
FCA Scraps Contactless Payment Cap — Banks Free to Set Own Limits
The Financial Conduct Authority has removed the regulatory cap on contactless payments, allowing banks and payment providers to set their own transaction limits from March 2026.
Editor-in-Chief
James Whitford has led FinBlockDaily's editorial team since its founding. With over 20 years in financial journalism, he specialises in UK regulatory affairs and fintech policy.

The Financial Conduct Authority has removed the regulatory cap on contactless payments, allowing banks and payment providers to set their own transaction limits from March 2026.

UK banks are scrambling to deploy deepfake detection tools after a spate of AI-generated voice and video fraud attempts targeting high-value corporate accounts.

The Treasury has unveiled a £500 million Fintech Growth Fund backed by British Patient Capital and cornerstone commitments from Barclays, HSBC, and Lloyds, targeting Series B and C rounds for UK-headquartered fintech firms.

The annual UK Finance fraud report shows total losses exceeding £1.5 billion in 2024, with criminals increasingly targeting digital-only channels and exploiting social media platforms.

UK financial firms face a hard March 2026 deadline to meet the FCA's operational resilience requirements, with the regulator warning that firms unable to remain within impact tolerances for critical services risk enforcement action.

Nearly 50 UK fintech firms have been required to restructure their pricing models following FCA enforcement action under Consumer Duty rules, with the regulator warning that hidden charges remain a persistent concern.

Authorised push payment fraud losses reached £341 million in the first half of 2025, prompting renewed calls for mandatory reimbursement enforcement across the banking sector.