Whistleblowing in Financial Services
-
15 Minutes
-
For all staff
-
UK
Effective whistleblowing depends on staff knowing they can speak up without fear of unfair treatment. FCA-regulated firms must have effective whistleblowing arrangements, but policies alone will not build confidence in reporting channels. Our in-depth Whistleblowing Compliance Course for Financial Services explains what whistleblowing means, when and how to report malpractice, and how whistleblowers are protected under UK law and their firm's internal arrangements.
Ensure your workforce is equipped with practical financial services whistleblowing training to encourage early reporting, improve awareness of employee protections and help bring misconduct to light before it causes wider harm. This whistleblowing compliance e-learning helps financial services staff recognise misconduct, raise concerns safely and understand the protections available to them.
What you’ll learn in
this course
- Understand what whistleblowing is
- Know when and how to report misconduct
- Explain how whistleblowers are protected.
Hear from our customers
They listened to our needs and helped tailor the existing course to our organisation with ease, ensuring accessibility requirements were maintained and the training was engaging and presentable. All their help was been very appreciated and I couldn't have asked them to do any more for us. I would recommend Skillcast to anyone looking to bring in new training modules to their organisation.
Feefo Customer Rating ★★★★★ 4.9/5
Ready to try this course?
Start your free trial of this course and get instant access today.
Want to explore more courses?
Browse all courses and search by topic to find what matters most to you.
Conduct Risk
Our conduct rules training for FCA-regulated staff dives into fair customer outcomes, individual and senior manager conduct rules, governance considerations, and more.
Introduction to UK Financial Regulation
Make confident, informed decisions that stand up to regulatory scrutiny. Understand how FCA and PRA requirements apply to your role, meet your compliance obligations and reduce regulatory risk.
CASS 15 - Payment Services and Electronic Money: Relevant Funds
CASS 15 compliance course: safeguard relevant funds, run D+1 reconciliation tests and complete monthly safeguarding returns.
Good Outcomes for Vulnerable Customers
This vulnerable customers course is aimed at UK insurance staff, covering the Consumer Duty, FCA standards, legal obligations and inclusive services.
Overview of the Consumer Duty
Valuable and fair customer outcomes don't happen by accident. Learn how Consumer Duty, Principle 12 and the four outcomes shape everyday decisions.
Training and Competence
Competence must be assessed, maintained and evidenced. Learn the FCA's T&C requirements for supervision, development and customer-facing roles.
Understanding Failure to Prevent Fraud (FTPF) in Financial Services
FTPF course for financial services staff: Understand the corporate offence, build a compliance culture and apply fraud prevention and risk management measures.
Explore the course
CASS 9 - Information to Clients
Clear client communications are a regulatory requirement. Learn how to meet CASS 9 disclosure obligations for client money, custody assets and prime brokerage arrangements.
Third-Party Harassment
Customers, suppliers and visitors can all cross the line. Employers still owe a duty, and impact matters more than intention.
Conduct Rule 6: Act to deliver good outcomes for retail customers
Good outcomes are the new standard for retail customers. Act in good faith, prevent foreseeable harm and support people properly.
Conduct Rule 5: Observe proper standards of market conduct
Markets work on trust. What proper standards of market conduct look like and how to avoid behaviour that undermines integrity.
Conduct Rule 4: Pay due regard to the interests of customers and treat them fairly
Fair treatment is proved in the moments customers cannot see. What Conduct Rule 4 requires of the information and decisions you give.
Conduct Rule 3: Be open and cooperative with the FCA, the PRA and other regulators
Regulators notice delay as much as detail. What being open and cooperative means, and what happens when a firm falls short.
Conduct Rule 2: Act with due skill, care and diligence
Due skill, care and diligence is a measurable standard. Make informed decisions, assess risk properly and keep professional standards high.
Conduct Rule 1: Act with Integrity
Integrity is judged by the decisions nobody was watching. What Conduct Rule 1 asks, with examples of where people get it wrong.
Safeguarding for Charities and Trustees
Safeguarding failures end charities. Create safe environments, recognise the signs of harm and follow the reporting policy properly.
Political Activity and Campaigning by Charities
Campaigning is allowed; party politics is not. Understand where the line sits and keep activity tied to your charitable purpose.
Managing Conflicts of Interest in a Charity
Perception matters as much as fact in the charity sector. Recognise conflicts, manage them openly and document how you decided.
Managing Charity Finances
Every pound is someone else's donation. Safeguard assets, monitor budgets and spot the financial risks that damage public trust.
Making Decisions at a Charity
Trustee decisions get tested with hindsight. Act within your powers, follow the charity's purpose and manage conflicts properly.
Gifts and Hospitality for Charities
A generous supporter can create an awkward perception. Assess gifts and hospitality for proportionality and record what you accept.
Data Protection for Charities
Donor trust depends on how you handle data. Collect, store and process personal information securely and stay inside the law.
Communicating with the Charity Commission
Regulator contact is easier when it is routine. Know when to report a serious incident, how to file returns and where to ask for guidance.
Charity Purposes and Rules
Activity outside your charitable purpose creates real problems. Understand what the governing document allows and what it does not.
Anti-Bribery for Charities
Bribery in the charity sector is subtle and damaging. Recognise the forms it takes, prevent it and report anything that looks off.
AML and CTF for Charities
Charities are attractive to criminals for the same reasons donors trust them. Recognise the red flags and apply proportionate due diligence.
Failure to Prevent Fraud (FTPF): Prevention
Reasonable procedures are the defence. Learn the six principles of fraud prevention and how to support the controls behind them.
Failure to Prevent Fraud (FTPF): Scope
The offence does not apply to every organisation. Understand the scope, which companies are caught and what that means in practice.
Failure to Prevent Fraud (FTPF): Offence
Five minutes on the legal scope of the offence, plus the six principles of fraud prevention your firm is expected to apply.
Failure to Prevent Fraud (FTPF): Types of Fraud
Not every fraud triggers corporate liability. See which types fall under the offence and what prevention looks like in your own role.
Protecting Intellectual Property Rights
IP is easy to lose and hard to recover. Protect original work, avoid infringing others and meet the obligations in your contracts.
Understanding Tax Evasion
Evasion is illegal, avoidance is not, and the line matters. Recognise the red flags, the legal consequences and how to report a concern.
The 4D Bystander Intervention Model
Seeing something and doing nothing is the common response. Direct, distract, delay and delegate give bystanders a usable option.
Unwanted Behaviour of a Sexual Nature
Our UK harassment in the workplace compliance course offers a harassment definition and covers topics such as sexual harassment and offensive behaviour.
Minimum Disclosure Rules
Offshore structures and CRS avoidance draw reporting duties. Understand what the disclosure rules require and what must be reported.
The Three Characteristics of Harassment
Ensure staff can recognise harassment, understand its impact and know how to respond to help prevent workplace harassment.
Unlawful Disclosure of Inside Information
A disclosure in the wrong context is an offence. Know what counts as inside information and when passing it on becomes unlawful.
Persons Discharging Managerial Responsibilities
Senior people in listed firms trade under restrictions. Understand PDMR obligations, closed periods and the notifications required.
Understanding Market Abuse
Market abuse costs investors and invites enforcement. Insider dealing, unlawful disclosure and manipulation, explained in five minutes.
Understanding Insider Trading
Inside information demands strict confidentiality. Understand what counts, how insider trading happens and the penalties attached.
Understanding Inside Information
Precise, non-public, price-sensitive. Learn to identify inside information and tell lawful disclosure from the kind that ends in prosecution.
Don't Deal with Inside Information
Regulators detect insider dealing more easily than people assume. The legal consequences and how to handle inside information properly.
Understanding Intellectual Property
Ideas become assets once protected. Patents, copyright, trademarks and trade secrets, and how each is used commercially.
New and Expectant Mothers at Work
Pregnancy and return from maternity leave bring legal rights and new risks. The assessments required and the support that should follow.
Mental Health at Work
Stress, anxiety and depression drive most work-related ill health. Recognise the signs and use strategies that make a real difference.
Menopause Awareness
Menopause can affect confidence and performance without anyone mentioning it. The workplace impact, legal protections and practical support.
Working Safely
Most workplace accidents are preventable. A fast pass over fire safety, hazards, working at height, electrical risk and reporting.
Work Equipment
Tools and machines are safe until maintenance slips. Proper use, inspection and the procedures that prevent injuries.
Transport
Work driving accounts for a large share of road collisions. Controls for the vehicle, the journey and the driver, in five minutes.
Personal Protective Equipment
PPE is the last line of defence, not the first. Use it correctly, maintain it properly and understand what it cannot protect you from.
Noise
Hearing damage arrives without pain. Recognise noise hazards, understand the legal limits and use the controls that reduce exposure.
Fire
Fires need three things and workplaces provide all of them. How fires start, what prevention looks like and what to do in an emergency.
Electricity
Electrical mistakes are rarely small. Recognise the hazards, spot unsafe practice and take the precautions that prevent shocks and fires.
COSHH
Hazardous substances cause conditions that develop over years. Recognise them, understand the exposure risks and use the right protection.
10 Steps to Healthy Working
Ten practical steps for a demanding job. Better posture, lower stress and small changes that protect wellbeing over time.
10 Essential Office Hygiene Practices
Ten practices that keep a shared workplace healthy, covering desks, kitchens, bathrooms and the habits people forget.
The Fraud Triangle
Most fraud is committed by ordinary people under pressure. Motivation, opportunity and rationalisation, and the warning signs each gives off.
Preventing Corporate Fraud
Fraud committed for the company is still fraud. The main types, the consequences and the measures that detect them early.
Mandatory Leave
Enforced time off is a control, not a perk. See how mandatory leave exposes hidden problems and strengthens your internal controls.
Fraud Offences and Penalties
Fraud covers action and omission alike. The offences under the Fraud Act, examples from real cases and the penalties that follow.
Employee Fraud and Insider Threats
The biggest fraud risk often holds a staff pass. Recognise expense abuse, data misuse and the behaviours that precede larger losses.
Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023
The Act widened corporate liability considerably. Understand the failure to prevent fraud offence and what senior managers must now do.
False Representation
If it isn’t true, it isn’t harmless. False representation UK microlearning compliance training on fraud, credit card misuse and counterfeit documents.
Authorised Push Payment Fraud
Victims authorise these payments themselves, which is what makes APP fraud work. Recognise impersonation and verify before money leaves.
Supplier Fraud
Who’s really behind the invoice? Supplier fraud microlearning compliance training for UK staff on bribery risk, money laundering and fraud prevention.
Customer Fraud
Chargebacks and false complaints add up quickly. Recognise fraudulent customer behaviour and apply the controls that limit the damage.
Unexplained Wealth Orders
Assets can be frozen when wealth cannot be explained. How unexplained wealth orders work and why suspicious activity reporting matters.
Suspicious Activity Reporting
Suspicion triggers a legal obligation. Understand what must go to your MLRO, how to report it and the cost of staying quiet.
Politically Exposed Persons
Influence and access make PEPs higher risk. Identify them, assess the risk sensibly and apply enhanced due diligence without causing offence.
Enhanced Customer Due Diligence
Some relationships need a closer look. Recognise when enhanced due diligence applies and how to run the deeper checks properly.
Customer Due Diligence
Knowing your customer is more than an identity check. Initial and ongoing due diligence, and when activity needs reporting.
Understanding Terrorist Financing
Funding comes from legitimate sources as well as criminal ones. Understand how terrorist groups raise money and the red flKnowing your customer is more than an identity check. Initial and ongoing due diligence, and when activity needs reporting.ags that follow.
Terrorist Financing Red Flags
Terrorist funding hides in ordinary transactions. Recognise the suspicious patterns, the high-risk indicators and behaviour worth a second look.
Screening Employees in Safeguarding Roles
Safeguarding starts at recruitment. Understand DBS checks, how to run them correctly and why compliance matters in every hiring decision.
Identifying Who is Vulnerable
Vulnerability comes from circumstance as much as condition. Recognise who may be at heightened risk and respond to their needs properly.
Understanding ESG
Investors now ask ESG questions early. Understand the environmental, social and governance factors and how your own policies measure up.
Unconscious Bias
Past experience shapes judgement before you notice. How bias affects decisions and inclusion, and the steps that reduce its influence.
Stereotyping
Stereotypes save time and cost fairness. See how they form, what they do to workplace equality and how to challenge one without a confrontation.
Victimisation
Punishing someone for raising a complaint is unlawful in itself. Recognise victimisation and understand the steps to take when it happens.
The Protected Characteristics
Protected characteristics microlearning course covering sexual orientation discrimination, gender reassignment discrimination, and the other seven.
Indirect Discrimination
A neutral policy can still disadvantage a group. Recognise indirect discrimination and test your practices before someone else does.
Direct Discrimination
Direct discrimination can be as simple as an assumption. Recognise it, including by association or perception, and know the protections.
Risks in the Use of AI
AI is useful until it is confidently wrong. Understand the risks around accuracy, bias, confidentiality and intellectual property.
Abuse of Dominant Position
Being dominant is legal; exploiting it is not. Understand market power and the practices that turn strength into an enforcement case.
Dawn Raids
Regulators arrive without notice and first reactions matter. Who to call, what to say and the actions that would make things worse.
Tying and Bundling
Packaging products together is common and sometimes unlawful. Understand where legitimate bundling becomes a competition problem.
Resale Price Maintenance
Telling a retailer what to charge is illegal. Understand resale price maintenance, the penalties involved and how to avoid it.
Online Selling Restrictions
Controlling how retailers sell online has limits. Understand the restrictions competition law prohibits and the ones it permits.
Vertical Agreements
Supply chain agreements can restrict competition without meaning to. Recognise the risks in pricing terms and exclusive arrangements.
Trade Association Red Flags
Industry events are legitimate until the conversation turns to pricing. Recognise the risks and keep your discussions on the safe side.
Cartels
Cartels are the most serious breach of competition law. Understand how they form, the damage they do and the behaviours to avoid.
Anti-Competitive Agreements
Horizontal and vertical agreements both carry risk. Recognise illegal collusion and know what to do when a conversation turns.
GDPR Subject Access Requests
A SAR can arrive in any form and the clock starts immediately. Recognise one, verify identity and handle the response properly.
GDPR Individual Rights
People have eight rights over their data and increasingly use them. Know what each one means and what your obligations are in response.
GDPR International Transfers
Data crossing borders needs a lawful route. Adequacy regulations, safeguards and the exceptions that apply when neither is available.
GDPR Legitimate Interests
Legitimate interests gives flexibility and demands balance. When you can rely on it and how to weigh business need against individual rights.
GDPR Lawful Bases for Processing
Six lawful bases, and picking the wrong one causes problems later. Understand each and choose the one that actually fits the processing.
GDPR and Consent
Consent must be freely given and easy to withdraw. Know when it is the right basis and how to capture it so it stands up.
GDPR Principle 7
Accountability means being able to show your work. Records, safeguards and the governance that proves compliance rather than claims it.
GDPR Principle 6
Integrity and confidentiality cover more than IT. Physical and cyber measures that protect personal data from loss, damage and prying.
GDPR Principle 5
Data kept indefinitely becomes a liability. Understand retention, the lawful reasons to keep data and when to delete or anonymise it.
GDPR Principle 4
Inaccurate data leads to poor decisions about real people. Keep records correct, verify what matters and fix errors promptly.
GDPR Principle 3
Data minimisation is the easiest principle to breach. Collect only what you need and review what you are still holding.
GDPR Principle 2
Purpose limitation stops function creep. Collect data for a clear reason and resist quietly using it for something else later.
GDPR Principle 1
Lawful, fair and transparent sounds obvious until it is tested. Identify your lawful basis and tell people what you do with their data.
Special Category Data
Sensitive data carries extra conditions. Recognise special category data and handle it with the care the law demands.
Controllers and Processors
Who decides and who acts changes the obligations. Understand the difference between controller and processor, and what each must do.
Corrupt Hiring Practices
Offering a job to win business is bribery. Spot the red flags in hiring decisions and keep recruitment fair and defensible.
Bribery Offences and Penalties
The Bribery Act creates five offences, including one for failing to prevent. Understand each and the consequences of getting it wrong.
Neurodiversity Awareness
Neurodivergent colleagues often adapt silently. Understand what neurodiversity means and what an inclusive workplace actually provides.
Think Before You Click
One click is how most malware arrives. Recognise suspicious emails and attachments, and pause long enough to check.
Guide to Secure Remote Working
Home networks were not built for company data. Practical security steps that protect information when the office is your kitchen.
CEO Fraud
An urgent request from the top is exactly what attackers imitate. Recognise spoofing tactics and verify before any payment moves.
Advising Customers on Cybersecurity
Customers ask staff about scams before they ask anyone else. Understand the risks they face and give advice that builds trust.
Using Wi-Fi safely
Free Wi-Fi is rarely free of risk. Understand the threats on public networks and the steps that protect your data anywhere you work.
Transferring Information Securely
Sending a file is the moment data is most exposed. Encryption, password protection and the transfer methods that keep it safe.
Supply Chain Cybersecurity
Your security is only as strong as your suppliers'. Understand the risks that third-party access creates and the checks that reduce them.
Secure Web Browsing
The web is the most common route into a business. Browse safely, spot the warning signs and avoid the traps most people miss.
Tailgating and Piggybacking
Holding a door open can undo the access controls. Recognise tailgating and piggybacking, and challenge unauthorised entry politely.
Information Security on the Move
Trains, hotels and airports are where information leaks. Protect your devices and data when working away from the office.
Information Classification
Not all information deserves the same handling. Understand the classification levels, the restrictions on each and how to apply them.
Reacting to Password Breaches
Compromised credentials rarely announce themselves. Spot the warning signs and act quickly to close down access before it is used.
Multi-factor Authentication
A stolen password should not be enough. How multi-factor authentication works, why it matters and when it should be switched on.
Creating Strong Passwords
Weak passwords fall in seconds. Build ones that resist brute force attacks and are still possible to remember.
Vishing
A confident voice on the phone can be the whole attack. Recognise vishing tactics, verify the caller and protect what you know.
Video Conferencing
Meetings leak more than people realise. Use approved software, control access and keep confidential material off the shared screen.
Spear Phishing
Targeted emails use real details to look convincing. See how spear phishing works and what to check before you respond.
Smishing
A text message is easier to trust than an email, which is the point. Spot smishing attempts and stop before you tap the link.
Ransomware
Ransomware locks the files and starts a clock. Recognise the risk in email and attachments, and follow the steps that limit the damage.
Malware
Malware arrives disguised as something useful. Recognise the main types, understand how they spread and know when to call IT.
Device Hygiene
Unpatched software is an open door. Simple device habits, from updates to secure authentication, that keep malware off your systems.
Bring Your Own Device Security
Personal devices carry company data home. The precautions that keep BYOD convenient without handing attackers an easy route in.
Zero Trust Cybersecurity
Zero trust assumes nothing and verifies everything. How authentication, restricted access and continuous monitoring protect company systems.
Data Protection Impact Assessments
Some processing needs checking before it starts. What a DPIA involves, when it is required and how to reduce risk to the people in your data.
Understanding Facilitation Payments
A small payment to speed things along is still a bribe. Recognise the demand, understand the legal risk and know how to refuse it.
Understanding Sexual Harassment
Help staff recognise verbal, non-verbal and physical forms of sexual harassment and understand how to report concerns.
Personal Data Breaches
Breaches happen through error as often as attack. Recognise one, understand the risk and follow the reporting route before the clock runs down.
Understanding the GDPR
Five minutes on the principles behind every piece of personal data you touch, and the responsibilities that come with processing it.
Preventing Tipping Off
Saying too much to a customer under investigation is an offence. Handle their questions without breaching anti-money laundering law.
Common Cyber Threats
Phishing, malware, ransomware and open networks. Recognise the threats most likely to reach your team and the habits that stop them.
The Three Stages of Money Laundering
Placement, layering and integration. See how criminals disguise illicit funds and recognise the activity you are required to report.
Understanding Information Security
Security policies work when people follow them. Understand your role in protecting business and customer data from access it should not have.
Horizontal Agreements
Agreements between competitors carry the heaviest penalties in competition law. Recognise what counts and avoid it in ordinary conversation.
Deepfake Awareness
A convincing voice on a call may not be a person. Recognise deepfake scams and verify audio and video requests before you act.
Interacting on Social Media
Online, you represent your employer whether you intend to or not. Engage responsibly and keep confidential information off your feed.
Forced Labour Indicators
The ILO lists 11 indicators of forced labour. Learn to recognise them and know the steps to take if you suspect exploitation.
Understanding Harassment
Unwanted conduct can violate dignity without anyone intending it. Recognise the forms harassment takes and act on what you see.
Crossing the Line into Sexual Harassment
This crossing the line into sexual harassment microlearning compliance training for UK staff covers topics such as unwelcome behaviour and prevention.
Targets of Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment affects people differently and anyone can be a target. Recognise it, understand the impact and know how to report it.
Failing to Disclose Information
Learn how what you leave out matters with this failing to disclose information microlearning compliance course for UK staff.
Compliments vs Sexual Harassment
Kind words or crossed lines? Compliments vs. sexual harassment microlearning e-learning for UK staff on boundaries, behaviour and awareness.
Foreign Agent Bribery Risk
A real scenario where warning signs were ignored. See how third-party agents create bribery exposure and what due diligence would have caught.
Understanding Conflicts of Interest
Judgement bends before anyone notices. Recognise competing interests, understand where bias creeps in and disclose what needs disclosing.
Manual Handling
Lifting badly once can cause damage that lasts. Safe technique for lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling, in five minutes.
Slips and Trips
A wet floor causes more harm than most people assume. Spot the hazards, follow the procedures and report what needs fixing.
Identity Fraud
Stolen personal data turns into fraud quickly. Recognise the tactics criminals use and protect both customer and personal information.
Display Screen Equipment
Five minutes to set up your desk properly. Monitor height, keyboard position and the habits that keep strain from becoming injury.
Understanding Fraud
Many faces of fraud in minutes. Understanding fraud microlearning compliance training on credit card fraud, abuse of position and types of fraud.
Speak Up
Most people hesitate before raising a concern. Understand the barriers, why reporting matters and how to do it with confidence.
Business Email Compromise
An urgent email from your chief executive may not be from them. Recognise BEC scams and verify before money or data moves.
Money Laundering Red Flags
Suspicious transactions look ordinary until you know the pattern. Recognise common red flags and follow the reporting route that applies.
Understanding Sanctions
Sanctions restrict who you can do business with, and the lists move. Understand the types, the impact on operations and your part in compliance.
Whistleblowing
Reporting wrongdoing protects the organisation as much as the person. How the process works and the protections you can rely on.
Abuse of Position
Trust makes this fraud easy and serious. Recognise how a role gets exploited, the legal consequences and how to report it.
Spot a Phishing Attempt
Five minutes that could stop a breach. Check the details in a suspicious email, verify before acting and protect company data.
Gifts and Hospitality
A gift that looks generous can look very different later. Assess proportionality, record what you accept and stay inside your policy.
Understanding Bribery
Bribery is rarely a brown envelope. Recognise the subtler forms, from lavish gifts to preferential treatment, and know how to resist them.
Understanding Modern Slavery
Five minutes on the signs that matter. Recognise forced labour and exploitation in operations or supply chains, and report a suspicion properly.
Your questions, answered
FCA Handbook
Which principle is most important in an insurance contract?
What is proximate cause in insurance?
How does the principle of indemnity work in real-life claims?
What types of firms are regulated under CONC?
How often should firms review their CONC compliance policies?
What triggers an FCA investigation into CONC breaches?
What kind of staff training is required to meet CONC standards?
How does insider trading affect businesses and investors?
What tools are used to detect insider trading?
How does the FCA regulate insider trading?
What is a Recognised Investment Exchange (RIE) and how is it regulated?
What steps can firms take to avoid FCA penalties?
How does the FCA monitor and detect market abuse?
What does FCA COBS stand for?
What is the main purpose of COBS?
Where can I find the full COBS rules?
Who needs to comply with COBS rules?
Who do the FCA Principles apply to?
How are the FCA Principles enforced?
What happens if a firm fails to notify the FCA of an issue?
How can firms ensure compliance with the FCA Principles?
How often should FCA Code of Conduct training be refreshed to remain effective?
How can firms tailor Code of Conduct training for high‑risk business areas?
What tools or technology can support ongoing compliance monitoring?
What steps can be taken to rebuild trust after a breach of the Conduct Rules?
Who needs to comply with CASS rules?
How often should firms review their CASS compliance procedures?
What role does staff training play in CASS compliance?
Which FCA compliance topics are covered?
Skillcast supports financial-services learning in areas including Consumer Duty, SM&CR, Conduct Rules, financial crime, fraud, financial promotions, vulnerable customers, complaints, CASS, COBS, CONC, MCOB, operational resilience, data protection and information security.