and how to apply for support.
Who is Innovation Pathways for
We accept applications from firms that are:
- regulated
- non-regulated
- of any size
- at any stage of development
- from all sectors of financial services
You don’t need to be ready to launch (or nearly ready to launch) to qualify for our support. Your proposals just need to be developed to a point where we can realistically help you with them.
We can help firms at any stage of development, from the idea stage onwards – provided you meet our eligibility criteria and you have carried out background research with a good understanding of your regulatory obligations.
Read our eligibility criteria[3]
You can see the latest data[5] on the firms supported by Innovation Pathways.
We’re happy to discuss potential applications and answer questions about how we support firms.
Get in touch
You can contact us by emailing: [email protected]
Please note that in initial calls or emails we can’t answer complex regulatory questions and we can’t confirm whether an application would be successful.
Testing your proposition in the market
If you are ready to test your proposition in the market with real consumers, you may be able to apply to our Regulatory Sandbox[6].
Our decision tool can also help you find which of our innovation services is right for you.
Find the right service for you
Use our decision tool to find out which is the right service for you, and answers to the most frequently asked questions.
