Information for investors on funds and other package products is to be simplified under a new proposal from the FCA.
Existing rules based on EU principles are deemed too confusing, with the plan to bring in a new easier to understand standard.
Called ‘A new product information framework for Consumer Composite Investments,’ the plan will cover funds, Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products (PRIIPs) and other investments.
According to the FCA research, more than 12.6m UK investors (23% of all adults) hold one of these types of investments.
The proposals will shift information disclosure from “an overly prescriptive disclosure regime” to a more flexible, simpler approach, the FCA said.
Under the rules, a CCI is an investment where the returns are dependent on the performance of, or changes in, the value of indirect investments.
Simon Walls, interim executive director of markets at the FCA, said: “The way people invest has changed. We want to ensure that firms can communicate with their customers in a way that gets them the information they need when they need it.
“High-quality product information will give consumers the confidence to invest; increased participation in this market will not only benefit consumers but will also provide capital to drive the economy and boost growth.”
Responses to the proposals are requested by 20 March.