Firms for sale
We act for owners of authorised firms who are considering a sale. The firm is registered with us in confidence, prepared for a buyer's regulatory due diligence, and introduced only to buyers the owner agrees to.
At a glance
- For
- Owners and boards of authorised firms considering a sale
- Where
- United Kingdom · European Union · United Arab Emirates
- Confidentiality
- No firm is named to a buyer without the owner's agreement
- Related
- Looking to buy
Change of control
Firms we act for
We act on the sale of authorised firms in the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United Arab Emirates, including:
Investment firms and MTFs
Brokers, dealers, portfolio managers and trading venues, with their MiFID II permissions and passports.
Payment institutions and EMIs
Authorised payment and electronic money institutions, with their safeguarding and banking arrangements.
Crypto-asset service providers
Firms authorised under MiCA, and firms registered or authorised for crypto-asset activities in the UK and the UAE.
FX and CFD brokers
Investment firms dealing in CFDs and rolling spot forex with retail and professional clients.
Consumer credit firms
Firms holding full FCA permission for lending, debt collection and administration, debt counselling or credit broking.
How the sale proceeds
Confidential registration
The owner tells us about the firm, its permissions and the reasons for the sale. Nothing is disclosed to any third party without the owner's agreement.
Regulatory readiness
We review the firm as a buyer's advisers will: its permissions, regulatory record, open matters with the regulator, capital position, policies and the documentation of each senior management function.
Introductions
Where a buyer's requirements match the firm, we describe the firm to the buyer without naming it. The firm is identified only with the owner's agreement and after the buyer has signed a confidentiality agreement.
Change in control
We prepare the buyer's change in control submission and approved-person applications, and manage the regulator's questions through to its decision.
Scope
We work on transactions in which a buyer acquires control of the firm: 50 per cent or more of its voting shares, or day-to-day control of its business. The price and the sale and purchase agreement are agreed between the parties and their lawyers and corporate finance advisers. Completion requires the regulator's prior approval of the change in control.
Details of individual firms are not published.