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Winner of Best Financial Services Compliance Consultancy 2020 - 2024
Happy customers served
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?
The FCA’s client money and custody assets rules, known as CASS, have been a particular focus for the regulator since the financial crisis of 2008. The CASS rules are intended to protect client money and custody assets by ensuring they are adequately segregated in the event of a firm’s or its custodian’s failure.
The CASS rules apply at all times, and your standards must remain at the same high level. Whether by carrying out a high-level review of your CASS arrangements or a full review of your processes, we can assess the adequacy of your CASS controls and provide proportionate and effective recommendations for improvements where needed. If you are expecting a CASS external audit, we can help you prepare before the auditor arrives, advise you on findings before the report is finalised or assist you with any remedial work needed.
Keep on top of your financial crime compliance and understand your responsibilities, with hands-on support from our world-class regulatory experts
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.
Perspective Financial Group Limited being acquired by Charlesbank Capital Partners LLC
Wren Sterling acquisition of Ralston Bennett Financial Planning and Callisto Wealth
Wren Sterling acquisition of Active Wealth Management Limited and HB&O Financial Services
Verso Wealth Management acquisition of Campbell Thomson Insurance Services
Preservation Capital Partners becoming majority shareholder of Saltus Group
One Four Nine Group acquisition of APC Financial Solutions & Consultancy Services
“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.”