The hidden cost of manual financial promotions review
Every piece of customer-facing marketing needs FCA sign-off. Most firms still do this manually — and the delays, inconsistencies, and near-misses are costing them more than they realise.
Under FCA COBS 4, every financial promotion must be fair, clear, and not misleading — and someone in a regulated firm must sign off before it goes live. For most firms, that someone is a senior compliance officer reviewing copy in a shared inbox, often under time pressure from a marketing team waiting to launch a campaign.
The hidden costs accumulate quickly. Delayed campaigns mean missed market windows. Inconsistent review standards mean the same piece of copy might pass one week and fail the next, depending on who is reviewing. And when a borderline promotion does slip through, the consequences range from awkward FCA correspondence to enforcement action.
Automated financial promotions review addresses all three problems. Consistent rule application removes reviewer variation. Faster turnaround eliminates campaign delays. And a complete audit trail of every review decision gives compliance teams the evidence they need if a promotion is ever questioned.
Compliance that thinksahead. Automatically.
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