FCA Guidelines for Marketing Consumer Finance

FCA Guidelines for Marketing Consumer Finance

As a UK merchant, it’s essential to stay FCA-compliant in order to avoid regulatory issues and maintain trust with your customers.

But it’s not always clear how to best market your finance offers in accordance with FCA guidelines, especially with the upcoming 2026 changes to interest-free finance.

FCA authorised merchants must make website finance promotions clear, fair, and not misleading.

This covers banners, product pages, and checkout. Prominence and accuracy matter to avoid regulatory issues and build customer trust.

‍

Displaying Representative APRs

The representative APR is the annual percentage rate showing total credit cost (including interest), based on what at least 51% of successful applicants would get.

Fixed APR lenders: Every approved customer gets the same rate as the representative APR.

Variable APR lenders: The actual rate offered may vary based on credit score or affordability.

If mentioning interest rates or repayments, you must include a full rep example.

‍

Rules for 0% Interest-Free Finance

Merchants can only use the term "0%, Interest-Free" if there are no extra costs.

Credit products with 0% APR and ≤12 months are not currently regulated by the FCA.

FCA rules are expected to change in 2026 with interest-free offers becoming fully regulated.

So we recommend that merchants adhere to FCA guidelines when displaying 0% finance offers to ensure transparency, build trust, and prepare for the upcoming changes.

‍

Disclose Your FCA Permissions

As an authorised credit broker, you must include FCA disclosure text prominently on your website (e.g., footer, product pages).

Abbriviated example: "XYZ Solar Limited is a credit broker, not a lender. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: XXXXXX)..."

This ensures transparency about your role in the finance application process.

‍

Stay Compliant with FinMatch

FinMatch App automatically handles dynamic, FCA-compliant offers from our partner lenders for your website.

Not authorised yet? FinMatch FCA Assist gets you authorised quickly.

Ready to boost conversion safely?

Contact us today!