Keys Finance
Keys Finance is an independently owned Belfast-based specialist finance provider offering Insurance Premium Finance for commercial brokers and Next-Day Professional Fee Finance for accountancy practices across the UK and Ireland, founded in 1991.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersBelfast, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Keys Finance does
Keys Finance is an independently owned specialist finance provider headquartered in Belfast with a regional office in London, serving commercial insurance brokers and accountancy practices across the UK and Ireland. Founded in 1991 by Alan Graham, the company operates two principal products: Insurance Premium Finance, which funds commercial insurance premiums with same-day underwriting decisions for brokers and their clients, and Next-Day Professional Fee Finance, which enables accountancy practices to receive 100% of invoiced fees the next working day while clients spread payments monthly. A sub-product, Pre-Approved Credit Service, supports brokers onboarding new clients with premiums above £25,000.
The technology stack centres on secure online submission portals (introducers.keysfinance.co.uk and accountants.keysfinance.co.uk) with digital agreement signing, optional Xero integration for embedding finance into client invoices, mandatory Multi-Factor Authentication for introducer accounts, and a Microsoft 365 environment with data loss prevention and threat protection. Keys holds two FCA licences (726027 and 725157) and achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification in 2024.
Revenue is generated through transaction fees on credit extended: practice clients receive next-day funding with no cost to the introducing practice, while end-clients pay finance charges on structured repayment plans. Distribution is exclusively intermediary-led via regional sales specialists, insurance broker partners, accountancy practice introducers, and professional-body referral networks including ICAEW BenefitsPlus, Chartered Accountants Ireland Member Benefits, and BIBA Associate Membership. The company serves 30 of the UK Top 100 accountancy practices and 9 of Ireland's Top 20, and is described as one of Northern Ireland's largest specialist finance providers. A December 2025 senior debt facility from Ulster Bank and NatWest Group is funding the next phase of geographic and product expansion.
Keys Finance firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Keys Finance
- Legal name
- Keys Premium Finance Ltd
- Website
- https://keysfinance.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Keys Finance is an independently owned Belfast-based specialist finance provider offering Insurance Premium Finance for commercial brokers and Next-Day Professional Fee Finance for accountancy practices across the UK and Ireland, founded in 1991.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Keys Finance industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialist Commercial Finance
- NAICS
- Sales Financing (52222)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Loan Brokers (6163)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Direct Lending — Specialty Finance (Consumer/SME Lending Platforms) (FSAHAJAF)
Keywords
Where Keys Finance is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Belfast
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Keys Finance business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Insurance Premium Finance: Revenue generated from financing commercial insurance premiums. Brokers facilitate the finance arrangement for their commercial clients who spread premium payments over structured instalments. Keys Finance provides quick underwriting decisions and same-day approvals.
- Professional Fee Finance: Next-Day Professional Fee Finance solution for accountancy practices. Revenue is generated from finance charges on the structured repayment plans offered to clients. Practices receive 100% of fees next working day while clients spread payments monthly. No added cost to practice and no minimum usage requirement.
- Next-Day Payment Processing: Once client signs agreement digitally, practice receives full payment next working day. Keys Finance earns revenue through transparent finance charge structure on the credit extended to end clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | No cost to practice with no minimum usage requirement |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Customized brokerage-specific terms |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Keys Finance product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Keys Finance is an independently owned specialist finance provider offering two principal products: Insurance Premium Finance for commercial insurance brokers and Next-Day Professional Fee Finance for accountancy practices. The company funds commercial insurance premiums on behalf of brokers' clients and advances 100% of accountancy practice fees the next working day while clients repay in structured monthly instalments across the UK and Ireland.
Product overview
Keys Finance offers two core finance products: Insurance Premium Finance for commercial insurance brokers, and Next-Day Professional Fee Finance for accountancy practices. Insurance Premium Finance enables brokers to offer their commercial clients flexible payment options for insurance premiums with quick underwriting decisions. Next-Day Professional Fee Finance allows accountancy practices to collect full invoiced fees the next working day while offering clients flexible repayment plans. A sub-product called Pre-Approved Credit Service enables insurance brokers to onboard new clients with pre-approved finance. The company serves UK and Ireland markets through offices in Belfast and London.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Keys Group: Parent entity encompassing all Keys Finance entities including Keys Premium Finance Ltd, Keys Premium Finance (2001) Ltd, and Keys Premium Finance (2006) Ltd.
Products and services
- Insurance Premium Finance Flexible commercial insurance premium finance designed exclusively for commercial insurance brokers and their clients across the UK and Ireland. Provides quick underwriting decisions and CDD checks, often with same-day approvals, alongside competitive brokerage-specific rates to spread insurance premium costs over structured instalments.
- Next-Day Professional Fee Finance Structured professional fee finance solution for accountancy practices across the UK and Ireland. Practices collect 100% of invoiced fees the next working day once the client signs digitally, while clients repay through flexible monthly instalments. There is no added cost to the practice and no minimum usage requirement.
- Pre-Approved Credit Service Pre-approved credit solution enabling insurance brokers to secure new commercial clients with instant access to finance for premiums over £25,000 with future policy dates. Funding is already agreed and waiting to be activated, streamlining new business onboarding for brokers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Practice receives 100% of invoiced fees next working day
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Keys Finance
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Keys Finance technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature4 records
Keys Finance partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- BIBA (British Insurance Brokers Association)flagshipKeys Finance is a proud BIBA Associate Member. This partnership strengthens ties within the insurance broker community and highlights Keys Finance's role in supporting insurance brokers across the UK with its leading Insurance Premium Finance Facility.
- ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales)flagshipKeys Finance is listed as ICAEW BenefitsPlus partner (formerly Member Rewards), specifically offering Next-Day Payment solutions that help ICAEW members speed up cashflow, reduce debtor days, and improve liquidity in practice.
- Chartered Accountants IrelandflagshipKeys Finance is a Chartered Accountants Ireland Member Benefits Partner, supporting their membership with Next-Day Fee Finance. The partnership delivers practical, high-impact solutions for members by combining Keys Finance's flexible fee finance tools with Chartered Accountants Ireland's trusted professional network.
- Touchstone UnderwritingcorePartnership between two independently owned firms bringing decades of experience, hands-on approach, and strong reputation for service-first thinking. Collaboration focuses on delivering top-quality products and personal service to brokerages with flexible solutions and quality insurance products.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves12 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Keys Finance competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Premium Credit: Largest UK insurance premium finance provider, serving brokers and commercial clients across the UK. Direct competitor to Keys Finance's Insurance Premium Finance product line with a similar intermediary-led distribution model.
- Close Brothers Premium Finance: Specialist UK premium finance subsidiary of Close Brothers Group providing commercial insurance premium funding to brokers. Closest direct competitor on scale, product set and broker-led go-to-market.
Broad incumbents
- Wesleyan Bank: UK mutual-owned financial services group offering professional fee finance among a broader portfolio of savings, investments and specialist lending. Competes with Keys Finance on accountancy fee finance while also serving adjacent professional segments.
- Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking: Major UK high-street bank offering commercial premium finance and broader professional lending products through its commercial banking division. Competes with Keys Finance as part of a wider portfolio rather than as a pure specialist.
- Close Brothers Group: UK specialist lending, premium finance and wealth group; the parent of Close Brothers Premium Finance. Comparable as an established specialist-finance incumbent serving brokers and SMEs across multiple product lines.
- Funding Circle: UK-listed platform originating loans to small businesses. While focused on term loans rather than premium/fee finance, it competes for the same pool of SME credit demand and uses a similar technology-led, data-driven underwriting approach.
Emerging players
- Iwoca: UK fintech providing flexible working capital and lending products to SMEs and small businesses. Comparable as a digitally-native alternative finance provider encroaching on the SME and professional services credit space.
- Capify: UK and international alternative finance provider offering working capital and unsecured lending to SMEs. Comparable as a digitally-enabled non-bank lender addressing small business cash-flow needs that overlap with Keys Finance's fee finance use cases.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Keys Finance social profiles
Digital presenceKeys Finance compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Keys Finance financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Keys Finance leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Keys Finance subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Keys Finance funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Keys Finance M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Keys Finance
What does Keys Finance do?
Keys Finance is an independently owned specialist finance provider offering two principal products: Insurance Premium Finance for commercial insurance brokers and Next-Day Professional Fee Finance for accountancy practices. The company funds commercial insurance premiums on behalf of brokers' clients and advances 100% of accountancy practice fees the next working day while clients repay in structured monthly instalments across the UK and Ireland.
Is Keys Finance a public or private company?
Keys Finance is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Keys Finance founded?
Keys Finance was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Keys Finance based?
Keys Finance is headquartered in Belfast, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Keys Finance make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Insurance Premium Finance is the primary driver. The others are professional Fee Finance and next-Day Payment Processing.
Who are Keys Finance's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Premium Credit and Close Brothers Premium Finance. Broad incumbents are Wesleyan Bank, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, Close Brothers Group and Funding Circle. Emerging players are Iwoca and Capify.
Does Keys Finance have an API?
No public API is recorded for Keys Finance.
What industry is Keys Finance in?
Keys Finance's product category is Specialist Commercial Finance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAHAJAF, Direct Lending — Specialty Finance (Consumer/SME Lending Platforms). Its NAICS code is 52222 and its SIC code is 6159.