
Successful FCA applications
Winner of Best Financial Services Compliance Consultancy 2020 - 2024
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As an FCA regulated firm in the investment sector, your regulatory responsibilities can often feel like a burden. We make keeping compliant a lighter lift.
Know if you’re ready for the FCA and what to expect from the authorisation process, with support from an investment compliance expert the whole way
As your firm grows and changes, we’ll be beside you to offer commercially-focused and risk-balanced investment compliance services, advice and hands-on delivery
From due diligence for a merger or acquisition, to FCA investigations or changes in your regulatory responsibilities, we deliver technical advice, in plain English
Wondering how long it’ll take? What your options are? Where to start? Or whether you’re ready to become authorised?
Read the FAQs
“Thistle Initiatives provide us with invaluable expertise with their ongoing compliance support and delivered end-to-end assistance with our FCA application to add Alternative Investment Fund Management to our permissions. The service from the team is always on-point and efficient; we highly recommend them.”
“Our experience of working with Thistle Initiatives to add our CASS permissions has been great. Thistle helped to create the application to vary our FCA permissions and helped to respond to the FCA’s detailed questions following submission. Thistle assisted quickly and clearly at all times, including during the more complex aspects of the process.”
“Our experience of working with Thistle Initiatives has been exceptionally good. After due consideration and comparison of various service providers, WMG Advisors engaged Thistle to perform an external review of our systems and controls, our policies and procedures and to provide ongoing training to meet our compliance needs. Thistle deployed serious resources to the project, and provided comprehensive analysis and recommendations. Thistle has responded quickly and clearly to all of our requests to date. We continue to be impressed with both the methodology and the people that we deal with throughout their organisation.”
We have been helping UK and overseas firms acquire FCA regulated businesses since 2012. Over that time we have handled regulatory due diligence on more than 85 regulated entities, advising on transactions worth over £8 billion.
If you are looking at acquiring a regulated firm, our expert team can help. We offer a range of acquisition due diligence services to help you fully understand the regulatory risk any transaction poses.
Shackleton Advisors acquisition of PK Financial Planning and PK Wealth
Perspective Financial Group Limited being acquired by Charlesbank Capital Partners LLC
Financial crime compliance is under intense regulatory scrutiny. At Thistle Initiatives, we help firms act swiftly and respond with confidence.
Our experts deliver audits, advisory, and managed resources that are fast, practical, and effective. With former regulators and industry specialists on our team, we bring experience from multiple sectors and major enforcement programmes. We combine deep regulatory expertise with commercial insight, tailoring solutions to each client’s business model, risk profile and maturity.
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In 2024, almost a quarter of CASS audit reports were returned as ‘qualified’ or ‘adverse’, proof that meeting the FCA’s elevated expectations remains a major challenge across the industry. Weaknesses in governance, reconciliation, documentation, and oversight are still common, and the regulator is taking notice.
The FCA’s scrutiny is not limited to newly authorised firms. Long-standing businesses once considered low risk are also in scope. Past performance offers no protection if current standards are slipping. CASS compliance is no longer just good practice; it is a critical safeguard against regulatory action.