HWF Partners

What HWF Partners does

HWF Partners (legal entity Hemsley Wynne Furlonge Partners Limited) is a specialist transactional risk insurance broker and advisor founded in 2014 and headquartered in London, operating from offices across the UK, continental Europe, the Middle East, and North America. The firm structures and places bespoke insurance solutions for M&A transactions across five core product lines: Warranty & Indemnity (W&I), Tax Liability, Contingent Risk, Litigation Buy-Out or Appeal, and Environmental insurance, supported by a strategic advisory practice led by former M&A lawyers, tax advisors, and transactional risk underwriters. The team reports over 300 years of combined specialist M&A experience and is regulated across multiple jurisdictions, including as an FCA Appointed Representative of Ardonagh Specialty Limited, a German Versicherungsmakler, a DFSA-regulated DIFC entity in Dubai, and US-licensed insurance agencies in New York and California.

The company earns brokerage fees and commissions by acting as an intermediary that structures and places transactional risk insurance policies between insureds (PE firms, corporates, management teams, infrastructure investors, sovereign wealth funds) and capacity providers. Pricing is quote-based, varies by transaction value (from £1m up to £10bn+), sector, jurisdictions, and required policy limit, and is governed by multi-year broker mandates rather than standardized product pricing. Go-to-market is direct enterprise advisory complemented by referrals from leading international law firms and financial advisors.

HWF operates a horizontal segmentation model across multiple deal-party personas and verticals, with a visible emphasis on the energy and infrastructure vertical through dedicated leadership and recent mandates in offshore wind, onshore wind, BESS, and EV charging. The firm reports cumulative scale metrics of 6,200+ deals advised, £145bn+ in transactions supported, and 1,600–2,300+ bespoke policies structured across 54 countries, with no disclosed venture funding, private equity investment, or public financials; it is structured as a private company operating under the Ardonagh Specialty regulatory umbrella.

Name

HWF Partners

Legal name

Hemsley Wynne Furlonge Partners Limited

Website

https://hwfpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

HWF Partners is a London-headquartered specialist transactional risk insurance broker and advisor that structures and places W&I, Tax, Contingent, Litigation Buy-Out, and Environmental insurance for M&A transactions. It serves private equity firms, corporates, management teams, infrastructure investors, and sovereign wealth funds across 54 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

M&A Transactional Risk Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance Due Diligence & Transaction Risk Advisory (M&A, W&I) (FSAEADAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Professional Liability (E&O) (FSAJAGAC)

Keywords

• Transactional risk insurance
• Warranty and indemnity brokerage
• M&A insurance advisory
• Tax insurance solutions
• Contingent risk coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Fees: HWF earns fees and commissions for structuring and placing transactional risk insurance policies (W&I, Tax, Contingent) for M&A transactions. The company acts as a specialist broker and advisor between insureds and insurers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

HWF Partners is a specialist transactional risk insurance broker and advisor that structures bespoke insurance solutions for M&A transactions. Its core offerings include Warranty & Indemnity (W&I) Insurance, Tax Insurance, Contingent Risk Insurance, Litigation Buy-Out or Appeal Insurance, and Environmental Insurance, supported by expert advisory from former M&A lawyers, tax advisors, and transactional risk underwriters.

Product overview

HWF Partners operates as a specialist transactional risk insurance broker and advisor, offering a portfolio of insurance products and advisory services for M&A transactions. The core offering consists of Warranty & Indemnity (W&I) Insurance, Tax Insurance, Contingent Risk Insurance, Litigation Buy-Out or Appeal Insurance, and Environmental Insurance, supported by expert advisory services from former M&A lawyers, tax advisors, and underwriters. The company leverages over 300 years of combined specialist experience to structure bespoke insurance solutions across global transactions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Warranty & Indemnity (W&I) Insurance Insurance covering losses arising from breaches of warranties or claims under the tax covenant for unknown matters given by sellers to buyers under sale and purchase agreements; used in M&A transactions for both buy-side and sell-side protection.
• Tax Insurance Insurance providing cover for specific identified tax risks by transferring the risk of loss arising from a tax authority challenge to an insurer; used by M&A transaction parties to ring-fence tax exposures.
• Contingent Risk Insurance Insurance covering known risks such as pending or issued litigation, potential or actual regulatory issues, or challenges arising from reorganisation or restructuring; used in M&A and corporate transactions to mitigate identified exposures.
• Litigation Buy-Out or Appeal Insurance Insurance used to protect against adverse outcomes of impending or ongoing litigation proceedings, including appeals against existing positive court decisions; serves corporates and investors facing material litigation exposure.
• Environmental Insurance Insurance covering specific known and unknown environmental liabilities, either securing an indemnity or directly insuring the underlying environmental risk; used in property and corporate M&A transactions.
• Transactional Risk Insurance Advisory Strategic advisory services provided by former M&A lawyers, tax advisors, and transactional risk underwriters to structure bespoke insurance solutions for M&A transactions; supports PE firms, corporates, management teams, and infrastructure investors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6200+ global M&A deals advised on
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ardonagh Specialty LimitedcoreOthersHemsley Wynne Furlonge Partners Limited is an Appointed Representative of Ardonagh Specialty Limited, which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 948026). This principal relationship enables HWF to operate as an insurance broker in the UK market.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Aon: Global insurance and reinsurance broker with a dedicated Transaction Solutions (W&I) practice advising on cross-border M&A. Directly competes with HWF on W&I placements but operates at much greater scale and broader product breadth.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): Global advisory, broking, and solutions firm with a dedicated M&A practice placing W&I and transactional risk insurance. Competes with HWF on large-cap and cross-border mandates and has substantially larger carrier relationships.
• Marsh (Marsh McLennan): World's largest insurance broker with M&A and transactional risk capabilities, including W&I structuring for PE and corporate clients. Overlaps with HWF on European and global deals, with deeper resources and broader client base.
• Arthur J. Gallagher: Large global insurance broker with a dedicated M&A and transactional risk team. Competes with HWF on mid- and large-cap W&I mandates and benefits from broader risk management and employee benefits capabilities.
• Liberty Specialty Markets: Specialty insurer within Liberty Mutual with a dedicated M&A and transactional risk practice underwriting W&I and tax insurance. Acts as a key carrier for the W&I market and competes indirectly with HWF via direct underwriting relationships with clients.
• Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty: Global specialty insurer with M&A and transactional risk capabilities underwriting W&I and related products. Functions as both a carrier and competitor to HWF on complex international M&A placements.

Direct peers

• Lockton: Largest independent insurance broker globally, with specialist transactional risk teams in London and other financial centers. Closely comparable to HWF in M&A-focused brokerage model and similar mid- to upper-mid-market deal profile.
• Howden: Independent specialty insurance group with a growing M&A and transactional risk practice across Europe and beyond. Competes directly with HWF for European mid-market W&I placements and benefits from a broader specialty broking platform.
• DUAL Group: Specialty M&A insurance underwriter and broker with a transactional risk focus on European and cross-border deals. Highly comparable to HWF's specialist W&I orientation and similarly focused on mid-market M&A clients.

Emerging players

• CFC Underwriting: Specialty insurer expanding into transactional risk and W&I products from its London base. Comparable niche-insurer posture to HWF's broker-advisor model and competes for placement of complex specialty M&A risks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hemsley-wynne-furlonge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries6 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 HWF Partners