Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom & 🇪🇺 European Union
A leading, fully-regulated FinTech company based in the UK. With a strong domestic presence, their next logical step was to expand into the vast, 500-million-person European market. However, the post-Brexit landscape had erected a formidable regulatory wall.
Brexit had effectively cut off our client’s direct access to the EU. To continue their growth trajectory, they urgently needed a licensed entity within the European Union. The traditional path (applying for a new Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license from scratch) was a slow, resource-intensive, and uncertain process that could take over a year. In the fast-moving world of FinTech, this delay was an unacceptable opportunity cost. They needed a solution that was fast, certain, and delivered immediate market access.
We leveraged our deep expertise in FinTech M&A to bypass the slow lane. Instead of building, we advised them to buy. Our approach was methodical and swift:
Sourcing the Asset: We tapped into our private network to identify an off-market opportunity: a fully operational, ready-made EMI company in a strategic EU jurisdiction. Crucially, this company already possessed “passporting” rights, allowing it to operate across the entire EU.
Due Diligence & Negotiation: We conducted rigorous due diligence to ensure the target company was clean, compliant, and a perfect strategic fit, before negotiating favorable terms for the acquisition.
Flawless Execution: We project-managed the entire ownership transfer, preparing all documentation and navigating the complex regulatory approval process with surgical precision. Our goal was to make the transaction seamless and raise zero red flags with the regulator.
By choosing a strategic acquisition over organic licensing, the client achieved a significant competitive advantage.
Unmatched Speed to Market: The client gained full access to the EU market in a fraction of the time it would have taken to secure a new license.
Guaranteed Compliance: They acquired a proven, operational entity with all regulatory approvals already in place, eliminating the uncertainty of a new application.
Immediate ROI: They were able to begin onboarding EU clients and generating revenue almost immediately, turning a strategic challenge into a rapid growth opportunity.
Expertise Validated: The success of the deal demonstrated our core value proposition: we don’t just understand the law; we understand the business of FinTech and use our knowledge to deliver tangible commercial outcomes.
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