TCC | Ep 8

The Future of the AR Regime – Best Practice Network Oversight

Watch Episode 8 of Fingerprint’s podcast, The Compliance Catch-up, featuring expert guest Paul Day, Founder and Director at Network Consulting. Hosted by James Hogbin, CEO of Fingerprint.

Key Takeaways:

  • Partnership matters: Finding the right network to support your business thrive is imperative. Often choosing the lowest cost operator is not the best option. Think about what you are looking to achieve as business, and
  • Regulator expectations are evolving: The FCA expects principals to run as ‘mini-regulators’, with enhanced, tehcnology driven oversight and tight operational practices. This means investment is required in your compliance governance no matter if you’re DA or an AR of a network.
  • Growing networks are moving with the times: Heavy investment in operational best practice and transformational change with technology is a must to get ahead and grow in this current regulatory climate.
  • Culture is critical: Putting GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance) at the core of everything in a regulated business is critical to continue to operate and grow.
  • Smaller firms face the same risks as large ones, without the same resources. Scalable solutions are essential.

Key Quotes

  • “We used to look at whether a rule was broken. Now, we ask why someone made that trade in the first place.”
  • “Surveillance today isn’t about catching the bad guy, it’s about understanding behaviour before it becomes a problem.”
  • “You don’t need a 100-person compliance team to supervise like a global bank. You need visibility and intent.”

Recommendations for Investment Firms:

  1. Start with intent: Review how your current systems interpret behaviour. Are you catching the ‘why’ or just the ‘what’?
  2. Audit your stack: Is your surveillance tech scalable, adaptable, and aligned with your growth goals?
  3. Bridge the language gap: Ensure your compliance and trading teams share a common operational language.
  4. Think culture, not just control: Embed surveillance into daily behaviours, not just annual reviews.
  5. Benchmark against peers: Reach out to firms of similar size to understand how they’re preparing for regulatory scrutiny.

Follow the Speakers on LinkedIn

James Hogbin – CEO, Fingerprint Compliance

Jay Biondo – Head of Surveillance, Trading Technologies