The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has appointed David Geale as permanent executive director for payments and digital finance and as managing director of the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR). The remit includes delivering the National Payments Vision, progressing the FCA’s work on open banking and digital finance, and supporting the consolidation of the PSR into the FCA. Geale will also be responsible for supervising payments and cryptoasset firms under the recently announced regime and will continue in the PSR managing director role he has held on an acting basis since June 2024. Following the appointment, the FCA named Emad Aladhal as permanent director of retail banking and Andrea Bowe as permanent director of the specialist directorate, both previously serving on an interim basis.