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London, United Kingdom Jul 3, 2025 – A London-based startup is launching its searchable platform today for financial services firms regulated by the FCA. Hackford has categorized over 70,000 UK regulated firms into market segments, such as Credit and Insurance, and further into subsegments including investment managers, hedge funds, wealth managers, and holistic financial planners, using a combination of human knowledge and machine learning.

Although the FCA Register is a valuable data source, its fragmented nature limits users to checking firms individually on the website. The absence of a search function or firm classification leaves compliance and regtech professionals struggling to identify firms requiring regulatory or compliance assistance.

Hackford’s software platform enables compliance consultants and regtech sales teams to efficiently search all regulated financial services businesses. Searches can be conducted using user-friendly categories, regulatory permissions, and key personnel. The platform also allows users to create watchlists of companies and individuals and receive weekly email updates, ensuring no critical personnel or permission changes are overlooked.

Comment from Hackford founder and CEO Dan Robinson

“If the FCA Register is a haystack, Hackford is the metal detector.

The register’s search functionality is inadequate. Compliance and regtech professionals consistently report spending excessive time searching the register to locate firms in need of their services.

While the FCA has invested significantly in optimizing the register for consumer protection, less emphasis has been placed on developing it as a data asset for the UK’s financial services industry.

Hackford has classified all firms into searchable categories, enabling professionals to quickly identify and access profiles enriched with essential firm information. Addressing this data gap improves the entire UK compliance ecosystem, allowing firms to detect risk, promote best practices, and respond to regulatory changes more effectively.”

Comment from Nick Bayley, Former FCA regulator and adviser to Hackford

“During my time in regulatory consulting, a tool like Hackford would have been invaluable. Having experienced the FCA Register firsthand, I recognize its untapped potential for consultants and compliance teams, provided it can be unlocked. Hackford achieves precisely this, transforming a static public record into actionable intelligence and making the Register truly beneficial for its primary users.”

Nick Bayley previously served as Head of UK Regulatory Consulting at Kroll and led key market policy initiatives at the FCA, including MiFID II and MAR. Currently, he is the independent Non-Executive Chair of the International Stock Exchange Authority and advises regtech firm Mettis and intelligence platform Hackford.

About Hackford

Hackford is a London-based intelligence platform designed to provide insights into the firms and individuals driving the UK’s financial services sector. Launched in June 2025, Hackford’s platform allows compliance consultants and regtech teams to search, segment, and monitor all FCA-regulated businesses and professionals. By integrating regulatory data from the FCA Register with other public sources, the platform offers real-time search capabilities based on firm type, regulatory permissions, and key individuals. Features such as watchlists, weekly alerts, and detailed compliance contact data enable Hackford to convert a fragmented public record into actionable intelligence for relevant professionals. For additional details on Hackford or FCA Register data, visit.

Founder and CEO Dan Robinson previously held consulting and operational positions at Beauhurst, a leading UK private company intelligence platform trusted by investors, banks, and the public sector. Prior to that, he worked as an analyst at The Sunday Times Fast Track, where he ranked and celebrated the UK’s fastest-growing private businesses. Dan’s expertise in data-driven research and market analysis informs Hackford’s mission of making regulatory intelligence accessible and actionable for financial services professionals.

Notes to editors

• Availability: Subscription plans are available now. A 7-day free trial is offered with a credit card, followed by prices starting at £50+VAT per month per person or £600+VAT per year.
• Press kit: Download our press kit, which includes logos, product screenshots, and headshots at
• Hackford’s dataset: Utilizes data from the FCA Register and other public sources, including company websites. More details are available at