Wholesale Brokers

The foundation of Ocorian’s offering to wholesale brokers is the firm’s ability to cover all elements of financial regulation that affect firms in this sphere. The strength of the offering is that this coverage stems from a broad bench of experts and not a team of generalists. We can help newcomers enter the market, established firms grow compliantly, and struggling firms right the ship.

We run a team that aligns with FCA supervisory priorities. The 2025 FCA Portfolio Letter to Wholesale Brokers homed in on Financial Crime and Market Abuse, Conduct and Culture, and Capital Requirements, validating the way our team is structured to go to market: we have hubs for advice on MAR and Financial Crime, day-to-day support with capital requirements and governance, and monitoring and audit support across the universe of applicable regulation.

How Ocorian helps wholesale brokers

Support to firms will ordinarily be structured in one of four ways:

• Advisory – support with enhancing or introducing systems and controls to align with regulatory requirements
• Audit – an assessment, often to an assurance standard, of your existing systems and controls
• Ongoing support – day-to-day support managing your regulatory obligations, including regulatory returns and ad-hoc queries
• Authorisation – the preparation and management of your application to launch

Current areas we are seeing FCA scrutiny and corresponding interaction from clients include:

• Market abuse – Implementing and enhancing Market Abuse Risk Assessments (an assessment receiving greater emphasis from the FCA) and market abuse surveillance
• Prudential – With IFPR yet to enjoy the status of ‘business as usual’, we have been helping firms overhaul their ICARA and improve their regulatory returns.
• Transaction reporting – Firms continue to need support to assess the quality of their reports and, where necessary, to improve them.
• CASS – Derivatives and their treatment under the Client Money rules and the use of Title Transfer Collateral Arrangements have led a number of firms into adverse audit territory, requiring consulting support to remediate.
• Financial Crime – Aware of the enduring FCA emphasis, we have seen a steady demand for assurance engagements with firms eager to place themselves within the FCA’s zone of comfort.