Starting a New Business in a Regulated World – Understanding Your Options
Starting a new financial business is exciting — but navigating the UK’s regulated environment can feel like stepping into a maze. Whether you’re launching a fund, advising clients, or arranging investments, one of your earliest decisions will be how to secure the right FCA permissions.
At Infinity, we’ve helped dozens of entrepreneurial teams take that step with confidence. As experienced fund managers and regulatory hosts, we’ve been through the process ourselves — raising, managing, and exiting our own funds — so we know how to help you get it right from the start.
Balancing Ambition with Regulation
Direct FCA authorisation is the traditional route to becoming regulated, but it’s not the only one. This authorisation process can take up to 12 months, with significant time and capital requirements before you can even launch your business. That delay can stall growth and put early momentum at risk.
Meanwhile, compliance expectations have become increasingly complex. The FCA now places greater scrutiny on operational readiness, governance, and risk management — meaning even experienced professionals can face hurdles without the right support.
The Alternative: Appointed Representative (AR) Services
If you’re looking for a faster, cost-efficient way to operate within the regulatory perimeter, the Appointed Representative model offers a practical solution.
By becoming an AR of an FCA-authorised Principal Firm — like Infinity your business can conduct regulated activities within weeks, not months. There are a number of specific advantages here including:
Speed to market: Typically around 12 weeks vs 12 months for direct authorisation.
Reduced cost and burden: No need to hold your own regulatory capital or maintain full compliance infrastructure.
Operational freedom: You keep your brand, your clients, and your commercial independence — we handle compliance oversight, monitoring, and regulatory matters.
It’s a model that will often suit entrepreneurial firms testing new markets, fund managers preparing for direct authorisation, and overseas businesses looking for a UK footprint.
When Direct Authorisation Still Makes Sense
For larger, institutional firms or those managing multiple complex funds, direct FCA authorisation provides long-term independence and control. But even here we’ll often see firms start as an AR under a host AIFM, building their performance track record and governance systems before applying for authorisation in their own right.
The choice depends on your business strategy, structure, and investor base — and that’s where expert guidance is essential.
Choosing the Right Route & Right Partner
At Infinity, we’ve been helping businesses launch, manage and grow within the UK’s regulatory framework since 2007.
Full-scope AIFM authorisation with a proven track record across private equity, real estate, debt, and (S)EIS funds.
18+ years in market, 100+ years’ combined team expertise across fund management, corporate finance and accounting.
Integrated support — from compliance and governance to fund administration and accounting — all under one roof.
Real-world experience — our founding partners, Sarah Butler and Phil Vickers, have raised and exited their own funds.
We understand your challenges because we’ve faced them too. Our role is to make regulatory complexity simple, safe, and scalable — helping you move from concept to compliance without losing momentum.
If you’re considering launching a fund or stepping into regulated activity, understanding your options early can save months of delay and thousands in unnecessary cost.
At Infinity, we help investment firms, advisors, and entrepreneurs navigate FCA regulation with clarity and confidence — whether through Appointed Representative services or direct authorisation support.
Get in touch to discuss your plans and we’ll help you map the best route for your business.