Financial Counsellors Association NSW

What Financial Counsellors Association NSW does

Financial Counsellors Association NSW (FCAN) is the peak membership body representing and supporting Financial Counsellors in New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1980 as the Institute of Financial Counselling and incorporated as a private non-profit (Financial Counsellors' Association of NSW Inc), the organisation is headquartered at Suite 602, 267-277 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, and operates with a small staff team of six led by an Executive Officer and governed by an elected Board of Directors. FCAN delivers member services including accreditation pathways, Diploma of Financial Counselling training support, continuing professional development (20 CPD points annually), professional supervision (20 hours per year for full-time practitioners), a quarterly Sharkwatch journal, a scholarship program, and an annual conference that alternates between metropolitan and regional NSW venues.

FCAN does not sell services to the public; it organises and credentials the practitioners who deliver free, confidential and independent financial counselling to individuals, small businesses, and First Nations communities across NSW. Public-facing demand is captured through three national helpline channels that FCAN's membership network staffs or coordinates: the National Debt Helpline (1800 007 007), Mob Strong Debt Help (1800 808 488), and the Small Business Debt Helpline (1800 413 828). FCAN does not build proprietary technology platforms and operates primarily as a regulated membership and professional-development organisation with standard web, portal and social-media infrastructure.

Revenue is derived from three streams: government financial support via the Financial Counselling Services Program administered by NSW Fair Trading, charitable donations channelled through member agencies, and membership subscriptions (amounts set annually by the Board and not publicly disclosed). The membership itself numbers approximately 300–400+ Financial Counsellors and affiliates, covering NSW (with the helplines operating nationally). The sector is regulated by the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009, which restricts the use of "financial counsellor" terminology, and ASIC's licensing exemption enables truly independent, commission-free advice — both of which structurally underpin FCAN's positioning.

Name

Financial Counsellors Association NSW

Legal name

Financial Counsellors' Association of NSW Inc

Website

https://fcan.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Financial Counsellors Association NSW (FCAN) is the peak membership body representing approximately 300–400+ Financial Counsellors in NSW, Australia. Established in 1980, it accredits practitioners, delivers professional development and supervision, and coordinates member staffing of the National Debt Helpline, Mob Strong Debt Help and Small Business Debt Helpline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Counselling Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAEAFAI

Collections & Creditor Negotiation Support (Debtor-Side)

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Credit & Debt Advisory (Restructuring, Counseling & Settlement)

Keywords

• Financial counselling services
• Debt advice helpline
• Professional membership association
• Continuing professional development
• Community financial advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Financial counselling services are funded by state and federal governments. FCAN receives financial support from the Financial Counselling Services Program administered by NSW Fair Trading.
2. Donations: Financial counselling agencies and services are also funded by charitable donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FCAN is the peak membership body that represents and supports Financial Counsellors in NSW, delivering free, confidential, independent and non-conflicted financial counselling services to the public via accredited members and partner helplines. It also provides membership accreditation, professional development (CPD), supervision, Diploma of Financial Counselling training, scholarships, the quarterly Sharkwatch journal, annual conferences, and sector advocacy.

Product overview

FCAN is the peak membership body for Financial Counsellors in NSW, offering a portfolio of services including the Sharkwatch quarterly journal, annual conferences, professional development (CPD) programs, professional supervision services, and the Diploma of Financial Counselling training with scholarship support. The organization provides structured membership categories (Accredited, Associate, Student, Affiliate) and maintains a First Nations Yarning Circle for cultural support. All services support the core mission of providing free, confidential, independent financial counselling to people experiencing financial difficulty.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sharkwatch Quarterly Journal
• Financial Counselling Services
• FCAN Annual Conference
• First Nations Yarning Circle
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program
• Professional Supervision Services
• Diploma of Financial Counselling
• FCAN Scholarship Program
• FCAN Membership Categories
• FCAN Members Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 2.5 million Australians (13% of population) live in households experiencing high financial stress

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Financial Counselling AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational representative body for financial counselling. FCAN works with Financial Counselling Australia on sector-wide initiatives, advocacy, and representation.
• Financial Inclusion Network NSWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork organisation working on financial inclusion issues in NSW. FCAN is listed as a member/organisation on their website.
• Consumers Federation of AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational consumer advocacy federation. FCAN participates in federation activities and advocacy.
• NCOSS (NSW Council of Social Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeak council of social service organisations in NSW. FCAN collaborates on policy, advocacy, and sector representation.
• National Debt Helpline (NDH)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational hotline service (1800 007 007) that connects callers to qualified financial counsellors. FCAN coordinates the NDH/FCAN Network Group.
• Mob Strong Debt Help (Financial Rights Legal Centre)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational service dedicated to assisting First Nations communities with financial counselling. FCAN members staff this service.
• Small Business Debt HelplinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFree service for small business owners in financial difficulty staffed by qualified Financial Counsellors. FCAN coordinates network groups for this service.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Financial Rights Legal Centre: Operates the Mob Strong Debt Help service (1800 808 488) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and provides legal/financial counselling. Direct partner of FCAN; comparable in delivering free, independent debt advocacy services to vulnerable Australians.
• Small Business Debt Helpline (SBDH): Free nationwide financial counselling service for small business owners (1800 413 828). FCAN coordinates network groups for this service; directly comparable channel partner delivering the same member-staffed model.
• Anglicare Financial Counselling: Anglicare delivers financial counselling across NSW. FCAN Treasurer Beth Schwalbe is an Anglicare financial counsellor, making it a directly comparable community-sector provider within the FCAN member network.
• Salvation Army Moneycare: Major community-sector financial counselling provider. FCAN Board Membership Secretary and Director positions are staffed by Salvation Army Moneycare financial counsellors. Comparable as a frontline deliverer of the same service model FCAN accredits.
• Wesley Mission Financial Counselling: Community organisation delivering financial counselling services in NSW. Multiple FCAN Board members are Wesley Mission financial counsellors (e.g., Chair Vanessa Emery, Director Sarah McFadden), making it a key operational peer within the same service network.
• National Debt Helpline (NDH): National hotline (1800 007 007) coordinating free financial counselling referrals across Australia. FCAN coordinates the NDH/FCAN Network Group and serves as the NSW operational arm for the same service channel.
• CatholicCare Financial Counselling: Community-sector financial counselling provider; FCAN Board Membership Secretary Rovind Kant began his financial counselling career at CatholicCare NT. Comparable service model and member of the broader accredited counsellor network.
• Uniting (NSW) Financial Counselling: Uniting NSW/ACT operates financial counselling services including the National Debt Helpline hub in Dubbo. FCAN Director Rob Benton works at Uniting's NDH service; directly comparable community-sector provider and member organisation.

Broad incumbents

• Financial Counselling Australia: National peak body for the financial counselling sector in Australia. Directly comparable to FCAN as the national counterpart, providing sector-wide representation, advocacy, and the national toolkit that FCAN members reference. FCAN explicitly partners with FCA on sector-wide initiatives.

Others

• MoneySmart (ASIC): ASIC's consumer-facing financial education and guidance portal that hosts the Find a Financial Counsellor directory. Adjacent — not a direct competitor, but the primary public-facing referral infrastructure for FCAN's accredited members.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fcanfinancialcounsellors
• Facebookfacebook.com/FCANSW
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/financial-counsellors-association-nsw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Financial Counsellors Association NSW