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ARTICLE · 13 MARCH 2023

Unannounced Visits ("Dawn Raids"): Key Practical Steps For Firms

Norton Rose Fulbright
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The FCA and PRA are empowered under the Competition Act 1998 and the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to carry out unannounced visits, commonly referred to as "dawn raids", provided that certain legal criteria are met.

United KingdomFinance and Banking
Katie Stephen
Katie Stephen
Rebecca Dulieu
Rebecca Dulieu
Catherine Pluck
Catherine Pluck

The FCA and PRA are empowered under the Competition Act 1998 and the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to carry out unannounced visits, commonly referred to as "dawn raids", provided that certain legal criteria are met. These powers enable the regulators to enter and search a firm's premises, conduct interviews with staff and to require production and take copies of documents onsite. Regulators may also visit staff working at home and seek documents and devices used for work purposes.

Given that fighting financial crime underpins the FCA's key priorities, firms and their staff may be subject to dawn raids if the regulator has serious concerns in relation to financial crime activity. As noted in our Regulation Tomorrow blog, in January 2023 the FCA announced that it had commenced criminal proceedings against five individuals for conspiracy to commit insider dealing and money laundering following a multi-site search and arrest operation conducted by the FCA

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