Insight, not content. We publish when there is something worth saying about the UK regulated payments transaction market: regulation, valuation, deal craft, process. Written by Rodolfo and the desk.
Three payment deals show why buyers look beyond volume to contracts, customers and capabilities they cannot reproduce quickly.
Read the full pieceThe UK plans longer hours for large and urgent payments. Learn when this matters and five checks for buyers assessing an SPI or API.
A vendor white paper published on 6 August 2026 says agentic AI is remaking cross-border payments. It is probably right about the technology. It says nothing about what your firm is worth. Two sets of results published the same week do, and they point somewhere else. Buyers are not paying for your software. They are […]
In a share sale that gives a buyer control of a UK payment or e-money institution, the buyer must notify the FCA and obtain approval before control changes. Acquiring control without approval is a criminal offence under section 191F of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. So agreed terms are a milestone, not an […]
UK fintech acquisitions fell to 42 in the first half of 2026. That is down 25% on the second half of 2025, and down 30% on the same period a year earlier, according to Tracxn data reported by UKTN on 22 July 2026. For an SPI or API owner thinking about a sale, the number […]
A plain corridor test for UK SPI and API founders assessing stablecoin settlement before a cross-border payments sale.
Legislative status: based on the Bill as it stands after Grand Committee. It is not law and it can still change. The Financial Services and Markets Bill would create a new “provisional licence”. Advisers are already telling payment firm owners this will make UK payment licences easier to get, and therefore worth less. Read the […]
On 1 July 2026 the Payment Systems Regulator published an independent review of the Authorised Push Payment fraud reimbursement rules. It changes what a buyer should pay for a UK payment institution, and what a seller should prepare before going to market. Since October 2024, buyers of UK payment firms have carried a quiet assumption. […]
If you are selling a cross-border payments business in 2026, the thing a buyer pays for has changed. For years, speed sold. A faster payout, a quicker settlement, a slicker rail. That edge is fading. Real-time payment networks are spreading fast, and speed is becoming a basic expectation rather than a feature you can charge […]
Most SPI and API owners set their asking price on two things: last year’s revenue and a growth story. That is not what buyers paid for in the cleanest payments deal to reach the market this month. On 18 June, Deluxe announced it had agreed to buy Celero Commerce for about $625m, all cash. Celero […]
If you hold a UK payment licence you are not using, you are holding an asset with a shelf life. The FCA is actively cancelling dormant SPI and API permissions. A live, clean licence can be sold to a buyer who wants a faster route into the market. A cancelled one is worth nothing, and […]
Applying for your own FCA authorisation can take more than a year, with no guarantee you are approved. Buying an authorised firm skips that wait, which is why most buyers acquire. The Euro Exchange Securities case, stopped by the FCA and in special administration within a week, is the reminder that the licence you buy […]
In a UK payment institution deal, the price is rarely the thing that stops it. FCA change of control is. A buyer and a seller can agree everything. Price, terms, timeline. The deal still cannot complete until the FCA approves the new owner. When someone acquires control of an SPI, API or EMI, the regulator […]
When you buy a UK payment institution, you are not mainly buying its revenue. You are buying its FCA permission and what comes attached to it. That can be a scheme accreditation, a clean licence, a live banking relationship, or a corridor that is hard to rebuild. The revenue matters. The permission matters more. Two […]
Two FCA-regulated payment firms lost the ability to operate within a week of each other. For anyone buying or selling an SPI, API or EMI, the lesson is not about staying compliant. It is about price. An FCA permission, on its own, is not the asset. The control framework underneath it is what a buyer […]
The most valuable thing in a UK payment firm sale is often the part that does not show up in the accounts. The FCA authorisation itself. This holds on both sides of a deal. A buyer who needs to operate in the UK is buying speed and certainty. A seller who already holds a clean […]
When you're ready to buy or sell a payment institution in the UK, you're making one of the biggest decisions in fintech. Whether you're looking at a Small
Published: January 22, 2026
Last updated: 17 January 2026
The cross-border payments landscape is shifting faster than most people realise. If you run a small payment institution (SPI), authorised payment institution
Your EMI's banking relationship might be more fragile than you think, and the FCA's latest findings reveal just how exposed small payment firms really are.
Your customers are about to bypass your cards entirely, and the biggest payment network in the world is leading the charge.
The FCA approval rate for Small Payment Institution licences has dropped from 85% to 70% in two years, and if you're planning to apply, you need to know
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has stepped up its scrutiny of Small Payment Institutions (SPIs), revoking several registrations in 2025 for inactivity
The European Union's Payment Services Directive (PSD) has been a cornerstone of financial regulation, shaping the payments landscape across Europe. With PSD2
Imagine a world where your bank not only understands your financial needs but also anticipates them, offering seamless digital solutions at your fingertips.
Discover proven strategies fintechs use to stand out, retain customers, and grow in today’s highly competitive financial landscape.
You probably don’t think about APIs when transferring money, checking your banking app, or making an online payment. But APIs (Application Programming
As a Money Service Business owner in the UK's dynamic fintech landscape, understanding how to properly value early-stage fintech companies is crucial for
Key takeaways:
Key takeaways:
Navigating the regulatory landscape can be daunting. Especially with constant changes in regulations, staying compliant is a challenging task. I've put
Have you ever considered exiting your Money Service Business on a high note? Perhaps a lucrative sale opportunity is on the horizon.
A monthly desk note for principals working in UK regulated payments. Short, specific, occasionally annotated with a chart. No marketing, no listicles, no daily roundup. Unsubscribe in one click.
Rodolfo Basilio has been in the UK fintech business since 2007, operating inside the same regulatory regime he now advises on. He founded Angra in 2010 and exited in 2022. He co-founded Remitec in 2018 and exited in 2022. Vertice Fintech is where that operator experience is now put to work for a small number of vendors and acquirers each year.
"The best transactions look boring on the outside. That is the point."
Rodolfo Basilio · Founder, Vertice Fintech
The blog is for general writing. For a question about a specific firm, mandate, or transaction, the right place is a ten-minute call. Discreet, no obligation.
