The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has released a guide to how it will examine whether financial services providers are demonstrating good conduct under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013.

The FMA is seeking feedback from providers licensed under the Act. It says submissions will be accepted until 31 October 2016.

The conduct guide describes for financial providers how conduct will be the FMA's "lens", through which it will examine what providers do, how they do it, and how that translates to what their customers experience.

"The guide is not a checklist or a manual. It is principles-based guidance about how we view conduct," FMA Chief Executive Rob Everett says.

"It will inform how we license, supervise, monitor and enforce. It will affect, for example, how we consider incentive structures and customer complaints."

He says conduct is a debate, but also a core part of how the FMA plans to operate.

"So we are particularly interested to hear providers' views on whether the guide is a useful contribution to the debate; and whether it also makes sense on a practical level."