FTRC

What FTRC does

FTRC (Financial Technology Research Centre Limited) is a UK-based boutique fintech consultancy founded in 1995 that operates at the intersection of financial services and technology across regtech, wealthtech and insuretech. The company serves financial advisers, insurance and protection providers, investment platforms, asset managers and technology companies with a portfolio of specialist research, benchmarking tools and hands-on consultancy. Core platforms include ProtectionGuruPro for life, critical illness and income protection product comparison and quality assessment; AdviserSoftware.com for adviser technology and AI tooling intelligence; and BenefitsGuru for workplace pension and employee benefits ratings. A Quality Analyser API exposes protection comparison data to third-party systems, and the company hosts the annual EATT (Empowering Advice Through Technology) conference and runs the Consumer Duty Alliance Technology Forum.

The business model combines subscription-based access to comparison and rating platforms (ProtectionGuruPro, BenefitsGuru, Ratings, Quality Analyser API) with bespoke consultancy engagements (external proposition reviews, RFI process support, vendor selection, strategic consulting) and ad hoc research reports on UK financial advice market trends. A premium membership tier at GBP 249+VAT per year targets advisers who prefer their data not be shared with providers and technology suppliers. Go-to-market is sales-led, leveraging industry press coverage across FT Adviser, Money Marketing, Professional Adviser and Corporate Adviser, the EATT conference, online platforms (ProtectionGuru, BenefitsGuru, AdviserSoftware.com), and direct consultancy relationships. The company is privately held, independently owned with no disclosed parent, no recorded funding rounds, and a headcount in the 11-50 range across a registered office in Newark and a London presence.

Name

FTRC

Legal name

Financial Technology Research Centre Limited

Website

https://ftrc.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FTRC is a UK boutique fintech consultancy founded in 1995 that provides independent research, benchmarking tools and consultancy to financial advisers, insurance providers, investment platforms, asset managers and technology companies across regtech, wealthtech and insuretech.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Services Research & Analytics

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Pension Funds (525110)

akta.pro primary industry

Billing, Payments & Premium Finance Platforms (FSAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fintech & Payments Partner / ISO Referral Networks (FSAEAMAK)

Keywords

• Fintech consultancy
• Financial advice research
• Protection insurance ratings
• Workplace pension analysis
• Adviser technology benchmarking

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consultancy Services: Bespoke consulting services for operational, technology and compliance challenges facing financial advice businesses. Services include external validation, RFI process support, proposition assessment, strategic consulting, and vendor selection.
2. Research Reports: Market insight reports providing detailed analysis of trends, challenges and opportunities in the UK financial advice market. Areas include AI and technology adoption, adviser software insights.
3. Comparison Tools and Ratings: Subscription-based access to benchmarking and comparison tools including Protection Guru Pro, Benefits Guru ratings, and Quality Analyser services.
4. Premium Membership: Premium service membership at £249+VAT per year for advisers who prefer not to have their data shared with providers and technology suppliers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FTRC is a UK boutique fintech consultancy that provides independent research, proprietary comparison and benchmarking software (ProtectionGuru Pro, BenefitsGuru, AdviserSoftware.com, Quality Analyser API), and bespoke strategic consultancy to financial advisers, insurance companies, investment platforms, asset managers, and technology companies. Its offerings help financial advice firms compare protection insurance and workplace pension products, benchmark adviser technology, and meet FCA Consumer Duty obligations through independent quality ratings.

Product overview

FTRC is a boutique fintech consultancy offering a portfolio of specialized research, comparison tools and consultancy services for the UK financial advice market. The core product suite comprises ProtectionGuruPro (PGP) for protection insurance research and quality assessment, AdviserSoftware.com for adviser technology intelligence, and BenefitsGuru for workplace pension and employee benefits ratings. These platforms are complemented by the Quality Analyser API for programmatic access, specialized modules including Claims Hub, Legacy Policy Comparison, and Financial Wellness Ratings, plus consultancy services and the annual EATT conference. FTRC's tools enable advisers to benchmark financial products, produce client-ready analysis, and meet FCA Consumer Duty obligations through independent quality ratings and comparison capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ProtectionGuru: Specialist protection research platform providing technical research, product comparisons, and quality assessments for life, critical illness, and income protection. Helps advisers demonstrate genuine policy value meeting FCA Consumer Duty obligations.
• BenefitsGuru
• AdviserSoftware.com

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% increase in advisers using Protection Guru Pro Product Features Report

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UnderwriteMecoreTechnology or Integration · 20 July 2023Protection Guru announced transformational integration with UnderwriteMe's Protection Platform, enabling enhanced comparison capabilities for advisers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Origen: UK employee benefits and workplace financial wellbeing consultancy and research provider. Comparable to FTRC's BenefitsGuru through shared focus on workplace pensions, Auto-Enrolment governance and financial wellness benchmarking for advisers and scheme sponsors.
• Fundscape: UK research firm producing independent data, ratings and insight on investment platforms, fund flows and platform performance. Comparable to FTRC's BenefitsGuru and AdviserSoftware.com through its focus on UK platforms, adviser technology adoption and benchmarking.
• Moneyfacts: UK financial product data and comparison service covering savings, mortgages, insurance and personal finance. Comparable to FTRC as a subscription data and comparison provider used by UK advisers and consumers to support product selection decisions.
• Platforum: UK-based research and analyst firm providing independent insight on financial services technology and adviser platforms. Highly comparable to FTRC given overlapping coverage of UK fintech, adviser software, and regtech/wealthtech research, with a similar B2B model targeting advisers, providers and platforms.
• Defaqto: UK financial product ratings, data and comparison provider serving advisers, intermediaries and consumers. Closely comparable to ProtectionGuru and BenefitsGuru in offering independent product ratings and benchmarking across protection, pension and investment products.
• Synaptic: UK research firm providing product ratings and comparison data across life, critical illness and income protection. Directly comparable to ProtectionGuru/Quality Analyser in rating protection products on quality dimensions and supporting advisers with regulatory compliance.

Broad incumbents

• FE fundinfo: Large UK and European financial data and technology provider offering fund data, ratings, and adviser tools. Comparable to FTRC as a broader incumbent in financial product data and ratings, including ownership of Defaqto, with significantly greater scale and distribution.
• Alpha FMC: International financial services consultancy advising asset managers, wealth managers, insurers and platforms on operating model, technology and data strategy. Comparable to FTRC's consultancy practice in addressing strategic, operational and technology challenges for financial services firms.
• Broadridge Financial Solutions: Global financial data, communications and technology provider serving asset managers, banks and brokers. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering data and workflow tools across the financial services value chain that overlap with FTRC's analytics and platform offerings.

Regional players

• Altus Financial: Canadian financial product comparison and data provider across insurance, banking and investment products. Comparable to FTRC in offering financial product ratings and comparison tools but operating in a different geography (Canada vs UK).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 FTRC