What Cutfield Freeman & Co. does

Cutfield Freeman & Co. Ltd (CF&Co) is an independent, employee-owned mining finance advisory firm founded in London in 2000 by Peter Freeman and Peter Cutfield, the former senior professionals of Warrior International. The firm is authorized and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (registered company number 4102470) and operates from four offices in London, Toronto (since 2009), Hong Kong (since 2011), and Perth (since 2023), covering more than 60 countries. As of 2023, ownership was transferred to its employees through an Employee Ownership Trust, Cutfield Freeman Trustees Ltd.

CF&Co's offering is a single integrated advisory service spanning six product lines: Project Finance Advisory, Joint Ventures Advisory, Corporate Finance Advisory, Acquisitions and Disposals, Debt Restructuring, and China Business Advisory. The firm serves mining companies across the full project lifecycle, from structuring initial development debt and joint ventures, through to corporate funding strategies (including high-yield public debt and syndicated facilities), M&A execution, and restructuring of distressed mining balance sheets. The technology profile is that of a pure professional services firm with no proprietary software or platform; the core deliverable is senior banker judgment delivered through bespoke mandates.

The business model is fee-based professional services. Advisory mandates are negotiated on a per-engagement basis against complexity and scope, with no publicly disclosed fee schedule or retainer structure. Distribution is direct-to-client enterprise sales handled by Managing Directors in each regional hub, supported by directors, senior associates, associates, and analysts; the senior team has seven to 40 years of mining finance experience and backgrounds spanning Rothschild, Deutsche Bank, Barclays Capital, Morgan Stanley, Nomura, and RBC. Since inception CF&Co has advised on over 200 mandated transactions, including financing packages ranging from approximately $125m for single-asset project debt through to $975m corporate funding structures and a $2.2bn project financing for the Ambatovy Nickel Project, with no public revenue disclosure.

Name

Cutfield Freeman & Co.

Legal name

Cutfield Freeman & Co. Ltd

Website

https://cfandco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cutfield Freeman & Co. is an independent, employee-owned mining finance advisory firm, founded in London in 2000 and now operating from London, Toronto, Hong Kong, and Perth. It serves mining companies globally with project finance, joint ventures, M&A, debt restructuring, and corporate finance advisory mandates across 60+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mining Finance Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Fairness Opinions & Independent Financial Advice (BPAHAOAF)

Keywords

• Mining finance advisory
• Project finance advisory
• Mining M&A advisory
• Corporate finance services
• Debt restructuring advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Advisory Services: CF&Co provides independent financial advice to mining companies across various aspects of mining finance including project finance, joint ventures, M&A, corporate finance, acquisitions and disposals, debt restructuring, and China-related business. Fees are earned through advisory mandates which may cover single aspects or entire financing plans.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cutfield Freeman & Co. provides independent financial advisory services exclusively to the global mining industry. The firm advises mining companies on project finance, joint ventures, corporate finance, acquisitions and disposals, debt restructuring, and China-related business, helping clients secure debt and equity funding, structure transactions, and develop full financing plans for mining projects.

Product overview

Cutfield Freeman & Co. (CF&Co) is an independent global mining finance advisory firm founded in 2000. The company operates as a single unified advisory service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core offering consists of six interrelated service lines: Project Finance Advisory, Joint Ventures Advisory, Corporate Finance Advisory, Acquisitions & Disposals, Debt Restructuring, and China Business Advisory. These services work together to provide comprehensive financing solutions for mining companies, from securing initial project debt to facilitating mergers, acquisitions, and corporate restructuring. CF&Co primarily serves the mining industry, advising on over 200 mandated transactions in 60+ countries since its founding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 mandated transactions advised since 2000
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hannam & Partners: UK-based independent advisory boutique focused exclusively on the mining and natural resources sector, with deal teams in London and global reach. Closest direct competitor to CF&Co in size, specialism, and senior-banker-led mining finance model.
• Haywood Securities: Canadian independent full-service brokerage with a strong mining sector focus, providing equity research, M&A advisory, and financings to junior and mid-tier miners. Closely comparable independent specialist, particularly for Canadian-listed clients.
• Cormark Securities: Toronto-based independent brokerage with a leading mining franchise, providing equity research and advisory to mining issuers. Comparable to CF&Co in serving Canadian-listed mining developers and producers.
• Ocean Equities: London-based independent broker focused on the mining and natural resources sector, providing research and corporate advisory to junior and mid-cap resource companies. Comparable independent specialist competing in the same mining advisory niche.
• SP Angel: London-based independent broker and corporate advisor with a dedicated natural resources and mining team. Comparable independent specialist competing for UK- and Europe-listed mining advisory mandates.

Broad incumbents

• BMO Capital Markets (Mining): Major Canadian bank with a deep mining & metals franchise, frequently bookrunning mining equity and M&A. Competes for the same North America-listed mid-cap and senior mining clients CF&Co serves from its Toronto office.
• RBC Capital Markets (Mining & Metals): Royal Bank of Canada's investment banking arm with one of the largest dedicated mining & metals teams globally. Competes with CF&Co on mid-cap mining equity, M&A, and project finance mandates; CF&Co's Stephen Morton previously covered miners on RBC's equity research desk.
• Standard Bank (Mining & Metals): African-headquartered bank with one of the largest mining finance franchises globally, particularly active in African and emerging-market project finance. Competes for mandates on African mining projects that CF&Co also services.
• N M Rothschild & Sons (Natural Resources): Global advisory bank with a long-standing Natural Resources / mining corporate finance practice. Peter Freeman (CF&Co CEO) was previously a director in Rothschild's natural resources corporate finance team; competes for mid-cap mining mandates.
• Canaccord Genuity (Mining): Global capital markets group within Canaccord with a substantial mining practice, acting as advisor and underwriter for resource companies. Overlaps with CF&Co on mining M&A and equity raises but operates a broader diversified model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cutfield-freeman-co-ltd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Cutfield Freeman & Co.