Financial Promotion Order (FPO)
The FPO regulates how and to whom an investment opportunity can be promoted. The rules are designed to protect investors. Generally, unless an investment opportunity is being promoted by or with the approval of a person or organisation regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, it can only be promoted to certain exempted classes of investor (such as certified high net worth individuals, or qualified investment professionals) and even then only if the promotional material contains investor health warnings. Because of the FPO, companies should take care that any information they distribute as part of a fundraising (such as a Business Plan or an Information Memorandum) contains appropriate investor health warnings and disclaimers and is distributed only to exempt classes of investors.