Thesmios

SMCR · 23 April 2026

SMCR fitness and propriety: a practical guide.

SMCR asks firms to evidence judgement, not merely collect attestations.

The core assessment

Fitness and propriety is usually framed around honesty, integrity and reputation, competence and capability, and financial soundness. In practice, firms need evidence for each of those categories.

Evidence to connect

Useful evidence includes regulatory register status, qualifications, CPD, references, adverse media, directorships, insolvency records, conflicts, and any relevant conduct history.

What good looks like

Good SMCR tooling should produce an audit trail. It should show sources, dates checked, findings, context, decisions, reviewer identity, and next review date.