What is CPD?
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) helps insurance professionals maintain and improve the knowledge, skills and judgement they need to perform their roles effectively. For regulated firms, CPD supports competence, customer outcomes and compliance with FCA expectations.
What changed under the FCA rules?
In December 2025, the FCA moved away from a fixed-hours approach and towards an outcomes-based view of competence.
Before December 2025 many firms worked to the FCA’s minimum expectation of 15 hours of CPD each year for relevant insurance staff against eight core competencies.
Under PS25/21 the FCA removed the prescriptive 15-hour minimum for employees involved in non-investment insurance distribution. Firms now have more flexibility, but they must still ensure staff have the right knowledge and ability for their roles.
Why CPD still matters
Removing a minimum-hours requirement does not reduce expectations. It increases the need for firms to show that training is relevant, effective and linked to competence.
Consumer Duty: firms need evidence that employees have the skills and knowledge to support good customer outcomes.
Risk management: high-quality CPD helps reduce technical mistakes, complaints and compliance failures.
Professional standards: professional bodies such as the CII still expect members to complete 35 hours of CPD each year, with structured learning requirements for many members.
How our platform supports CPD compliance
Development Zone helps insurance firms move from basic tracking to meaningful evidence of competence.
Audit-ready reporting: capture training activity, learning outcomes and evidence for internal review or FCA scrutiny.
Insurance-focused content: training is designed for UK regulated firms and aligned to current compliance expectations.
Structured learning pathways: guide staff through role-relevant topics to close knowledge gaps and support consistent standards.
Flexible delivery: choose from e-learning, live learning and blended learning to suit different roles, teams and learning styles.
Need help strengthening your CPD evidence? Book a demo to see how Development Zone can support practical, audit-ready competence records.
FCA CPD requirements for general insurance intermediaries
Insurance intermediaries are regulated by the FCA. Firms must make sure employees have the skills, knowledge and expertise needed to carry out their responsibilities.
Under the current rules, firms are not required to follow a fixed minimum number of CPD hours for non-investment insurance distribution staff. However, they must still ensure training is appropriate to the role, proportionate to the risks involved and capable of maintaining competence.
In practice, this means firms should be able to show how they assess competence, identify learning needs, deliver relevant development and keep sufficient records to evidence their approach.
Key compliance areas CPD should cover
While there are no longer prescriptive competencies, there remain key knowledge areas brokers should understand:
- Product knowledge and policy terms
- Applicable law, regulation and consumer protection requirements
- Claims and complaints handling
- Understanding customer needs, particularly vulnerable customers
- Insurance market knowledge
- Financial competence
- Ethics, conduct and accountability
Record-keeping and evidence
Even without a fixed-hour rule, firms should keep clear records that show what training has been completed, why it was relevant and how competence is being maintained. The emphasis is now on quality, relevance and evidence rather than a simple time target.
SM&CR and Conduct Rules training
Firms must also ensure staff receive effective training on the FCA Conduct Rules where these apply. Training should be relevant to each role, supported by managers and designed to help staff understand how their actions affect customers, the firm and the wider market.
For Senior Managers, CPD and conduct training should reinforce accountability, oversight and the need to take reasonable steps to control the business effectively.
