On 6 August 2014, the UK’s financial services regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), issued long-awaited draft guidance on the use of social media in financial promotions by regulated financial institutions.

But if financial services firms operating in the UK were hoping that this guidance would provide them with a clear framework to help jump-start their social media strategies, they will be disappointed. For one thing, the guidance is focused on financial promotions, so firms will need to continue to evaluate all of their social media activities carefully against existing FCA rules.