The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has reportedly quizzed investment platforms including Halifax, Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell over their continued retail funds offering from Odey Asset Management.

According to a report from the Financial Times, the FCA contacted investment platforms earlier this month on the topic of their offering of funds branded under Odey's name or the associated Brook name given to funds managed by other partners of Odey ASset Management.

Odey has struggled with redemptions since an FT and Tortoise Media expose earlier this month reported allegations of sexual assault and harassment from founder Crispin Odey towards 13 women over a 25-year period. Odey denies the allegations, though he has been ousted from the firm he founded in 1991.

The firm managed about $4.4 billion before the scandal hit and is in the process of breaking itself up by selling off funds. The company was already the subject of a two-year-old investigation from the FCA into corporate governance issues.

A source cited by the report said that the FCA wanted the investment platforms to explain how continuing to offer Odey funds was in the best interests of their clients, with retail investors who may not have heard about the scandal facing risks including further suspensions and restrictions on withdrawals.

Another source said that the conversations went beyond why the funds were still available to purchase, and that the FCA had been asking for information on the level of buying and selling of the funds.

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