New entries, in your inbox – not buried in the register.

Three categories – anything else stays out of your way.

• Requirements
  New requirements

  VREQs, OIREQs and financial promotion requirements recorded against a firm you watch.

• Disciplinary
  Disciplinary action

  Fines, public censures, prohibition orders, decision notices, Upper Tribunal outcomes and variations or cancellations of permission – from the morning check, or within the hour when the FCA announces them.

• Individuals
  Individuals you monitor

  Changes to their roles (controlled functions) and any disciplinary action against them.

Email – because that’s where your team already works.

Each email names the firm or individual and the number and type of new entries, with a link straight to them in Firmwatcher, where you see the register’s own wording and dates.

Each person chooses how often: an email as alerts are found, or a daily or weekly summary – useful when your watchlist is large. Alerts also appear in the app and stay unacknowledged until someone on your team acknowledges them; each acknowledgement is recorded in your audit trail.

A short playbook per category.

1. 01
   New requirement

   Read what the requirement restricts and whether it touches the services the firm provides to you. If it does, escalate and decide whether the arrangement can continue as it is; record the decision in the acknowledgement comment.

2. 02
   Disciplinary action

   Read the final notice; map the failings to the activities the firm performs for you; consider enhanced due diligence or closer oversight.

3. 03
   Variation or cancellation of permission

   Check on the register what the firm may still do. If the activity you rely on is affected, consider pausing it pending clarification, and bring in legal if contractual obligations are affected.

4. 04
   Individual

   For a role change, confirm who now holds the function you deal with. For disciplinary action against a person, consider what it means for the firm they work for.