How firms compete with one another, the structure of their industry, the incentives that they face and how their customers behave all combine to affect the outcomes in different markets. EPC staff have provided extensive advice in the context of competition investigations over many years. Within financial services the sector also now faces a regulator with a competition objective and concurrent competition powers meaning that the Financial Conduct Authority can launch formal anti-trust investigations across the sector.
- Advice on General Insurance Pricing Practices
Competition advice for one of the UK’s largest insurers on the FCA’s market study into General Insurance Pricing Practices
- Advice to Pay.UK on competition issues in the NPA
Advice on competition issues surrounding the New Payments Architecture within UK payment systems
- Advice on asset management market study
Advice for the Investment Association on the FCA’s market study into asset management
- Advice on wholesale insurance brokers
Competition advice on the FCA wholesale insurance brokers market study
- Advice on payment scams
Advice to Pay.UK on authorised push payment scams
- Advice on financial advice and distribution
Advice on various reviews including the Financial Advice Market Review and the Retail Distribution Review and follow on reports
- Competition advice on the investment platform market study
Advice on the FCA’s market study into investment platforms
- Competition advice to the PSR
Significant economic advice to the newly created Payment Systems Regulator particularly related to questions of competition in various parts of payment systems.
- Competition advice to the FCA
Advice to the Financial Conduct Authority on its competition objective and the selection of initial market studies.
- Competition advice on clearing
Advice to a major exchange facing a competition investigation on issues surrounding clearing and central counterparty services.