The Financial Conduct Authority has plans to rebrand and relaunch its database of 3.9mn pieces of regulatory information.
Clare Cole, director of market oversight, said the regulator has a commitment to keeping the information freely accessible but wants to make it easier to access.
Speaking at the Westminster Business Forum this week, she said: “We will be investing in FCA systems to ensure all that information remains available, free of charge, for the record, to the investing public, and is easily accessible.
“I’m talking here about the National Storage Mechanism, the FCA’s online archive of 3.9mn items of regulatory information.
“In due course, we hope to re-brand the facility, and re-launch it. We think this investment could significantly improve the user experience, making it miles more user friendly and useful than now.”
In the same speech, Cole spoke about the regulator’s plans for reforms to the UK listing regime which aim to encourage a more diverse range of companies to list on UK markets.
She said: “At the FCA, we are committed to strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in innovation and investment.
“These are the most wide-ranging and consequential reforms to the UK’s capital markets in over three decades.”
The plans include replacing its existing ‘standard’ and ‘premium’ listing segments with a single category for equity shares in commercial companies.
The City watchdog has suggested disclosures for significant transactions while keeping sponsor scrutiny of related party transactions, rather than the current mandatory votes.
The proposals were set out in a consultation paper, published in December following initial consultation in May 2023.
The second part of the proposals will be released before the end of March and the FCA plans on publishing the full rules this summer.
tara.o'connor@ft.com
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