Unified Software

What Unified Software does

Unified Software is a UK-based software company founded in 2003 that operates cloud-based financial validation web services, with its flagship BankVal product performing real-time UK sort code and account number validation through modulus checking against the VocaLink-maintained Extended Industry Sort Code Directory (EISCD). The company has progressively extended its platform into BankVal International (SWIFT BIC and IBAN validation across 200+ countries), BankVal Enhanced (a multi-layered KYC suite bundling address, email, and telephone validation with AI-driven fraud prevention), BankPay-MS (a Direct Debit and Bacs payments management system including HMRC RTI hash generation), and standalone data products (EISCD file licensing, CardVal, AddressVal, EmailVal). All products are delivered via REST and SOAP APIs with OpenAPI documentation, dual-server failover for 99.99% uptime, and integrations including a WordPress plugin and Gravity Forms hook, targeting UK and international financial institutions, insurers, fintechs, e-commerce businesses, and enterprises processing Bacs, CHAPS, and Faster Payments.

The business operates an API-first, product-led growth model with free trial access (no credit card required) layered with enterprise sales support, generating revenue through pay-per-use API pricing, annual subscriptions for EISCD data files and BankVal Enhanced, and reseller/partner channel economics (notably the embedded COA Solutions e5 ERP distribution and a formal partnership programme for developers and integrators). Compliance credentials are central to its enterprise positioning: ISO 27001:2013 certification (held 7+ years), SCVAS accreditation from Pay.UK, and FSQS registration collectively gate access to regulated financial services procurement. Customer logos span financial services (JP Morgan, GCA), insurance (Hastings Direct, HomeServe), telecommunications (BT), education (Bath Spa University), and nonprofit (Somerset Wildlife Trust), with leadership under Managing Director George Barron and Finance Director Christine Forsyth (with the leadership table additionally listing Sevada Badalian as CEO/President). The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, 1-10 employees, and headquarters in Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne & Wear.

Name

Unified Software

Legal name

Unified Software Limited

Website

https://unifiedsoftware.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UK-based cloud financial validation API provider offering BankVal sort code/account validation, SWIFT/IBAN checks, KYC compliance, and AI-driven fraud prevention to financial services, insurance, e-commerce, and enterprise customers via pay-per-use and subscription pricing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Data Validation APIs

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Account Verification & Ownership (AVS/AOV, micro-deposits, auth) (FSAGACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Risk, Compliance & Controls for Embedded Finance (KYB/KYC/AML, Fraud, Disputes) (FSAGALAK)

Keywords

• Bank account validation
• Sort code validation
• Payment fraud prevention
• KYC verification
• SWIFT IBAN validation

Headquarters

HQ city

Sunderland Bridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. API Usage-Based Pricing: Pay-per-use or subscription-based access to BankVal API services. Customers pay based on validation calls made. Free trial available for evaluation.
2. Subscription Licensing: Annual subscription model for EISCD data file access, with weekly or monthly update options. Also applies to enterprise BankVal service agreements.
3. Building Society Reference Validation: Additional validation capability for building society roll numbers, offered as part of BankVal UK service on pay-per-use or subscription basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Unified Software provides cloud-based financial validation web services through its BankVal platform, delivering real-time validation of UK and international bank account details (sort codes, account numbers, SWIFT BIC, IBAN) along with AI-driven fraud prevention and KYC checks. The suite includes the EISCD sort code directory data product, BankPay-MS Direct Debit management, and standalone address, email, and card validation services, all delivered via REST and SOAP APIs.

Product overview

Unified Software offers a comprehensive suite of financial validation and fraud prevention web services built around its award-winning BankVal platform. The core product is BankVal, which provides sort code and account number validation using modulus checking with cloud-based APIs. This core is extended through BankVal International for SWIFT/IBAN validation of international payments, BankVal Enhanced (BVE) which adds comprehensive KYC capabilities including address, email, and telephone validation plus AI-driven fraud prevention, and BankPay-MS for Direct Debit and payments management. The company also provides the EISCD data product, CardVal for credit/debit card validation, and a WordPress plugin for easy website integration. All services use cloud-based APIs with support for SOAP, REST, and OpenAPI specifications, with SDKs available for Python and Java.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BankVal: Award-winning sort code and account number validation software - cloud-based API solution for validating bank details in real time.
• BankVal UK
• BankVal International
• BankVal Enhanced
• BankPay-MS
• AddressVal
• EmailVal
• CardVal

Products and services

• BankVal Award-winning cloud-based API that validates UK sort codes and account numbers in real time using modulus checking, returns bank branch addresses, checks Direct Debit/Direct Credit/CHAPS/Faster Payments eligibility, and transposes non-standard account numbers into Bacs format. Targets UK businesses running Bacs payments and Direct Debits.
• BankVal International Validates SWIFT BICs and IBANs for international payments, returning country, bank address, and service codes for financial institutions to ensure cross-border payments are processed correctly and to reduce fraud.
• BankVal Enhanced (BVE)
• EISCD (Extended Industry Sort Code Directory)
• BankPay-MS Online Direct Debit and payments management system that helps businesses streamline Bacs operations, including RTI hash generation for HMRC Real Time Information compliance.
• AddressVal
• Email Validation and Verification
• CardVal
• RTI Hash Generator Web service that generates HMRC Real Time Information hash cross-references quickly and easily to help employers comply with RTI requirements for PAYE submissions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 in 40 sort code/account details are entered incorrectly
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• COA SolutionscoreTechnology or Integration · 27 January 2009Partnership to provide BankVal UK as optional extra within COA Solutions' e5 financial management system. BankVal integrated for external validation of Bank Sort Codes and Account numbers against Industry Sorting Code Directory via web-based SOAP service. Planned rollout across financial management, HR and payroll processing systems.
• VocaLink LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationData provider for EISCD (Extended Industry Sort Code Directory) maintained by VocaLink on behalf of UK Payments Administration. Also source for modulus database for validation checks. Data updated weekly.
• SWIFT SCRLcoreTechnology or IntegrationSWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) network used for international payment validation. SWIFT BIC directory used for validating international bank codes. Located in Belgium.
• University of SunderlandminorOthersCollaboration through Graduate Internship Scheme. Unified Software has recruited multiple graduates including software developers Alec Evans, Adam Skinner, and sales/marketing Andrew Jenkins. Scheme supported by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GBG Group: UK-headquartered identity verification and location intelligence specialist offering bank account verification, KYC, and fraud prevention APIs. Most direct competitor to Unified Software's BankVal and BankVal Enhanced products in the UK market.
• Loqate (a GBG company): Global address verification and data quality API provider, directly comparable to Unified Software's AddressVal offering. Shares the same UK-based enterprise customer base and address validation use cases.

Emerging players

• Plaid: US-headquartered bank account verification and financial data aggregation platform. Comparable functionality to BankVal International for account ownership verification, though predominantly US-focused and built on Open Banking.
• ComplyAdvantage: UK-based KYC/AML and financial crime detection platform. Comparable on the fraud prevention and KYC validation capabilities within BankVal Enhanced, though with a different core focus on sanctions and PEP screening.
• Melissa Data (Melissa): Global data quality and address verification API provider, with comparable address/email/phone validation offerings to Unified Software's AddressVal and EmailVal modules.
• TrueLayer: UK Open Banking API platform enabling bank account verification via bank-authorised data sharing. Competes with BankVal for UK enterprise account verification, but using Open Banking rails rather than sort code/modulus checking.

Broad incumbents

• Yodlee (Envestnet): Established financial data aggregation and account verification platform serving banks and fintechs. Comparable to BankVal International for global bank/account validation, with much broader account aggregation functionality.
• Bureau van Dijk (Moody's): Provider of business and entity data used for KYB and compliance workflows. Adjacent to Unified Software's KYC and fraud offerings for business customer verification use cases.
• Experian: Global credit bureau and identity data incumbent offering bank account validation, KYC, and fraud prevention services as part of a much broader credit information portfolio. Overlaps with BankVal Enhanced and EISCD on enterprise data products.
• Equifax: Major credit reference agency with identity verification and fraud solutions. Comparable to Unified Software on UK KYC/bank validation use cases, though bundled within a much larger credit information franchise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uflp

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Unified Software