FCA Fines Traders £280K in Insider Dealing Crackdown

FCA Targets Independent Traders in Insider Dealing Case

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has secured fines totalling £280,000 and suspended prison sentences against two self-employed day traders for insider dealing, in a case underscoring the regulators uncompromising stance on market integrity enforcement.

Matthew and Nikolas West, acting outside any regulated firm, were found guilty of exploiting confidential broker information between 2016 and 2020. The FCA confirmed that the misconduct breached UK Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) and demonstrated that no participant in the capital markets is beyond regulatory scrutiny in trading.

Breach of Broker Confidentiality

Matthew West, a veteran trader with over two decades of experience, was approached under legitimate “wall crossing” arrangements to consider investments in upcoming capital raises—often involving Alternative Investment Market-listed companies. These arrangements required strict confidentiality.

Instead, Matthew passed the price-sensitive details to his brother Nikolas. The pair coordinated trades ahead of public announcements, generating over £44,000 in gains. However, under UK trading regulations, penalties were calculated on the total value of all trades executed with inside information, not just profits.

The court ordered:

• Matthew West: 15-month prison term (suspended for two years), 200 hours unpaid work.
• Nikolas West: Six-month prison term (suspended for 12 months).

Both must also contribute over £50,000 towards prosecution costs and pay the confiscation order within 14 days or face further custodial sentences.

Surveillance and Compliance Imperatives

The FCA stressed that this was not institutional misconduct but an opportunistic case of capital markets misconduct. The regulator warned that surveillance systems for compliance must adapt to detect suspicious trading activity monitoring across all communication channels, including encrypted messaging and voice notes.

Firms are expected to:

• Capture all business-related communications.
• Detect evasive language and unusual behavioural patterns.
• Regularly calibrate alert logic and escalation protocols.
• Embed a compliance culture led from the top.

Legal Framework and Regulatory Expectations

Under Financial Conduct Authority insider dealing rules and Market abuse regulation UK, firms must maintain insider lists, control access to sensitive data, and ensure timely public disclosures. FCA Handbook SYSC 10A mandates recording and monitoring of relevant communications, while Market Watch 79 highlights recurring failings in alert calibration and off-channel communication oversight.

The FCA‘s enforcement actions in this and other insider dealing cases reaffirm that market integrity enforcement is not just about having policies—it’s about ensuring they work in practice.