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3. Our priorities
How we decide our business planning priorities
The core of our work, which takes up most of our resource, will always remain our day-to-day activities of developing policy, reviewing competition, authorising and supervising firms and setting and enforcing our rules. It is important that we maintain a sufficient presence across all sectors so that we are able to influence the participants effectively and, where necessary, crack down on poor behaviour rapidly.
However, we cannot mitigate every risk, nor do we aim to do so. Our resources need to be devoted to those areas where we believe we can have the most impact and make the most difference.
We, therefore, prioritise our work to focus on the areas that pose the highest risk to our objectives. We concentrate our resources on the markets and firms that are most exposed to risks that may give rise to poor outcomes for consumers, impact market integrity or where competition is not working for the benefit of consumers.
Priorities for 2016/17
As a result of our assessment of the risks we have identified seven priority themes for this Business Plan. These will form the primary focus of our discretionary work over the course of the year ahead:
- Pensions
- Financial crime and Anti-Money Laundering
- Wholesale financial markets
- Advice
- Innovation and technology
- Firms' culture and governance
- Treatment of existing customers
These priorities do not represent the totality of our work, but will be used to drive our decisions about our thematic projects and market studies and also inform the areas we will pay particular attention to in conducting our core activities.
Policy changes and demographics will have major impacts on the pension sector over the longer term, with those aged 85-plus already the fastest growing segment of the UK population.[1]Consumer choices throughout retirement are becoming both more complex and more significant.
Pension products with high costs/uncapped fees can disproportionately reduce fund values, with a significant cumulative impact on consumers' funds.
Some consumers have chosen alternative investments, with different risks and advice implications.
Some consumers are unable or unwilling to engage in their pension choices, and many struggle to contribute to a pension. This puts them at risk of an underfunded retirement.
Outcomes we seek
- Increased competition and innovation in the pensions sector, particularly in products that are good value for money for consumers.
- Firms offer consumers better value for money products and services and actively and honestly compete to keep them.
- Appropriate advice and guidance is available and meets consumers' needs.
- Consumers know how to access suitable pensions advice and guidance.
- Reduced harm to consumers from investment scams.[2]
- Proportionate regulation which supports innovation and competition in the consumer interest.[3]
Our planned activities
Retirement Outcomes Review
Having considered market developments since the introduction of the pension reforms, other FCA work and wider initiatives, we expect to launch a review on Retirement Outcomes in 2016/17. The review will consider the impact of the pension reforms on competition and switching in the market.
This timing will allow us to integrate our review effectively with our related work and wider initiatives, including the Financial Advice Market Review, our ongoing consultation on changes to our pension rules and guidance, our data collection exercises and the Government's next steps on exit charges and pension transfers.
In addition, our data analysis has found that many people are using the pension freedoms to either release their pension pot as cash or to choose drawdown products. These changes in behaviour present different risks to the risks of selecting an annuity. We will conduct work to help us understand how consumers react to 'wake-up packs', which encourage them to take action, and how they use and respond to the various annuity comparison tools. We will undertake work to ensure that consumers are able to make choices that are in their best interests given their circumstances.
Early exit charges cap
In February 2016, the Treasury published the results of a consultation on potential barriers to people accessing the new freedoms. The government concluded that many people face early exit charges at a level that may create a barrier to accessing their pension savings. Parliament has given us a duty to impose a cap on early exit charges, and we will develop and consult on proposals to discharge this duty. We will be consulting on this to ensure that consumers are able to use their pension freedoms and transfer their pensions more freely without unnecessary barriers.
The science behind consumer choices
The pension freedoms offer consumers new options and choices. Understanding these choices can be difficult for people with little previous experience of engaging with financial services. Yet their decisions can have a significant impact on their financial wellbeing for the rest of their lives. Consumers need the right information and encouragement to shop around for the best deal for them.
From our behavioural economics work, we know that how choices are 'framed' has a major impact on consumer behaviour around financial services. In 2014, for example, we undertook a research experiment to see how framing affected the behaviour of consumers choosing annuities.
Our study revealed that framing annuities as an 'investment' (how much it would 'cost') consistently led to consumers making very different choices compared to framing from a 'consumption' perspective (how much they would get in return). Consumers consistently chose the products framed by 'consumption', even when other choices made better financial sense. We published this research to help firms, advisers and the Government-funded Pension Wise service as they developed their communications in light of the new pension freedoms.
Towards the end of 2015, we published our consultation, Pension reforms – proposed changes to our rules and guidance, which explained that our rules on shopping around apply equally to consumers looking to take advantage of the new pension drawdown options. Our Retirement Income Market Study underlined how important it is that firms clearly explain the options available and the benefits of shopping around. We are now working with firms on new behavioural trials to test how to improve consumer communications around retirement options. We will publish the results to help ensure firms give consumers the information they need, in ways they can understand.
Pension reforms – changes to our rules and guidance
Since the pension reforms were announced in the 2014 Budget, we have made a number of necessary changes to our Handbook to protect consumers and ensure that firms were clear about our expectations in the new environment.
We also reviewed all of our regulatory requirements related to pensions and retirement income and consulted on changes to them in October 2015. We will publish a policy statement in Q2 this year, which will summarise responses to our consultation paper, and publish the final rules and guidance.
Annuities Sales Practices
We will continue our review of firms' disclosures to existing customers about enhanced annuities through their nonadvised sales processes.
We took an initial sample which indicated that customers may have been given insufficient information about the availability of enhanced annuities, their potential eligibility and the fact that they could receive a higher income if they shopped around. We have therefore asked several firms to carry out a more extensive sample review of their past annuity sales, and will assess the results of this work to decide our next steps.
'Those aged 85-plus are already the fastest growing segment of the UK population'
The secondary market in annuities
We will work with the Treasury, among others, to create a consumer protection model for the secondary annuities market which is scheduled for April 2017. We will issue a consultation paper to get input from stakeholders and consumers.
Accumulation[4] – effectiveness of Independent Governance Committees
In 2016/17 we will undertake a review of the effectiveness of Independent Governance Committees (IGCs). The review will assess how effective IGCs are in helping pension providers deliver value for money for workplace pension policyholders. This will include their effectiveness against the recommendations made by the Independent Project Board, where we will work closely with the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP).
Cracking down on scams
The ability to release pensions as cash heightens the risk of people being targeted by fraudsters. We will co-ordinate our intelligence and activities on pension scams and unsuitable advice, enabling us to take action as necessary, and continue to run our ScamSmart campaign to educate and empower consumers to actively avoid scams.
Measures of success
- An improvement in consumers' satisfaction with their pension providers.
- A reduction in complaints about advice on pensions.
- Over time, increased evidence of a range of products in the market tailored to the new pension reforms.
- Increased consumer awareness and understanding of scams and techniques used by fraudsters.
- Greater use of our online resources to help consumers avoid scams.
Financial crime and Anti-Money Laundering
The UK financial system is a major global hub which attracts investment and activity from across the world. However, this can also attract criminals and terrorist organisations seeking to hide the proceeds of crime among the huge volumes of legitimate business. It is imperative that the UK financial system has appropriate safeguards to prevent financial crime. At the same time, it is important we ensure that financial crime regimes are proportionate and operate efficiently and that any unintended consequences of regulation are minimised.
We also want to reduce and prevent the harm caused by investment scams, including pension scams, and increase consumer awareness of the dangers of investing in unauthorised schemes.
We recognise that these are areas where partner agencies also have responsibilities and a key role to play. We will undertake work on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and scams in collaboration with law enforcement partners and other agencies, with actions being taken by the appropriate organisations.
In the search for profit and growth, firms may change the risk criteria they use to assess new clients leading to weaker checks and controls.
Higher costs and falling profits may cause firms to cut investment in systems and controls. The growth of digital tools increases the risk of online financial crime and cyber-attacks.
Financial crime requirements, together with a range of other factors, including reduced profitability, may cause banks to de-risk their product ranges inappropriately. This may restrict access to financial services to whole groups of individuals or businesses.
Consumers may become more vulnerable to fraudsters. Pension reforms create a new market for scammers.
Outcomes we seek
- The UK financial system is a hostile sector for money launderers, using intelligence effectively to take early action that prevents money laundering.
- The unintended consequences of Anti-Money Laundering regulation are minimised.
- Firms' AML processes do not exclude people unfairly or unreasonably from using financial services. We will explore new ways, including technology, of solving this issue.
- AML requirements are proportionate and operate efficiently.
- Harm to consumers from investment scams is reduced because:
- we help consumers to spot the warning signs and avoid scams, including pension scams
- we take action against those firms and individuals who perpetrate scams under the guise of regulated activity
Our planned activities
Anti-Money Laundering (AML)
We will continue our due diligence on firms and individuals applying for authorisation and our proactive supervisory assessments of firms whose business models present a higher inherent risk of money laundering.
We will roll out our Financial Crime Annual Data Return, enabling us to focus our supervision on the right firms. Where we find firms with material weaknesses in their money laundering controls, we will use our enforcement powers to send a deterrent message to industry and/or impose business restrictions to limit the level of risk. We will also refer cases to other law enforcement agencies where we identify suspected money laundering.
We will use intelligence, including from whistleblowers, to prevent money launderers using the financial system. To support this, we will further encourage good whistleblowing intelligence from the industry, either directly to firms covered by our new rules on whistleblowing or to us. We will continue to support individuals who blow the whistle to the FCA, and ensure that we provide them with the anonymity they need, as best we can.
We will work closely with the Treasury on the EU's Fourth Money Laundering Directive (4MLD) which requires implementation in the UK by mid-2017. We will also continue to work with the European Supervisory Authorities on drafting guidance to support 4MLD.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is a global intergovernmental body which sets standards for combating financial crime and related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. We will continue to be a major participant in the FATF and will carry out a mutual evaluation review of the UK in late 2017. We will continue to review and refine our AML supervisory approach so that it meets the latest international standards.
Proportionate and effective response to de-risking
We know that de-risking by banks is causing problems for some groups of consumers. While we do not control this process, we are undertaking work to help address the issue. We will complete our de-risking impact assessment in Q1 2016, giving us a clearer picture of the nature, scale and drivers of de-risking. We will work with Government, firms and others to create a proportionate strategic response.
We will also carry out work looking at how new technology can make AML processes more efficient, reduce financial exclusion, make it less onerous for customers and encourage easier switching between financial services providers.
ScamSmart campaign
Our 2015 ScamSmart[5] campaign was an effective crime prevention campaign aimed at retired consumers and those approaching retirement. It stresses the importance of rejecting cold calls, checking our warning list before making an investment and getting impartial advice.
In 2016/17, we will run a new phase of the ScamSmart campaign which will include advertising, new information on our website, press activity and communications through partners. We will use this to build further awareness and strengthen our key messages around the dangers posed by investment scams.
As part of ScamSmart we created an interactive tool, the FCA Warning List, to help people avoid potential scams. We also publish consumer alerts which provide a list of organisations we suspect are active but not authorised and regulated by the appropriate regulator. We will continue to monitor and improve these resources as part of our ongoing prevention work.
'We will further encourage good whistleblowing intelligence from the industry, either directly to firms covered by our new rules on whistleblowing or to us'
We will focus on action against firms and individuals who perpetrate scams. We have a range of enforcement tools to tackle those engaging in unauthorised business, including civil court action to stop activity and freeze assets, insolvency proceedings and, for the most serious cases, criminal prosecution.
Only a limited number of investment scams will fall within our remit, so effective co-ordination with other agencies and a continued focus on prevention, including better consumer education, is critical to achieving long-term success in this area.
We will co-ordinate our efforts across our supervisory, intelligence and enforcement functions in our work on scams and, in particular, those that are targeted at consumers' pensions. We will work closely with other regulators and law enforcement agencies through initiatives such as Project Bloom which tackles pension scams. We will also refresh our ScamSmart crime prevention campaign to help those most at risk to avoid being scammed.
We are a member of the Government's Joint Fraud Taskforce, announced in February, which brings together law enforcement agencies, firms and regulators to better identify and respond to fraud.
Measures of success
- Over the medium to long term, an improvement in firms' AML controls, measured through scores from our routine AML supervisory work.
- Over the medium to long term, an improvement in the perception of the UK's AML regime from international assessors and overseas authorities.
- Increased consumer awareness and understanding of scams and techniques used by fraudsters.
- Greater use of our online resources to help consumers avoid scams.
Wholesale financial markets
Clean, effective and competitive wholesale financial markets are vital to the UK's economic prosperity. Globally, they provide access to financing for firms and governments and investment opportunities for retail and institutional investors. Their effectiveness relies on them being, and being perceived to be, fair, transparent and efficient.
Heightened uncertainty about the global economic outlook and diverging monetary policies continue to create volatility in financial markets, which may undermine investor confidence and affect both prudential and conduct considerations.
Financial returns dictate business culture. Firms could prioritise financial results over good conduct in evaluating and incentivising staff performance.
Wholesale banks fail to strengthen their conflict of interest management and trader controls. Ineffective procedures and poor oversight of business, supplier and new client processes leads to misconduct and potential loss.
Outcomes we seek
- Clean, effective and competitive wholesale financial markets that enjoy the confidence of all who undertake market activity in the UK, including raising debt and equity capital and enabling risk management.
- We regulate wholesale financial markets proactively and respond to the way markets evolve to ensure market integrity.
- An enhancement of the monitoring and surveillance capability of the FCA, markets participants' and market infrastructures' across markets to detect, disrupt and deter market misconduct.
- An increase in the efficiency and effectiveness of primary markets to ensure they meet the needs of issuers and investors.
- Both corporate and individual market participants take responsibility for their part in maintaining clean, fair, effective and competitive markets. Firms and individuals understand the standards and rules that apply to them and are held accountable for their conduct.
Our planned activities
Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) and Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (MiFIR)
As wholesale markets continue to evolve with new technology and market practices, the rules proscribing and prohibiting abusive behaviour must remain effective and up-to-date.
In 2016 we will finish implementing, and start applying, the new EU Market Abuse Regulation (MAR). This will strengthen the existing UK market abuse framework by extending its scope to new markets, new platforms and new behaviours. Under the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (MiFIR), from January 2018 firms will be required to report across a wider range of fields and assets classes which will significantly contribute to the effectiveness of our market abuse efforts.
We will work further during the year to prepare for or embed these new regimes to produce the most effective response to the threat that market abuse poses to our markets.
Fair and Effective Markets Review (FEMR)
In 2014/15, the FCA worked with the Bank of England and the Treasury to conduct the Fair and Effective Markets Review (FEMR). This is a comprehensive and forward-looking assessment of the way wholesale Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities (FICC) markets operate. The final report was published in June 2015 and made 21 recommendations for the UK authorities, the UK Government, international standard setters and the financial industry. We also provided advice and assistance to the Treasury on the FEMR recommendation to extend elements of the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR) to authorised firms in FICC markets. Proposals to extend the SM&CR to all authorised firms are included in the Bank of England and Financial Services Bill now before Parliament.
In 2016/17 we will undertake work which includes:
- Supervising the major UK FICC benchmarks which are now regulated as a result of the recommendations of FEMR.
- Introducing enhanced regulatory reference rules as part of the new Senior Managers and Certification Regime to help firms prevent the 'recycling' of individuals with poor conduct records between firms.
- Providing advice and assistance to the Treasury on FEMR recommendations that require primary legislation, including the proposed extension of elements of the Senior Managers and Certification Regimes to all authorised firms, via the Bank of England and Financial Services Bill.
- Working with international counterparts to improve conduct and how wholesale financial markets at the global level are structured and operate, including supporting the Bank of England and other central banks in their work to develop a global FX code.
- Liaising with the new FICC Market Standards Board (FMSB) regarding emerging risks in global FICC markets and other important industry-led efforts to raise standards in these markets.
- Incorporating the Review's findings into our forward- looking supervision of FICC markets and market participants.
The new MiFID regime
We will work to ensure that the implementation of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) II realises the potential of the legislation to change markets significantly for the better.
MiFID, which sets the conditions for authorisation and ongoing regulatory requirements for investment firms, and regulates buying, selling and organised trading of shares, units in collective investment schemes, bonds and derivatives, has been revised. The new regime, known as MiFID II, is a comprehensive set of reforms. It will reshape the secondary trading of financial instruments, particularly derivatives. It aims to ensure firms make the best interests of clients central to their business across retail and wholesale markets.
The European Commission has proposed[6] that the date from which MiFID will apply should be put back by a year to January 2018. Domestically we will publish further consultation papers, following on from CP15/43, to make the necessary changes to our Handbook, primarily to add new conduct of business and organisational requirements. We will continue to educate and prepare firms for the implementation of the new rules and also develop our own capabilities in order to supervise against these requirements.
We will also continue to contribute to the practical work of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) on implementation and guidance on the interpretation of the legislation for market participants.
Primary market effectiveness
Primary markets play a crucial role in supporting prosperity and providing investment opportunities. In 2016/17 we will undertake a number of pieces of work to ensure the UK's primary markets continue to be effective, by:
- Contributing to the negotiation of the proposed new Prospectus Regulation (known as 'PD3'), and implementing smoothly and in a way that is sympathetic to the broader aims of the Capital Markets Union initiative.
- Working with market participants to examine options for improving the availability of information in the UK IPO process.
- Improving the effectiveness of the UK's primary debt markets to better meet the needs of issuers and investors.
- Reviewing the structure of listed markets more generally to ensure they continue to best serve the needs of the modern economy.
Asset management market study
We will continue our market study into asset management to assess if competition is working effectively and whether investors get value for money when they purchase asset management services.
Last year we published the terms of reference for this market study.[7] We aim to publish an interim report in summer 2016 and a final report in early 2017.
Measures of success
An upward trend in the reputation of the UK as a financial centre.
An increase in confidence in relevant markets. This will be measured by perception surveys, data on trade volumes, fees and spreads in various asset classes and by the market cleanliness statistic, which provides an indication of the proportion of potential insider trading occurrences.
Consumers need more support. As consumers' needs, finances and financial literacy become more varied and complex, the need for appropriate, accessible advice and products is growing.
Advisers may not always give consumers the most suitable investment advice, may offer a limited range of products or have staff reward schemes that motivate sales over suitability.
Consumers may reject paid-for financial advice because of the potential cost. They may choose non-advised sales, even when support is better for their needs.
Complex charging structures and poor transparency make it harder for consumers to compare products.
Outcomes we seek
- Affordable, accessible advice options that meet consumers' needs.
- Advice is of appropriate quality and suitable for consumers' needs.
- Advice, including low cost advice, is delivered in innovative and accessible ways.
- The cost of advice is clear and transparent.
- Firms develop good quality, transparent and low cost non-advised options for consumers who do not want advised services.
Our planned activities
Delivering the Financial Advice Market Review
The Financial Advice Market Review (FAMR) was established with the aim of identifying ways to make the UK's financial advice market work better for consumers. The Review had a wide scope, and aimed to look across the entire financial services market in order to improve the availability of support to help people with their financial decision-making, particularly those who do not have significant wealth or income.
We launched the Review in August 2015 and issued a joint Call for Input with the Treasury. The final report was published in March 2016. The report set out a series of recommendations aimed at stimulating the development of a market that provides affordable and accessible financial advice and guidance for everyone, at all stages of their lives. These included recommendations for the FCA to:
- Simplify and clarify the regulation of financial guidance.
- Support firms offering 'streamlined advice' on a limited range of consumer needs.
- Create a specialist Advice Unit operating in a similar way to the FCA's Project Innovate to give regulatory support to new automated advice models.
- Clarify certain rules relating to financial advisers including on cross subsidisation, training and fact finds.
- Consider introducing risk based levies or wider funding classes as part of the FSCS Funding Review.
The review also contained recommendations for the FCA, Government, and industry designed to increase consumer engagement with financial advice, including through the provision of workplace advice.
We will work on implementing the recommendations throughout the year, as well as developing clear policies to support the development of the advice market. The FSCS Funding Review will commence in April 2016.
The FCA and the Treasury will report jointly to the Economic Secretary and FCA Board in 2017 on the progress made towards implementation. In 2019, both organisations will conduct a review of the outcomes from FAMR.
'The FAMR report sets out a series of recommendations aimed at stimulating the development of a market that provides affordable and accessible financial advice and guidance for everyone, at all stages of their lives'
Professionalism and the suitability of advice
Our supervisory focus will continue to be on supporting increased professionalism in the financial advice sector. We will increase our communications with the sector and continue to assess how suitable advice is, monitoring any changes that result from implementing proposals from the Financial Advice Market Review.
Measures of success
- An improvement in consumer satisfaction scores about financial advice.
- An improvement in consumer's complaints data about advice.
Innovation and technology
Technology plays a fundamental and increasingly pivotal role in delivering innovative products and services. We must strike a balance between supporting innovation that benefits consumers and ensuring they have adequate protection.
There are also risks associated with technology. We have a role to play in ensuring firms' technology and systems become more resilient to both cyber-attacks and more traditional outages, safeguarding consumers and markets and building confidence in the effectiveness of financial technology.
Widespread adoption of technology is likely to be limited by vulnerabilities in the design and management of systems and infrastructure.
Many firms remain reliant on complex IT infrastructures which can make it difficult for them to maintain key services such as payments. These risks may be exacerbated by the ring-fencing of retail banks, unless firms use appropriate planning to manage them.
Tighter margins are leading more firms to outsource processes to third-party firms, yet firms have little or no control over the security or functionality of these providers systems and processes.
Cyber-attacks are increasing and pose risks to consumers and markets. Some attacks are likely to be successful and firms may not have adequate defences or effective plans to identify and respond to them.
Rigid regulation may stifle innovation in financial services.
Outcomes we seek
- Our regulation encourages an increase in innovation to the benefit of consumers, ensuring customers' current and future needs are met affordably and appropriately.
- Our support of RegTech[9] enables more efficient and effective regulation and compliance.
- Firms' and markets' technology becomes increasingly resilient to cyber threats. Tested and successful plans mitigate the impact of cyber-attacks, increasing confidence.
- Firms manage maintenance and change to infrastructure well. The frequency of events involving disruption of service or consumer loss reduces. If consumers suffer loss, firms deliver proportionate and timely redress.
- Firms' technology supports their current and future business strategy, enabling ongoing innovation which meets consumer and market needs
Our planned activities
Encouraging innovation, competition and new entrants to the market
We support innovation that advances our objectives and benefits consumers. Project Innovate is the FCA's response to the wave of innovation taking place in financial services. It helps firms of all sizes develop innovative ideas that meet consumer needs. We will increase both awareness and the capacity of Project Innovate to provide advice and support for innovative developments which increase competition in the interests of consumers.
We will increase our signposting of firms to regulators in other jurisdictions to encourage UK-based firms to grow internationally, and support non-UK investors entering the UK market.
We will launch a Regulatory Sandbox, creating a safe place for businesses to test new ideas to ensure they meet regulatory requirements. This will accelerate the development and testing of genuinely novel products which benefit consumers and provide a leading example to regulators in other countries. We expect more firms to come to market as a result.
We will use the results from our Call for Input on RegTech to shape our strategy to reduce the regulatory burden on firms on both RegTech and FinTech, [10] while delivering greater compliance. We will also define our, and the industry's, risk tolerances in this area.
Operational resilience
Firms' reliance on complex infrastructures increases the potential for problems and outages of key systems. Our work in this area will include communicating to firms our expectations of them with regard to effective IT and operational resilience, and working with them to understand their capabilities in this area. This will include the ability for firms to identify key assets, manage and protect them appropriately, be able to detect when things go wrong, respond and recover effectively, as well as having the necessary governance in place to manage the risks and learn from experiences. We will also continue to carry out reactive work when outages occur to understand their impact on consumers and markets and how firms respond to them.
Keeping pace with developments in Big Data
We will use the results from our Call for Input on Big Data use in the general insurance sector to better understand how Big Data affects customers and whether it fosters competition. We will also analyse how our regulatory framework affects Big Data developments to decide whether we will conduct a market study or take a different approach. This will be our first detailed study of Big Data and we will use what we learn in our work with other sectors.
Cyber crime
We will continue to work collaboratively with the Treasury, the Bank of England and other authorities to ensure a joined-up and risk-based approach to cyber-crime. This will ensure we direct our resources at areas of greatest need and work directly with the firms and markets with the greatest risks.
We will also provide education tools to help all firms deal with the risk of cyber-crime and respond swiftly to cyberattacks.
Automated advice
For new products, we will continue to monitor the development of automated advisory services (often described as 'robo advice') in the financial sector, as well as new drawdown products being designed and delivered in response to the new pension freedoms.
We have accepted FAMR's recommendation to create an 'Advice Unit' to support firms with automated advice models with the potential to deliver affordable and accessible financial advice to consumers.
Measures of success
- An increase in the number of requests for Innovation Hub support.
- Positive feedback from participants in the Innovation Hub, and new market entries.
- In the medium term, a reduction in the number of critical system failures or outages in firms.
A 'safe space' to test innovation
Consumer needs are constantly evolving and innovative solutions are required to meet them. Too often, however, firms have to spend considerable amounts of money bringing innovation to market, not least because they must meet regulatory requirements immediately. This acts as a brake on developing new services and products and limits competition.
We wanted to find ways to reduce the time and potential cost of getting innovative ideas to market. We also wanted to work with innovators to build in consumer protection from the start. So this Spring we plan to expand our successful Project Innovate to open a Regulatory Sandbox. This will give firms which meet our eligibility criteria a safe space to test innovation without immediately having to meet all the normal regulatory requirements.
They will be able to test new products, services, business models and delivery systems. Unauthorised firms will benefit from restricted authorisation for testing purposes, and all eligible firms will have the potential benefit of individual guidance, waivers and no enforcement action letters.
We want more firms to embrace innovation. One of our recommendations is for industry to consider setting up a not-for-profit company to act as a sandbox 'umbrella', and we look forward to their response. In the meantime, we hope our sandbox will speed up the time it takes for new and innovative products to reach market and start benefitting consumers.
Firms' culture and governance
We want to see firms managed in a way that promotes appropriate culture and behaviours. We want firms' governance and culture to contribute to delivering good outcomes for customers and market integrity, and to promote effective competition in the interest of consumers.
We expect firms to have effective governance arrangements in place to identify the risks they run in their business models and operations, and a strategy to manage and mitigate these risks to deliver fair outcomes to customers, clients and market integrity. While the specific design of governance arrangements provides an infrastructure for how firms are run, our focus is on their effectiveness. Firms' senior managers have a crucial role in demonstrating that they are accountable and responsible for their part in delivering effective governance, including taking responsibility and being accountable for the decisions they make and exercising rigorous oversight of the business areas they lead.
Culture is a set of shared values and norms that characterise a particular organisation – the mind-sets that drive behaviours in firms. Firms need to own and manage their cultures at all levels and understand the drivers that will help or hinder them to achieve the cultures they aspire to. We want firms to understand the importance we attach to delivering culture change, where it is relevant to our statutory objectives, and evidence it by outcomes, with clear indicators that the drivers of culture are measured, monitored and managed.
Boards have a critical role in setting the 'tone from the top'. We expect them to take responsibility for their firms' culture, ensure it remains high on firms' agendas and that this tone is replicated throughout the firm. Senior managers need to ensure that their firm's business processes, people and other drivers of culture support and reinforce the culture they want to embed.
This should, over time, result in improved culture and governance in the industry. It should also promote public confidence that firms have the right people in the right roles, working in the interests of consumers and markets.
Poor cultures in firms drive behaviours that result in poor outcomes for consumers and markets.
Firms' strategies, business models and governance arrangements are not aligned with firms' values and good conduct.
Incentive structures and performance management do not reward behaviours that act in the long-term interests of customers and market integrity.
Weak governance and lack of accountability create poor oversight of risks to customer and market integrity risks in how firms are run.
Outcomes we seek
- Firms develop a culture of accountability at all levels and senior individuals are fully accountable for defined business activities and material risks.
- Firms and senior managers can explain principles of good conduct towards customers and markets and incorporate them throughout their business, producing better consumer outcomes.
- Firms proactively identify the risks their strategies, business models and cultures present to delivering good market and consumer outcomes. They act to address them, using appropriate systems and controls and acting appropriately on whistleblowing intelligence.
- Firms ensure that their strategies, business models, systems and controls and other drivers of culture are aligned with firms' values and support good outcomes; incentive structures and performance management reward positive behaviours and create a culture that works in the long-term interests of the firm, its customers and market integrity.
- Firms take steps to proactively identify and address issues when things go wrong, and can demonstrate that they learn from such events.
- Increased trust in financial services in the UK.
Our planned activities
Accountability and governance
The key aims of the SM&CR are to enhance individual accountability at the most senior levels in deposit takers and PRA-designated investment firms, and enhance their standards of conduct at all levels. We expect firms and their senior managers to apply the spirit, as well as the letter, of the regime.
Our revised framework for insurers is another important part of our drive to raise standards of individual conduct across financial services. Different requirements exist to ensure proportionate requirements on firms, depending on whether they fall under Solvency II.
The new regimes should provide clarity for both firms and regulators about each senior manager's responsibilities. We will use firms' responsibilities maps and individual senior managers' statements of responsibilities throughout the regulatory lifecycle, including when approving individuals, supervising individuals and firms and considering enforcement. These tools will further help us to identify and assess key senior individuals in the context of their management and governance arrangements. We will use the new tools with relevant firms as part of our proactive engagement, for example to inform discussions about management and governance arrangements.
Relevant firms will also need to carry out fitness and propriety checks on all individuals subject to the Certification Regime, and comply with notification and training requirements for the application of conduct rules to all but ancillary staff.
We will continue to embed the new regime in our supervisory approach and processes, and focus on how SM&CR is integrated in the way deposit takers and PRA-designated firms are run.
We will also begin developing our policy on extending the accountability regime to all FSMA firms, including further developing the regime for insurers.
Our focus on the culture in financial services firms and its impact on conduct has been, and remains, a priority, and we will continue this work with firms and other bodies. As regulators, our focus is on the most significant drivers of good or poor mindsets and behaviours, such as incentives and remuneration, and the steps firms take which address associated risks. We are interested in the direction of travel of firms' cultures and if indicators show progress. We will use a range of supervisory tools and methods to engage with firms individually on issues of conduct and culture, tailored to each sector. We will continue to demand high standards of conduct, backed by supervision and enforcement action if necessary so that appropriate culture remains a top priority for firms' management.
We have carried out significant work on incentives and performance management and we will continue our focus on remuneration. We have enhanced our Remuneration Code for dual-regulated firms to encourage more effective risk management, and to better align individual decision making with good standards of conduct.
We want to ensure that remuneration policies and practices promote the link between risk and individual reward, discourage excessive risk taking and short termism and encourage sound and effective risk management. In turn, this will support positive behaviours and a strong and appropriate culture within firms.
In 2016/17, we will continue to review our regulatory framework governing remuneration, including supporting firms to understand and implement remuneration requirements. We will continue to review the firms' approaches to regime implementation to ensure these are in line with regulatory requirements and our wider objectives.
We will also continue to support and drive culture change as the conduct regulator. We will promote constructive discussions with various stakeholders, including industry and consumer groups, to gain a better understanding of how to achieve long-lasting cultural change across markets. This will include understanding the key drivers of culture and how they can be used to promote good conduct. We will also continue to offer support to, and participate in, the increasing number of initiatives on culture in financial services from outside the FCA.
We have covered our Fair and Effective Markets Review work in the Wholesale financial markets section of this Business Plan.
Measures of success
Over the medium to long term:
- Senior managers are demonstrably accountable and effective, and there is a culture of accountability at all levels.
- Firms respond to material risk events by applying robust, comprehensive remuneration measures based on actual loss and harm.
- Firms can demonstrate that they act appropriately on whistleblowing intelligence.
- An increase in the proportion of crystallised risks that are self-identified and proactively addressed by the firms rather than by the regulator.
Treatment of existing customers
Tougher economic conditions may lead to firms seeking to 'manage' back book customers into more expensive/default products.
A growing number of over-indebted mortgage holders and those with limited access to credit. A future rise in interest rates may make it harder for borrowers, including those already in payment difficulties, to repay. If credit conditions tighten this can leave higher risk consumers with limited options.
Firms may restructure products, bundling together add-on services to make comparison difficult or lock borrowers into higher rates.
Firms may apply unjustified exit or switching fees which reduce competition.
Consumers' weak bargaining position could give Investment Management firms little incentive to compete on value for money.
Outcomes we seek
Existing consumers enjoy the benefits of increased competition and innovation by firms in products and services, particularly:
- Firms give more information to customers on renewal in the relevant sectors, making pricing more transparent.
- There is greater product choice and availability.
- Barriers to switching or exiting are removed.
- Firms pay due regard to the interests of their existing customers and actively engage with them to give them a good service and improved outcomes.
- Firms actively compete to retain customers rather than taking loyalty for granted.
'We have seen poor practice in the treatment of existing customers who become inactive'
Our planned activities
Competition in retail banking
In 2014, following concerns that essential parts of the UK retail banking sector do not compete effectively and fail to meet the needs of personal consumers or small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched its retail banking investigation.
We have worked with the CMA throughout this investigation, giving them constructive feedback and sharing our experience of financial services sectors. In 2015 the CMA published its interim findings and 15 provisional remedies. In March this year, the CMA also published four additional remedies focusing on overdrafts. This package of proposed remedies aims to:
- Increase customer awareness of the potential benefits of switching and prompt shopping around.
- Support customers' ability to make comparisons between providers.
- Make Business Current Account opening easier.
- Improve the switching process.
- Reduce the advantages banks have from incumbency (existing customers' reluctance to switch).
- Help SMEs compare the different loans available to them.
The CMA will publish its final report this summer and its provisional decision on remedies in May. The CMA has suggested it may make recommendations to the FCA to implement a number of the final proposals. We expect this to be a key element of our work to improve the effectiveness of competition in retail banking.
'Consumers are often put off switching because they expect it to be difficult'
Cash savings market study follow-up
Our Cash savings market study found that the market was not working well for many consumers. In particular, many providers hold significant amounts of consumers' savings balances in accounts opened more than five years ago. These older accounts pay lower interest rates than newer ones, and firms currently give little information to these customers about alternative products. Consumers are often put off switching because they expect it to be difficult and see little gain from opening another account.
We are developing a package of remedies to deliver improved customer awareness about the interest rates on their accounts, their providers' strategies to long-standing customers and to encourage more shopping around. In 2015, following consultation, we published our final rules for various disclosure remedies. This year, following completion of real-life trials, we will consult on a second package of remedies to improve transparency and increase shopping around and switching.
Fair treatment of long-standing customers in the life insurance sector
In March 2016 we published a report setting out our findings from the thematic review of the fair treatment of long-standing customers in life insurance. We found a mixed picture in the firms we reviewed, demonstrating good practice in one or more areas and poor practice in other areas.
We have therefore decided to undertake further work in relation to this matter. We will consult on non-Handbook guidance which will provide firms with extra detail on the actions they should be taking in order to treat their closedbook customers fairly in the future. We will convene an industry-wide discussion with a view to industry reaching a voluntary solution to capping or removing exit and/or paid-up charges on investments of the type that were the subject of the thematic review.
We will work with the firms we reviewed to address the specific findings identified through our ongoing supervisory work. In addition, we will consider whether some of the firms have failed to meet our standards and, if so, whether remedial and/or disciplinary action is necessary in relation to these firms or others across the market.
Measures of success
Over the medium to long term we expect to see an upward trend in existing customers' perception of:
- Choice of products.
- Comparison between products and services.
- Ease of switching.
- ^ http://www.fca.org.uk/news/dp16-01-ageing-population
- ^ See further detail in the Financial Crime and Anti Money Laundering section of this Business Plan.
- ^ See further detail in the Innovation and Technology section of this Business Plan.
- ^ Accumulation means saving for retirement.
- ^ www.scamsmart.fca.org.uk
- ^ http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-265_en.htm?locale=en
- ^ https://www.fca.org.uk/news/asset-management-market-study
- ^ FCA 'Retirement Income Market Data: July – September 2015': www.fca.org.uk/your-fca/documents/retirement-income-market-data-july-september-2015
- ^ 'RegTech' is the adoption and use of technology to assist financial services firms to understand and meet their regulatory requirements more efficiently or effectively.
- ^ 'FinTech' is the term which describes the intersection between finance and technology. It can refer to technical innovation applied in a traditional financial services context or to innovative financial services that disrupt the existing financial services market.


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Before I met my employer in Bogota and began my apartment search, Luis Carlos led me to his parent´s house, which was in a courtyard behind a tailor shop near the center of Chia. We walked past his parent´s large courtyard. Along one wall were large bird cages with nearly a dozen green parrots that looked alike. As I walked past them I naturally had to put my finger through the wire openings and pulled back when they tried to bite. Luis Carlos walked along the other wall, smiling.
Then we walked into his father´s workshop. The room was cluttered with hand tools and art supplies. His father, Pedro Antonio Mejia, was painting small wooden dogs with a small brush. He looked like an older version of Luis Carlos. He had the same bushy mustache, only his was white and blond. He was nearly bald except for some fluffy white hair on the sides of his head. He wore glasses and suspenders and had a potbelly like his son. After a brief chat with Luis Carlos, we walked upstairs to Pedro´s bedroom. Just outside his bedroom a diploma hung on the wall - it was Luis Carlos, who graduated with a journalism degree. Inside the bedroom hung paintings, figures, and small, ornate wooden carvings of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and other saints that he had created. He obviously was a religious man. He also liked to drink. When Luis Carlos left he grabbed a margarita bottle from his shelf and we had a shot together. When Luis Carlos returned, he laughed. It was only later I found out his father was 85 years old.
That night, after dinner, Luis Carlos poured us each a shot of aguardiente. His wife, Fabiola, had cooked us dinner as she did for every meal. She rarely drank and was upstairs. Luis Carlos sat at the dinner table while watching the Yankees playing in New York on his small television. Either the television or music always seems to be on in Colombian homes. But I´ll discuss those topics later. So aguardiente is clear and warms the body. (Aguardiente probably got its name from the words for water and hot, agua and caliente. It is to Colombians what tequila is to Mexicans. I had told him I was cold. In Bogota it is hot during the day and cold at night. Because it is 8,661 feet above sea level it doesn´t feels humid. Luis Carlos didn´t have heating. Only the cold water faucets worked, and the shower was only hot when it wasn´t cold outside. Hence, I couldn´t take a nice, hot shower. But he told me Aguardiente would warm me up. One shot truned into six shots, and we had finished what remained in the 750 ml bottle. That is when he reached on his shelf and pulled out a carton of aguardiente. It seemed odd. Why would it come in a juice box carton. The carton was one liter. Luis Carlos said it was better from the carton. Sure enough, he was right. I then excused myself to take a shower and organize my belongings. When I returned downstairs, Luis Carlos poured me a few more shots against my will. He said he had had 34 shots. Granted he wasn´t drinking alone, as a friend of his had stopped by but drank only whiskey. I grabbed the carton and shook it. It was now only a quarter full. He told me that his house was also my house and that he considered me one of his sons. He had driven me all over Bogota looking for apartments and chauffered me around. I knew he was drunk but I had to smile and thank him. He had never asked me for a thing and even though it had been difficult communicating, he never stopped trying. The more he drank the more English he spoke. I was surprised. He had only used a word here and there and was now putting together complete sentences. As I joked with him later, drinking aguardiente is a great help when learning English.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Like Father, Like Son
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Muslim Girls Fence
Breaking down stereotypes about Muslim communities and empowering young women through the sport of fencing
"I feel like I can do anything anything I want. It's me, myself. The [fencing] mask makes me confident."
The girl in the mask could be any girl. You see a fencing mask. It's removed to reveal a young girl in a hijab. She is an image of quiet confidence.
The Maslaha project aims to disrupt conventional ideas and misperceptions about young Muslim women. Has it scored a hit? Is this the image that comes to mind when you think of Muslim women?
Breaking stereotypes about girls – and Muslims
A strong confident fencer probably isn't your first thought when it comes to young Muslim women, says Latifa Akay, project manager for Muslim Girls Fence: "The images we see every day of Muslim women in the press, in the media, are so one-dimensional. How do you shift public imagination about what a Muslim is, what a Muslim woman can be, and change the narratives around Muslim communities? You need to do something quite radical or unusual to do that. And listen to Muslim communities speaking on their own terms. We're using fencing, that's something unusual."
Muslim Girls Fence is a collaboration between Maslaha, British Fencing and Sport England. The initiative breaks down stereotypes of fencing as a male and white-dominated elite sport not accessible to young people of racialized backgrounds. The project challenges misconceptions, builds confidence and empowers young Muslim women to lift their aspirations as they enter an adult world.
Maslaha is a London-based organization that works to change the conditions that create inequalities for Muslim communities. With success tackling wicked problems in such areas as health, education and the criminal justice system, taking on a white, male-dominated sport like fencing and a maligned cultural community was the kind of challenge – and opportunity – they embrace.
Muslim Girls Fence as launched as an 8-week pilot project at Frederick Bremer school in East London between December 2015 and March 2016, and has been expanding ever since. Akay credits the project's success to the girls and their role as ambassadors: "They're taking back power, speaking on their own terms, reclaiming their narrative
It's about sports, but it's not about sports
On the face of it, the project is about getting girls into sport. But it is about so much more than that. Fencing workshops are interspersed with sessions on identity and feminism. The girls are encouraged to become their own story tellers, to speak for themselves instead of being spoken about. In 2016, the novice fencers eagerly participated in London's Women of the World Festival, where they spoke to national and international media about the project in their own words.
For Maslaha, the project makes perfect sense. Founded in East London in 2007, Maslaha works on changing and challenging the conditions that create inequalities for Muslim communities in the UK, where Muslim women experience complex discrimination based on both faith and gender. Almost two thirds of UK Islamophobic incidences happen to women. So building resilience and creating more confidence among Muslim girls is an important goal for Muslim Girls Fence.
Working with strategic partners
Like many sports organizations in highly diverse cities, British Fencing wants to make its sport more inclusive and accessible to young people of all backgrounds, starting in London. The pitch got a bit easier with the profile and success of American fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, a hijab-wearing Muslim woman who represented the United States Olympic fencing team in 2016. Muhammad has described fencing as 'uniquely accommodating' for Muslim women. The fact that she could wear the same fencing kit as everyone else meant that for the first time she 'truly felt like part of the team.'
The Olympian's success brought pride to 13-year old fencer Serhildan Gocmen: "I watched the Olympic fencing team and felt really proud of myself for being able to tell my sister their moves. Most people don't know about fencing." Serhildan is also keenly aware of the challenges she faces as a Muslim girl: "Girls don't get this sort of opportunity and people are biased, saying Muslim girls can't do this – it's been mostly white British men [fencing] – but now it's getting heard around the world. Lots of people can pick up fencing."
A counter-narrative
Project leaders also understand the need to counter the force of pervasively negative images of Muslim women projected in mainstream media. For this reason the project has also involved the production of an exhibition and short film in an effort to breach a public imagination that is being ever constricted by the media and government preoccupation with a certain type of Muslim woman. The exhibition and film were showcased at the Women Of the World (WOW) festival 2016 at the Southbank Centre, attracting international attention and coverage: "Just because I'm Muslim and a girl and I'm not white, doesn't mean I can't fence. I can, and here I am showing you I can."
Building inclusion, one saber at a time
While Maslaha entertains global aspirations, for now, the project is focused on its impact in local communities. For the girls learning to fence, that impact is real and tangible. "I thought it was a high-class, white man's game – it wasn't really for girls," 12 year-old Assiya told The Telegraph. "But I've started to realise what fencing actually is. It isn't just about fighting – there's something more behind it… confidence."
Her 12-year old friend Rodha agrees: "When I'm fencing I feel proud because you know what you're doing it for – you're raising awareness about stereotypes and Muslim women. I just feel like… it's a new beginning."
In an Al Jazeera interview, project manager Akay elaborates on in this emerging theme among the young participants: "A lot of the girls spoke about how fencing made them feel more confident, how it had been uplifting to be part of a journey and immersed in a new activity. While some of the girls got a lot from the fencing and are keen to continue in the sport, others really enjoyed the opportunity to discuss their identities as Muslim girls, to think about tackling stereotypes and articulate this on their own terms to national and international audiences."
Maslaha translates from Arabic as "for the common good." Strategic partners, British Fencing and Sport England are both actively working to build Maslaha's value proposition into their own institutions while sharing their professional skills and expertise with Muslim Girls Fence. Their open and enthusiastic participation is important to the projects young athletes and is helping build a more inclusive culture around fencing and sports across the UK. Ensuring diversity and inclusion are embedded in their institutions and in sports like fencing means all Londoners can feel welcome to participate and included.
The project has been picked up widely by the national and international media including; Buzzfeed, AP, The Telegraph, BBC Asian Network, TRT, London Live, Al Jazeera and NBC.
Recent partners currently include Youtube and the National Theatre of Scotland.
Building on the success of the project, Maslaha is scaling up and developing a national engagement strategy and programmes across the UK. Muslim Girls Fence will expand to six locations in London and Birmingham over the next two years. Sooner, rather than later, it's likely that more Muslim Girls Fence programs will sprout in cities around the globe.
Making it Work for You:
- Each project partner brings their own agenda to the table along with their unique strengths and opportunities. Successful partnerships are those that find common ground while making room for everyone
- Make it fun. For youth to be involved, deep meaning may keep them there, but making it fun and interesting will get them out to begin with.
- Have you created space and time for participant voice? Marginalized groups, including young people, value the opportunity to have their voices heard.
- Choose a sport or activity that takes people out of their comfort zone, but ensure it's a safe space for participation.
For this Good Idea contact:
Latifa Akay, Maslaha
Free Word Centre
60 Farringdon Road
London EC1R 3GA,


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Create a guest room in minutes right in your living room with a sofa fitted with a sleeper mattress.
Blue-gray Indigo textured fabric gives this sofa sleeper a fresh look for your decor. Its scale at 75 inches wide is ideal for smaller spaces, while the two box seat cushions and track arms offer timeless contemporary style. Two accent pillows with a geometric vertical diamond pattern on one side complete the design. The memory foam pullout mattress lets you accommodate overnight guests with ease.
The Bavello Contemporary Full Sofa Sleeper with Memory Foam Mattress & Track Arms by Benchcraft by Ashley at A1 Furniture & Mattress in the Madison, WI area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
Embrace an updated look for your living room with your choice of pieces available from this contemporary furniture collection.
The Bavello collection is a great option if you are looking for Contemporary furniture in the Madison, WI area.
Browse other items in the Bavello collection from A1 Furniture & Mattress in the Madison, WI area.
This item has been tagged as: Sleeper Sofa, Sleeper Couch, Sofa with a Hide-A-Bed, Queen Sleeper Sofa, Full Size Sleeper Sofa, Sofa Bed, Love Seat Sleeper, Hide-A-Bed, Futon, Futon Sofa Sleepers, Convertible Sofa, Couch with Sleeper, Pull – Out Sofa, Couch That Becomes a Bed, Sofa Beds, Futon That Opens Into A Bed
Nothing on this page may be copied or reproduced without explicit permission.


text:
Runcorn, United Kingdom
My MTA certifications have given me the knowledge and experience I need to explore the world of IT. Not only have thousands of opportunities and career paths opened up for me, but I have opened up as well. Along the course I met some really amazing people, learned incredible things and adapted to an ever-changing market.
I would recommend QA to family and friends because the apprenticeship schemes are perfectly suited for everybody no matter what the experience. Just as long as there is a motivation to learn.


text:
Change is a good thing, a necessary thing. At the same time, I have to ask how many realize how much change is happening so quickly in oncology and cancer care? And I wonder even more how we are going to separate change that is valuable from change that is simply, well, for the sake of change.
What brought about this moment of reflection was my attendance at a conference this past week sponsored by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network focused on the future of health care. The specific topic was "The Role of Technology in America's Shifting Health Care Landscape."
After spending a day listening to discussions of change in cancer care—led primarily by emerging data analytics and health information technology—I was struck how the cancer landscape might be shifting quickly in ways that many of us don't understand, and in fact can't fathom. Putting the pieces of this puzzle together in a rational way in my opinion is beyond the capabilities of many of us, even those who have devoted our lives to understanding cancer.… Continue reading →


text:
There is no better way to secure the software you create than to digitally sign it with Code Signing SSL Certificates. Not only you maintain content authenticity, but also protect your integrity, and offer assurance to the end users that your downloadable product is safe to use.
In an online environment full of malicious hackers and cyber-attacks, Code Signing certificates are a necessity for IT companies and individual developers. What Code Signing Certificate is the best? The most expensive one would be the easiest answer, but it really depends on your product, legal setup, and, ultimately, your budget. That's why we've compiled a versatile list of Top 4 Code Signing SSL Certificates to protect software from altering and enhance customer confidence.
1. Thawte Code Signing SSL
Thawte Code Signing SSL is easy to configure and validate. Once you order it, the Certificate Authority takes care of the verification process and configuration. All you have to do is submit company documents to CA and wait for approval. Associating your software product with a powerful brand like Thawte is a shrewd move. For a medium price, this particular certificate will keep your product safe, and improve software downloads.
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Comodo is renowned for its wide range of affordable SSL products, and Comodo Code Signing SSL is no exception. Price wise, it is the cheapest option from our list, and the only certificate to secure software created by individuals. This doesn't mean it won't work for IT companies. Comodo Code Singing SSL supports both individual and business validation. Configuring it takes a bit more time and effort, but fear not, we've written a comprehensive, step by step guide on how to pass the validation. If you're an independent developer, this is the Code Signing Certificate to look for.
3. Symantec Code Signing SSL
While the previous Code Signing Certificates are all excellent options, Symantec adds a new dimension to software, scripts, and codes. It is the most popular and trusted internet security brand worldwide. Symantec Code Signing SSL is relatively cheap when you compare it to other Symantec certificates. The validation process is fast and smooth. It usually takes up to 5 days before you can use it. With Symantec, you can expect to see significant improvement in your customers' level of trust and download rates.
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Symantec Code Signing SSL with EV is the daddy of all Code Signing Certificates. Yes, it is expensive, but if you can afford it, take it and you'll never look back. It is the ideal solution for IT companies that want to cement their position in highly competitive markets. The Extended Validation offers you the famous green bar to display your company's name.
This feature alone brings you the highest level of trust and recognition from existing and potential customers. To pass the validation for Symantec Code Signing SSL with EV, you'll need to provide extensive information about your company. The list of required documents is available in our FAQ section.
We've reached the end of our list of Code Signing SSL Certificates. Hopefully, it will help individuals and companies choose the right Code Signing Certificates for their software. As always, at SSL Dragon you can reduce the price of any certificate if you buy it for multiple years. This offer can save you a lot of money, especially on Symantec products.


text:
In a patriotic, impressive and sometimes emotional ceremony, The Legends at World Golf Village dedicated their recently installed flagpole and a special American flag April 15. Nerly 75 residents turned out for the event and to see the flag, which was flown over the nation's Capitol in honor of The Legends veterans.
Terry Hammond, vice president of the condominium association and a retired U.S. Navy veteran, served as the master of ceremonies.
A color guard from the 125th Fighter Wing of the Florida Air National Guard took charge of the flag ceremony. Participating were MSGT Robert Conner, TSGT Mark Collins and SSGT Lorenzo Fox. Arrangements for the color guard were made by MSGT Paul Still.
Between the raising and lowering of the flag, Hammond read the 52 names of those Legends owners who had served or are still serving in the United States military. These names are inscribed on a bronze plaque, mounted on a boulder at the foot of the flagpole.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Rev. Alan J. Liphart, Pastor of The Village Church, offered a prayer of thanksgiving and remembrance. This was followed by a potluck supper around the Legends main pool.


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Charm, Icelandic Horse, dragging tarp down the driveway and back up. She is in charge of putting / keeping the dally rope where she wants it.
Teaching a Horse to Talk - Listen very carefully to hear the horses "talking". As they learn, they will get louder; this is just the start.
8 years ago


text: My apologies to those readers who don't read French, but I think you can get the idea from most of these amusing takes on our cell phone use. I think the one about "how nice for the whole family to be together" while they are all consulting their devices is particularly sad. Don't forget to breathe the fresh air, listen to the birdsongs and connect with other people and animals. There's a Real world out there to enjoy and love.


text:
Here is all the class offers:
The Learning Package includes:
- two videos
- collage sheets
- original artwork
- typewritten words for you to use in your art
- coupons for cheap art
- a fantastically easy way to gain access
Class has great videos and wonderful downloadable and printable papers of excellent quality bird photos and great typewriter words….. both of these are superior quality prints.
Shannon Ganshorn is such a wonderful person to offer this course and everyone can afford. So hope on over and take advantage of this wonderful class.


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Victim of brutal assault and robbery testifies at trial
The trial of Gordon Bishop and David Murray, accused of brutally stabbing and robbing a man last fall, continued in Provincial Court Wednesday.
The assault happened in a residence on Craigmillar Avenue on Sept. 1, 2012.
The victim of the attack took the stand on Wednesday to tell his side of the story.
The court was shown a knife blade that the victim says snapped off in his leg. Murray is accused of putting it there.
The victim said he knew Murray as 'the best kind.' He said they met three weeks before the assault, and Murray had been to his apartment several times.
He said he was on the couch when Murray and Bishop came to his apartment last September. It was friendly at first, until they got into the kitchen.
The victim said it was there that Murray grabbed him by the throat, grabbed the knife and said 'you are going to die today.'
He said as Murray was stabbing him, Bishop was punching him in the face, and they were both asking for his money.
The victim at first said he didn't have any – but then reached into his shorts pocket and gave them cash – between $400 and $700. He told the court the money came from selling his cab.
He said it all happened so fast he didn't have time to defend himself. The man was stabbed four times.
He added the pair took off, and he was left on the kitchen floor 'bleeding to death.' He used his cell phone to call 911, and an ambulance got there about 10 minutes later.
The Crown concluded questioning the witness Wednesday afternoon, but the defence didn't begin.
Murray's lawyer told the court they have learned of new evidence and want to take a look at it before beginning cross-examination.
The trial will resume on Feb. 12.