Sesame Bankhall Group

What Sesame Bankhall Group does

Sesame Bankhall Group (SBG) is a UK-based financial services intermediary support organisation that serves financial advisers and advisory firms through three operating brands. Sesame is one of the largest and longest-established appointed representative networks in the UK, providing mortgage, protection, and insurance advisers with FCA-backed regulatory oversight, training, and exclusive product access. Bankhall delivers compliance support, regulatory guidance, and business consultancy to more than 800 directly authorised firms across pensions, investments, mortgages, and insurance. PMS (Premier Mortgage Service) is one of the UK's leading mortgage clubs, giving over 8,000 advisers access to a panel of more than 100 lenders and earning transaction-based revenue when business is placed through the panel.

SBG's technology stack centres on digital portals that integrate advisers with compliance tooling and product providers: Bankhall Online and PMS Online portals handle member workflow and lender access, while the Adviser Hub enables advisers to submit client data to product providers and third parties for quotes and services. The group also operates adjacent platforms including Sesame Bankhall Valuation Services (a joint venture with SDL Group providing survey and valuation panel management), Your Learning Hub (a learning management system for adviser professional development), and The People Department (specialist HR support for financial advice firms). Customer relationship management is supported by Dynamics 365/CRM, and the group maintains an operational delivery centre in Gurgaon, India, established in 2002.

SBG's business model combines subscription-based membership and support services for advisers and firms with transaction-based fees from mortgage and insurance placements routed through the PMS lender panel. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, delivered through three brand-specific direct channels (Sesame, Bankhall, PMS), supplemented by field-based DA Regional Key Account Managers, online portals, podcasts (The Adviser Podcast), events and CPD programmes, email newsletters, and content marketing. The group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aviva, with its operational headquarters in Sale, Manchester, and a registered office in York.

Name

Sesame Bankhall Group

Legal name

Sesame Bankhall Group Limited

Website

https://sbg.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Sesame Bankhall Group is a UK-based Aviva subsidiary that supports over 10,000 financial advisers and 800+ directly authorised firms through three brands: Sesame (appointed representative network), Bankhall (compliance support), and PMS (mortgage club with 100+ lenders), earning subscription and transaction-based revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Adviser Network and Compliance Support Services

NAICS

Other Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (522390), Business Service Centers (56143)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Software/Application Support (SaaS, Enterprise Apps) (BPAAACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Customer Service (Order/Account/Inquiries) (BPAAABAA)

Keywords

• Adviser network services
• Compliance support
• Mortgage club
• Financial intermediary support
• Lender panel access

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership/Subscription Services: SBG provides services to financial advisers through its network brands (Sesame), support services (Bankhall), and mortgage club (PMS). Advisers pay for access to compliance support, regulatory guidance, access to lender panels, and business consultancy services. The revenue model is subscription-based where advisers and firms become contracted members to access these services.
2. Mortgage and Insurance Product Distribution: Through PMS mortgage club, advisers access over 100 lenders. SBG earns revenue through these arrangements when advisers place mortgage and insurance business through the panel, likely through commission or transaction-based arrangements with lenders and insurers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sesame Bankhall Group provides intermediary support services to UK financial advisers across three core brands: Sesame (an appointed representative network taking on FCA responsibility with access to exclusive mortgage, protection and general insurance product arrangements), Bankhall (compliance, regulatory and business consultancy support for over 800 directly authorised firms across pensions, investments, mortgages and insurance), and PMS (a mortgage club giving over 8,000 advisers access to a panel of more than 100 lenders). Supporting services include Sesame Bankhall Valuation Services for property surveys, Your Learning Hub for professional development, and The People Department for HR support.

Product overview

Sesame Bankhall Group operates as a multi-brand financial services intermediary support organisation with a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering consists of Sesame (a network of mortgage, protection and insurance advisers), Bankhall (compliance and regulatory support services for directly authorised firms), and PMS Premier Mortgage Service (a mortgage club offering access to over 100 lenders). Supporting modules include Sesame Bankhall Valuation Services for property surveys, Your Learning Hub for professional development, The People Department for HR services, and online portals Bankhall Online and PMS Online for member access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sesame Network Award-winning UK adviser network providing mortgage, protection and general insurance advisers with full FCA network support including compliance oversight, regulatory responsibility, access to exclusive product arrangements across mortgages, protection and general insurance, training and a personalised consultancy approach.
• Bankhall Compliance and regulatory support service for more than 800 directly authorised UK financial services firms, helping them embrace regulatory requirements, achieve efficiencies, access business consultancy and independent advice checking across pensions, investments, mortgages and insurance.
• PMS (Premier Mortgage Service) One of the UK's leading mortgage clubs giving over 8,000 advisers access to a market-leading panel of more than 100 lenders, with services focused on enhancing adviser understanding of market trends and improving access to industry solutions for directly authorised firms.
• Sesame Bankhall Valuation Services (SBVS) One of the UK's leading survey and valuation panel managers, providing survey and valuation services directly to consumers and estate agents, as well as via intermediaries on a referral basis, operated as a joint venture between SBG and SDL Group.
• Your Learning Hub SBG's exclusive learning management system that helps advisers take control of their professional development by recording and tracking information, searching for educational content and testing knowledge.
• The People Department Specialist HR support and advice service for financial advice firms, providing customisable, cost-effective HR services designed specifically for the financial advice sector.
• Bankhall Online Online portal providing members of Bankhall with secure access to Bankhall services, compliance tools and adviser support resources.
• PMS Online Online portal for PMS members providing secure access to mortgage club services, the lender panel and business support tools.
• Sesame Insure (Sesame General Insurance Services Limited) SBG subsidiary providing insurance services, trading as Sesame Insure, supporting the group's insurance offering within the network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8,000 advisers access the PMS panel of over 100 lenders
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SDL GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012SDL Group and Sesame Bankhall Group co-founded Sesame Bankhall Valuation Services (SBVS) in 2012. SBVS combines SDL's 29 years of surveying expertise with SBG's 25 years' experience in financial advice. SBVS provides market-leading survey and valuation services directly to consumers and estate agents, as well as via intermediaries on a referral basis.
• St Ann's HospiceminorOthersSBG has partnered with St Ann's Hospice as part of their Fertility Ambassadors initiative. The partnership supports Nickie Aiken MP's Fertility Workplace Pledge campaign to improve workplace support for people going through fertility treatment.
• TYCIA FoundationminorOthersTYCIA Foundation works to improve access to quality education, healthcare and livelihood opportunities across India. SBG and individual colleagues sponsor a number of students through their Education programme.
• Cold Hands Warm HeartsminorOthersManchester-based UK registered charity providing food, clothing, and essential items to the homeless community. SBG supports this local charity.
• RedArcminorOthersRedArc provides added value support services through a number of insurers. SBG highlights RedArc's long-term 1:1 nurse support as an example of wrap-around support services that financial advisers could consider for clients, particularly in the area of fertility support.
• Women in Protection NetworkminorOthersSBG supports the Women in Protection Network which was set up to raise awareness of the need for more female consumers to buy protection insurance, and to encourage more women to work in the financial services industry.
• Fertility Network UKminorOthersSBG works with Fertility Network UK as part of their fertility-friendly employer commitment, providing support for colleagues facing fertility struggles.
• Employer's Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA)minorOthersAs a member of EIDA, SBG pledges to raise awareness of domestic abuse and create a safe, supportive workplace for employees.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Iress: Global financial technology provider offering software (advice CRM, platform tools, mortgage software) used by UK adviser networks and mortgage clubs, including components competitive with Bankhall Online, PMS Online and Adviser Hub. Adjacent/incumbent rather than direct network competitor.

Direct peers

• Mortgage Advice Bureau: LSE-listed UK mortgage broker and distributor operating a national network of directly authorised advisers placing business with a panel of lenders. Overlaps with PMS on lender distribution, and with Sesame/Bankhall on adviser support, although MAB is more retail/consumer-facing than SBG's B2B focus.
• Primis Mortgage Network: UK mortgage and protection adviser network (formerly part of Lloyds Banking Group / First Complete) serving directly authorised mortgage brokers with lender panel access and compliance support. Directly comparable to PMS and Sesame on the mortgage distribution side and cited in SBG management backgrounds.
• The Openwork Partnership: One of the UK's largest advice and mortgage networks, operating a similar multi-brand model that supports both appointed representatives and directly authorised advisers with compliance, lender panel access, and back-office services. Highly comparable in scale, customer type, and product structure to Sesame Bankhall Group.
• Foster Denovo: UK financial adviser support group providing compliance, HR, and business consultancy services to directly authorised advisory firms, with restricted and independent adviser models. Closely analogous to Bankhall's value proposition for the DA segment.
• Quilter Financial Advisers: UK-focused advice network within the Quilter plc group, providing platform, technology, and support services to a large base of financial advisers. Closely comparable to Sesame on the appointed-representative/network side and to Bankhall on DA support, with similar regulatory-driven value proposition.
• True Potential: UK wealth management and adviser support platform combining technology, centralised investment propositions, and back-office services for restricted and independent advisers. Comparable to SBG on the integrated platform-plus-support model aimed at UK financial advisers.
• SimplyBiz: UK provider of compliance and business support services to directly authorised financial advisers, including a major mortgage club (SimplyBiz Mortgage Club) with multi-lender panel access. Directly competes with both Bankhall (support services) and PMS (mortgage club) for the same adviser and DA-firm customer base.
• Legal & General Mortgage Club (L&C): Mortgage club operated by Legal & General offering UK advisers access to a panel of lenders plus marketing, compliance, and business support tools. Direct competitor to PMS for adviser relationships and to Bankhall for lender-panel and DA support.
• Fairstone: UK financial adviser acquisition and support group that consolidates directly authorised firms under a centralised compliance and back-office umbrella. Similar to SBG's Bankhall proposition and to Sesame's network offering for adviser firms seeking scale and regulatory support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeplay.acast.com/s/the-adviser-podcast

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Sesame Bankhall Group