How to Submit FCA Requirements (For UK Users only)

Step-by-step guide to completing FCA compliance for UK users in the KYC flow.

FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) compliance is required for all UK users before they can complete a crypto purchase.

Why is it required?

UK’s Financial Conduct Authority extended its Financial Promotions regime to cryptoassets under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) (Amendment) Order 2023. This means any business communicating or approving crypto-related promotions to UK retail consumers must comply with strict FCA rules regardless of where that business is based.

The regulation introduces three mandatory requirements before a UK user can complete a crypto purchase:

Investor Categorization

Users must be classified as a High Net Worth Investor or Self-Certified Sophisticated Investor. Retail consumers who do not meet either threshold are restricted from purchasing high-risk investments.

Risk Disclosure Agreement

Users must read and acknowledge a compliance agreement that clearly sets out the risks of investing in cryptoassets, including the possibility of losing their entire investment.

Appropriateness Assessment

Users must pass a short knowledge quiz to demonstrate they understand the risks before they are permitted to proceed. The FCA also mandates a 24-hour cooling-off period for first-time investors before they can place an order.

How it works?

Different FCA Status

Status	Meaning
`CATEGORIZATION_PENDING`	The user has not yet completed investor categorization. Render and submit the categorization quiz.
`AGREEMENT_PENDING`	Categorization passed. The user must now read and sign the compliance agreement.
`RISK_ASSESSMENT_PENDING`	Agreement accepted. The user must complete the risk knowledge quiz before proceeding.
`RISK_ASSESSMENT_FAILED`	The user failed the risk assessment. They can retry as long as the maximum number of attempts has not been reached.
`BLOCKED_RETRY`	The user has exceeded the maximum number of retry attempts. No submission is allowed until the 24-hour wait period expires.
`COOLING_PERIOD`	The user has passed all steps. A mandatory FCA cooling-off period is now active before the first order can be placed.

When to integrate?

If a user requires FCA compliance, Get Additional Requirements API will include "type": "FCA" in the response alongside any other pending KYC requirements. The status in response indicates the next pending FCA step awaiting completion.

1 {
2   "data": {
3     "formsRequired": [
4       {
5         "type": "FCA",
6         "metadata": {
7           "status": "AGREEMENT_PENDING"
8         }
9       }
10     ]
11   }
12 }

How to Integrate?

Check if FCA is Required

Call Get Additional Requirements API with the quoteId. If the response includes a form entry with type: FCA, the user must complete the FCA flow.

1 {
2   "data": {
3     "formsRequired": [
4       {
5         "type": "FCA",
6         "metadata": {
7           "status": "CATEGORIZATION_PENDING"
8         }
9       }
10     ]
11   }
12 }

Fetch the Current FCA Step Data

Call Get FCA Requirements API with the current status to fetch the FCA requirements of the step.

Present the Step to the User and Collect Input

Using the data returned from the previous step, render the appropriate UI for the current FCA status.

Status	What to show
`CATEGORIZATION_PENDING`	Render the investor categorization quiz and collect answers
`AGREEMENT_PENDING`	Display the compliance agreement and collect the user’s signature
`RISK_ASSESSMENT_PENDING`	Render the risk knowledge quiz and collect answers
`RISK_ASSESSMENT_FAILED`	Inform the user they failed and present the quiz again for retry
`BLOCKED_RETRY`	Show a waiting screen with the `canRetryAfter` timestamp
`COOLING_PERIOD`	Inform the user that FCA is complete and they are in a mandatory cooling-off period

Submit the Current FCA Step Data

Call Post FCA Requirements API with the user’s input for the current status.

Get the Updated FCA Status

After every successful submission, call Get FCA Status API to retrieve the updated status.

Status	Action
`COMPLETED`	FCA flow is complete
`Any other status`	Go back to Step 2 with the new status and continue

1	{
2	"data": {
3	"formsRequired": [
4	{
5	"type": "FCA",
6	"metadata": {
7	"status": "AGREEMENT_PENDING"
8	}
9	}
10	]
11	}
12	}