Micro firms1 adviser
Firms4,96853.3%
Advisers4,94516.6%
Financial Planning Market Insights 2026
The UK Financial Planning market, mapped for better hiring decisions.
FCA-led market intelligence showing how firms, advisers and specialist control functions are distributed across the UK, and what that picture can tell you before a recruitment search begins.
9,314 Financial Planning firms
29,704 wealth advisers
3,644 compliance, risk & AML
FCA-led UK market intelligence
Insight index
Move through the market.
Four analytical sections, followed by two practical next steps.
Market shape
Broad at the base. Concentrated at scale.
Firm numbers and adviser capacity tell two different stories. Compare them side by side.
9,314firms in the FCA-led market dataset
29,704wealth advisers across those firms
5firm-size strata from one adviser to 26+
Small firms2–3 advisers
Firms2,58527.8%
Advisers5,46718.4%
Medium firms4–10 advisers
Firms1,30614.0%
Advisers6,29021.2%
Large firms11–25 advisers
Firms3063.3%
Advisers3,71912.5%
Very large firms26+ advisers
Firms1491.6%
Advisers9,28331.3%
Market signal
Micro and small firms represent 81.1% of firms, but only 35.0% of adviser capacity. Very large firms are just 1.6% of firms and hold 31.3% of advisers.
About the data
FCA-led Antony George market mapping. Firms shown have at least one authorised Financial Planner / Adviser; retail banks are excluded. Firm-size bands use adviser count. Regional data later on the page is allocated by authorised-firm postcode.
Top firms
One ranking. One primary measure.
4,985investment advisers at the #1 ranked firm
Top 10largest investment adviser footprints
01
St. James’s Place Wealth Management PlcFRN 195351
4,985investment advisers
02
Quilter Financial Services LimitedFRN 440703
1,311investment advisers
03
True Potential Wealth Management LLPFRN 529810
1,065investment advisers
04
Openwork LimitedFRN 408285
884investment advisers
05
2 Plan Wealth Management LimitedFRN 461598
622investment advisers
06
RBC Europe LimitedFRN 124543
438investment advisers
07
Best Practice IFA Group LimitedFRN 223112
394investment advisers
08
Quilter Financial Advisers LtdFRN 452529
378investment advisers
09
Fairstone Financial Management LimitedFRN 475973
348investment advisers
10
ValidPath LimitedFRN 197107
337investment advisers
Investment adviser count is used as the single ranking measure so the comparison stays clear and consistent.
FCA-led Antony George market mapping. Ranking is by investment adviser count.
Region Atlas
Select a region. See the whole market footprint.
Compare wealth advisers, firms, compliance / risk / AML and mortgage adviser footprints across the nine regional views.
Selected region
London
4,682Wealth advisers
1,549Firms
593Compliance / Risk / AML
1,419Mortgage advisers
Regional allocation is based on authorised-firm postcode. Use it for market mapping and search context, not as a precise map of every individual’s location. These nine regional footprint figures are not intended to be summed to the national headline totals.
Client experiences
What changed when Antony George became involved.
Hear directly from our clients about what it is like to work with Antony George, from how we understood their brief to the difference the search made.
John WallisLeading Partner · Page Kirk Financial Services
9/10“They engaged the entire local area for advisers that can commute to our office.”
More from John
Cost-effective, enabling us to spread the cost over 12 months and giving us the confidence that they had engaged all local candidates.
01 / 08
Read all client feedback →
From market intelligence to recruitment intelligence
Knowing the market changes where you search.
FCA data is useful because it helps narrow the search before direct outreach begins.
Market signalThe hiring questionHow it shapes the search
GeographyRegional market depth
How wide does the realistic commuting market need to be?
Use firm locations and regional concentrations to define a practical search area rather than relying on arbitrary distance.
Firm structureWhere relevant teams sit
Which firms are most likely to contain the experience we need?
Firm size and adviser footprint help prioritise the businesses most likely to contain relevant talent.
ConcentrationCandidate population
Is the likely talent pool broad, concentrated or highly competitive?
The search can be weighted towards the markets with the strongest relevant population instead of treating every employer equally.
PropositionWhy someone would move
What does the opportunity need to offer to compete?
Market context helps test location, package, role scope and proposition before approaching people who were never likely to move.
OutreachDirect search priorities
Where should proactive approaches start?
The market map becomes a focused list of firms and candidate populations for direct, relevant outreach.
The distinction
We do not simply search a database. We use market context to decide where the search should focus before the first approach is made.
Discuss a searchFixed fee recruitment
A recruitment cost you can understand before the search begins.
Our fee is agreed per hire and spread over 12 monthly payments. It is not calculated as a percentage of the successful candidate's salary.
Agreed upfront
One fixed recruitment fee per hire.
The commercial position is agreed before the search starts.
Spread over time
Paid monthly across 12 months.
The fee is divided into predictable monthly payments rather than one large placement invoice.
Salary independent
Not a percentage of salary.
Increasing a salary to secure the right candidate does not automatically increase our recruitment fee.
Search-led
Built around the hire, not the salary.
Market mapping, targeted search, screening and candidate presentation sit behind the agreed fee.
Want to see the actual pricing?
The full 12-month pricing structure is included in the Fixed Fee Recruitment Guide.
Download the Fixed Fee GuideMarket Insights recruitment enquiry
Tell us what you are planning to hire.
Whether the role is live now or still being shaped, give us a little context and we can pick the conversation up from there.
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