The FCA has banned Nigel Lewis and Susan Jones of West Wales Financial Services Limited (in liquidation) (FRN: 756482) from advising customers on pension transfers and pension opt outs after accusing them of performing "a double act of carelessness and incompetence" in relation to BSPS advice.

Expanding national advice firm Foster Denovo has agreed to acquire Punter Southall Aspire’s employee benefits business for an undisclosed amount.

The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) is planning to boost its advice and support to members working with victims of economic abuse.

Wealth and investment manager Brooks Macdonald has recruited former Jupiter chief executive Maarten Slendebroek as chairman, subject to regulatory approval.

New research suggests a split on the direction of stock markets, with advisers far more bullish than clients.

The FCA is to consult in the Spring on introducing a new ‘value for money’ requirement for defined contribution pension schemes.

Fintech Moneyinfo, which provides client portals for financial advisers and wealth managers, is to launch an improved client onboarding integration with Seccl, the Octopus-owned embedded investment platform.

The Personal Finance Society has welcomed confirmation from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt that the EU’s Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products (PRIIPS) regime will be replaced with a new UK-focused regime.

Pensions and SIPP firm XPS Group has reported a 23% growth in revenues to £94.5m for the latest half year.

Financial Planners have given the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement a qualified thumbs up, particularly in the area of pension saving, although many are holding fire until all the details are released in the Finance Bill.