The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) celebrated its second birthday on 1 April, so it seems a good time to take stock of its challenges and achievements.

The press tends to focus on the FCA’s enforcement record as the measure of its success, with the size of fines capturing the headlines. Indeed, the FCA imposed fines totalling £1.5bn in 2014 – almost five times the £312m levied by its predecessor, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), in 2012.