What you need to consider before, during and after advertising your business.
The same standards apply whether you’re promoting your business in person, on social media, or through other channels.
Under the Duty, we expect you to communicate with your customers in a way that allows them to understand the features and risks of your products and services, and the consequences of any decisions customers make.
Fundamentally, any promotions that your firm or its ARs make must be clear, fair and not misleading. In practice, this means that:
- They must be accurate, balanced, and written in clear, easy-to-understand language to help consumers to make effective and well-informed decisions.
- You should design your advertisements with your target audience in mind. This means thinking about what they need to know to make an informed decision, and areas of any potential confusion that could arise so you can remedy it.
- You must clearly state the name of your firm and make it clear what service you are providing. This includes clearly stating that your firm is a credit broker, not a lender, and that your firm is acting as an AR of a particular principal, if that is the case.
- If you are advertising any form of high-cost short term credit (HCSTC), you must include a prominent risk warning, saying: ‘Warning: Late repayment can cause you serious money problems. For help go to moneyhelper.org.uk’.
- You must not state or imply that we have approved or endorsed your advertisement in any way. Your status as an FCA-authorised firm – or as the AR of an authorised firm – shouldn’t be used for promotional purposes.
Regulatory guide for credit brokers: case study line image
Case study 5: How a small credit broker can promote their business in a way that complies with our rules
Context
This is important, as clear, fair and not misleading financial promotions help customers understand the cost of credit and who is involved in providing it.
Scenario
A small car dealership decides to advertise car credit on social media. The firm is keen to ensure its advert complies with our requirements for credit brokers, including being clear on any relevant risks.
Good practice example
In its advert, the firm makes sure that if it mentions a weekly or monthly credit payment, it includes a no less prominent representative example and if it mentions an incentive to take out credit such as promising an ‘instant decision’, it include a no less prominent representative annual percentage rate (APR).
The firm makes it clear that it isn’t the actual lender and includes its name and address on the advert. It also uses just one representative example that covers all credit agreements expected to be entered into for all vehicles advertised on finance. If it decides to use another financial example, it doesn’t label it as ‘representative’ and instead labels it as an ‘illustration.’
Why this matters
If a firm’s adverts present key information prominently and use representative examples correctly, customers are less likely to be misled about affordability, incentives, or the role of the firm. This supports informed decision-making and reduces the risk of customers entering credit agreements they do not understand or cannot afford. Clearly saying who the credit broker is also helps customers know who they are dealing with if something goes wrong.
Where to read more
Under CONC 3[1], financial promotions must be clear, fair and not misleading, and use plain and intelligible language. The firm has specified the name of the person making the communication (CONC 3.3.2 R[2]). It has also included a representative example (CONC 3.5.3 R[3]), and representative APR (CONC 3.5.7 R[4]).
Under the Consumer Duty’s consumer understanding and consumer support outcome, firms are expected to support their customers by helping them to make informed decisions about financial products and services (FG 22/5[5]). The firm has provided a representative example and representative APR, equipping their customers with information to make decisions that are effective, timely and properly informed (PRIN 2A.5.3 R[6]).
Regulatory guide for credit brokers: case study line image
Where these requirements come from
In April 2026, we published a review of our CONC 3 financial promotion requirements[7]. This may mean that these rules are subject to change.
For more information on the Duty’s consumer support outcome, see section 1[8] of this guide.
