Fairer Finance

What Fairer Finance does

Fairer Finance is an independent UK consumer group and ratings provider founded by James Daley in March 2014 and headquartered in London (registered as Fairer Finance Ltd in England & Wales, company number 10690640). The organisation rates more than 6,000 financial products across over 20 sectors — including bank accounts, credit cards, savings, mortgages, personal loans, business banking, car, home, travel, pet, life, PMI, breakdown cover, funeral plans and investment/pension wrappers — and rates the customer experience of more than 1,000 financial services brands. Its ratings stack is built on three proprietary assets: (i) Product Star Ratings, where no more than 15% of products receive a 5-star rating at any time; (ii) Gold, Silver and Bronze Customer Experience Ribbons, derived from biannual Opinium surveys of approximately 10,000 consumers plus complaints and transparency inputs; and (iii) the Clear & Simple Mark, awarded to firms whose communications meet a proprietary jargon and Automated Readability Index-based reading-age standard. These are supported by the Fair Value Report Tool (launched February 2024), the Insight Portal (a B2B SaaS data dashboard at insight.fairerfinance.com), and longitudinal research indices (Trust in Banking, Trust in Insurance, Trust in PMI, plus The Retirement Compass).

Fairer Finance operates a hybrid revenue model spanning B2B consultancy, endorsement/ribbon licensing to financial institutions, subscription data access via the Insight Portal, and sponsored research. Its named clients and licensees include Royal London, Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, TSB, Co-operative Bank, Metro Bank, Saga, Ecclesiastical, Coventry, Principality and Cumberland building societies, Beagle Street, Smart Insurance, ManyPets, Hiscox, and BMU. Pricing across all paid streams is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is multi-modal: a direct-to-consumer website (fairerfinance.com) offering free ratings and guides; a sales-led B2B motion ([email protected]) selling Consumer Duty embedding, fair value evidencing, communications transformation, consumer testing, behavioural science, financial promotions, targeted support, upskilling, shaping policy, and Consumer Duty in the Boardroom engagements; a community-led policy and regulator engagement arm; and a channel/ribbon licensing motion where firms embed Fairer Finance marks in their own marketing. Distribution also includes a fortnightly podcast launched January 2025, webinars including an FCA-led Consumer Duty series, and sustained mainstream UK media coverage.

The company has 11-50 employees, a Scottish division opened in October 2017, and an independent Consumer Advisory Board currently chaired by Chris Pond (with Charles Randell CBE, Walter Merricks OBE, Caroline Barr and Helene Brichet) that scrutinises commercial relationships to safeguard independence. Founder James Daley remains Managing Director. The only disclosed external funding is a ~£402,317 Crowdcube round in March 2021; the business is otherwise self-funded through commercial revenue. Recent strategic activity includes the January 2026 filing of a £1.5 billion Apple Pay class action by Daley in the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, ongoing product expansion into PMI, business banking and easy access savings, and continued advisory work tied to FCA Consumer Duty implementation.

Name

Fairer Finance

Legal name

Fairer Finance Ltd

Website

https://fairerfinance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fairer Finance is an independent UK consumer group founded in 2014 that rates over 6,000 financial products across 20+ sectors and licenses Gold/Silver/Bronze Ribbons, Star Ratings and the Clear & Simple Mark to leading UK banks and insurers. It also sells B2B Consumer Duty advisory services, subscription data access via its Insight Portal, and conducts regulatory policy and campaigning work.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Endorsement & Ribbon Licensing: Companies pay a license fee to use Fairer Finance's Gold/Silver/Bronze Ribbons, Star Ratings, and Clear & Simple Mark in their own marketing materials. Examples include Royal London, Ecclesiastical, TSB, Co-op, Lloyds, Halifax, Saga, ManyPets and Metro Bank.
2. B2B Consultancy Services: Paid advisory services to UK financial services firms covering embedding the Consumer Duty, evidencing fair value, transforming communications, consumer testing, behavioural science, financial promotions, targeted support, upskilling, shaping policy, and Consumer Duty in the Boardroom.
3. Insight Portal (Data Subscription): Subscription-based B2B data portal providing clients with login access to ratings, market data, and product benchmarking at insight.fairerfinance.com.
4. Sponsored Research & Reports: Sponsored research reports where commercial sponsors pay to underwrite research while Fairer Finance retains full editorial control (e.g. the funeral plan report sponsored by Co-op Funeralcare, Dignity, Ecclesiastical and Golden Charter).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Fairer Finance is an independent UK consumer group and ratings provider that rates more than 6,000 financial products across 20+ sectors, awarding Customer Experience Ribbons (Gold/Silver/Bronze), Product Star Ratings and the Clear & Simple Mark. It sells B2B consultancy services covering FCA Consumer Duty embedding, fair value evidencing, communications transformation, behavioural science and consumer testing to UK banks, building societies and insurers, and licenses its ratings/endorsements and the Insight Portal data subscription to financial firms.

Product overview

Fairer Finance operates as an independent consumer group and ratings provider in the UK financial services sector, offering a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on product ratings and customer experience assessments. The core offerings include the Fairer Finance Star Ratings (scoring financial products on their core features), Customer Experience Ratings (awarded as Gold, Silver, and Bronze Ribbons), and the Clear & Simple Mark (an endorsement for clear consumer communications). Supporting these are the Insight Portal (a data platform for accessing ratings and research) and the Fair Value Report Tool (a benchmarking tool launched in February 2024). The research arm publishes indices such as the Trust in Insurance Index, Trust in Banking Index, Trust in PMI Index, and The Retirement Compass. Content offerings include The Fairer Finance Podcast, consumer guides, research reports, and webinars. The consultancy services division applies behavioural economics and data science to help financial firms embed Consumer Duty, evidence fair value, transform communications, conduct consumer testing, and shape policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fairer Finance Customer Experience Ribbons (Gold, Silver & Bronze): Awards scheme that ranks companies based on customer feedback, complaints handling, and transparency.
• Fairer Finance Star Ratings (Product Ratings)
• Fairer Finance Clear & Simple Mark
• The Fairer Finance Podcast
• Fairer Finance Insight Portal
• Fairer Finance Fair Value Report Tool

Products and services

• Customer Experience Ribbons (Gold, Silver & Bronze) Ranks financial services companies based on what their customers think of them, how good they are at handling complaints, and how transparent they are. Gold, Silver and Bronze Ribbons are licensed to firms for use in their own marketing.
• Product Star Ratings Scores individual financial products based on core product features (banking, credit cards, savings, mortgages, insurance, PMI, business banking, funeral plans, investments/pensions, equity release). High-bar methodology: no more than 15% of products receive 5-star ratings at any time.
• Clear & Simple Mark Endorsement awarded to financial providers whose communications meet Fairer Finance's standards for clarity, simplicity, and ease of understanding, based on jargon and readability analysis.
• Insight Portal (Data Portal) Subscription-based B2B data dashboard providing financial institutions with login access to Fairer Finance's ratings, market data, and product benchmarking.
• Fair Value Report Tool Benchmarking tool that allows financial services firms to assess the value of their products by comparing comprehensiveness of features, price, and service against the wider market, supporting FCA Consumer Duty compliance.
• Trust in Banking Index Biannual research index measuring consumer trust in the UK banking sector, based on large-scale consumer surveys.
• Trust in Insurance Index Biannual research index measuring consumer trust in the UK insurance sector, with weighted trust scoring methodology.
• Trust in PMI Index Research index tracking trust trends across age, income, tenure and channel in private medical insurance, polling 6,000+ customers of the five largest PMI insurers.
• The Retirement Compass Research publication providing guidance and analysis on retirement products and planning for UK consumers.
• The Fairer Finance Podcast Fortnightly podcast covering consumer finance topics, financial product reviews, regulatory developments and market news, distributed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.
• Fairer Finance Consultancy Services Paid advisory services to UK financial services firms covering embedding the Consumer Duty, evidencing fair value, transforming communications, consumer testing, behavioural science, financial promotions, targeted support journeys, upskilling teams, policy shaping, and Consumer Duty in the Boardroom.

Quantifiable outcome

• Spring 2026 claims satisfaction reached highest level since 2019 at 60.03%, up from 51% in Spring 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerFCA staff (Jo Legg, Head of Consumer Policy & Outcomes; Cameron Belton, Behavioural Economics Technical Specialist) participated as featured guests in Fairer Finance's October 2025 Consumer Duty Series webinar, jointly addressing consumer testing methodology with Fairer Finance's Tim Hogg and Eve McGrady. Reflects ongoing collaborative relationship around Consumer Duty implementation.
• OpiniumcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOpinium is the polling/research partner that conducts Fairer Finance's biannual consumer surveys of ~10,000 customers underpinning the Trust in Banking Index, Trust in Insurance Index (since 2015) and Trust in PMI Index. All percentages and weighted scoring methodologies rely on Opinium-collected responses.
• Co-op FuneralcaremoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored Fairer Finance's 2018 'Towards Regulation of the Prepaid Funeral Planning Industry' report (alongside Dignity, Ecclesiastical and Golden Charter). Fairer Finance retained full editorial control. Also displayed Fairer Finance ribbons in its marketing.
• Dignity (Funeral Services)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored both Fairer Finance's 2017 funeral plan report ('Is the prepaid funeral plan market working well for consumers?') and the 2018 follow-up report on regulation, contributing to the campaign that secured FCA regulation of the sector from July 2022.
• Golden ChartermoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored Fairer Finance's 2018 'Towards Regulation of the Prepaid Funeral Planning Industry' report. Fairer Finance retained full editorial control.
• HiscoxcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOn 29 May 2014 Hiscox became the first company to sign up to Fairer Finance's endorsement scheme, marking the launch of the ribbons-and-endorsement licensing business.
• Royal LondonmoderateOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's Gold/Silver/Bronze Ribbons and Product Star Ratings in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• Lloyds BankmoderateOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons and product ratings in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• HalifaxmoderateOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons and product ratings in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• Bank of ScotlandmoderateOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons and product ratings in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• TSBmoderateOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons and product ratings in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• Metro BankmoderateOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons and product ratings in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• SagamoderateOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons and product ratings in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• ManyPets (Bought By Many)moderateOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerFirst company ever awarded the Fairer Finance Clear & Simple Mark (8 March 2017). Continues to display Fairer Finance's ribbons and product ratings in its marketing.
• Coventry Building SocietymoderateOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• Principality Building SocietymoderateOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• Cumberland Building SocietyminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• Beagle StreetminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• Smart InsuranceminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• BMUminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme.
• Co-operative BankmoderateOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDisplays Fairer Finance's ribbons in its own consumer marketing under the endorsement licensing scheme. (Distinct from Co-op Funeralcare sponsorship.)

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Which?: The UK's largest independent consumer group, Which? publishes product ratings, reviews and advisory content across financial services (banking, insurance, investments), overlapping directly with Fairer Finance's customer experience ratings, star ratings, and consumer guides.
• Defaqto: UK financial product ratings and data provider used by advisers and consumers to compare banking, insurance and investment products on features and value — directly comparable to Fairer Finance's Star Ratings, Insight Portal and Fair Value Report Tool.
• MoneySavingExpert: UK consumer finance comparison and advice site founded by Martin Lewis, covering bank accounts, credit cards, savings, mortgages and insurance. Competes for the same consumer attention and editorial influence that drives Fairer Finance's consumer ratings and guides.

Emerging players

• Citizens Advice: UK statutory consumer advocacy body providing advice on banking, insurance and consumer rights — overlapping with Fairer Finance's consumer-facing content, though funded differently and operating a broader non-financial remit.
• Financial Services Consumer Panel: Statutory independent panel that advises the FCA on consumer issues in financial services, mirroring Fairer Finance's policy-shaping and Consumer Duty engagement with UK regulators.

Regional players

• Compare the Market: UK price comparison platform across insurance, banking and utilities; competes for consumer attention on product comparison but operates a transactional aggregator model rather than independent ratings.
• MoneySupermarket: UK price comparison site covering insurance, banking and credit products. Adjacent to Fairer Finance's mission of helping consumers choose better financial products, but via price-led aggregation rather than independent rating.
• GoCompare: UK financial product comparison site covering insurance, energy and money products, with overlapping consumer audience to Fairer Finance but a fundamentally different (aggregator) business model.

Broad incumbents

• Experian UK: Major UK credit bureau and consumer information provider; overlapping in the broader consumer-credit data and ratings space, but with a much larger commercial credit-reporting franchise rather than independent consumer advocacy.

Others

• Oxera: UK/economics consultancy with a behavioural economics and FS regulation practice (where Tim Hogg previously led that practice before joining Fairer Finance). Comparable as a potential competitor for the same B2B behavioural science and Consumer Duty advisory budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fairerfinance
• Facebookfacebook.com/fairerfinance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fairer-finance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fairer Finance