The Regulatory News Service (RNS) is a Primary Information Provider (PIP) operated by the London Stock Exchange. As an FCA-approved PIP, RNS is the official channel through which UK-listed companies must disseminate regulatory announcements and price-sensitive information to the market.
Regulatory Framework
As an FCA-approved PIP under DTR 8 (Disclosure and Transparency Rules), RNS is authorized to disseminate regulated information for UK-listed companies. It is owned and operated by London Stock Exchange Group and is the most widely used PIP in the UK market.
Key Functions
RNS ensures:
- Simultaneous disclosure: All market participants receive information at the same time
- Regulatory compliance: Companies meet MAR and DTR disclosure obligations
- Audit trail: Timestamping and archiving of all announcements
- Wide distribution: Automated delivery to exchanges, data vendors, and media
Common Announcement Types
Examples of announcements disseminated via RNS include:
- Inside information (MAR Article 17)
- Financial results and trading updates
- Director dealings (MAR Article 19)
- Major shareholding notifications (DTR 5)
- Total voting rights
- Corporate actions and transactions
Distribution
RNS announcements are distributed to:
- London Stock Exchange website
- Market data vendors (Bloomberg, Refinitiv, FactSet)
- FCA National Storage Mechanism
- News services and company websites