Which of the following is a primary focus of the FCA?

The primary focus of the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) is to maintain market integrity and ensure consumer protection. This role is crucial in promoting trust in the financial system, as the FCA works to enhance the integrity of the UK financial markets and protect consumers from malpractices and unfair treatment.

By prioritizing market integrity, the FCA helps to ensure that the financial services sector operates fairly, transparently, and effectively. This includes overseeing the behavior of financial firms, regulating their conduct, and enforcing rules that safeguard the interests of all stakeholders involved, especially consumers.

Furthermore, the protection of consumers is a core objective of the FCA, which includes initiatives to educate and empower consumers, ensuring they are treated fairly and have access to redress if they face issues with financial products or services. This focus is fundamental in providing consumers with confidence in the financial system and helps to prevent exploitation.

In contrast, some of the alternative choices relate to activities or roles that fall outside the FCA's primary goals. Encouraging mergers and acquisitions, controlling interest rates for banks, and providing personal loans do not align with the FCA's main objectives and responsibilities, as these functions are better suited to other financial or regulatory institutions.