Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA)

Name

Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA)

Legal name

Insolvency Practitioners Association

Website

https://insolvency-practitioners.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Regulation and Membership Services for Insolvency Practitioners

NAICS

Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Internal Audit & SOX/ICFR Advisory (BPAHAFAD)

Keywords

• Insolvency practitioner licensing
• Professional membership body
• Insolvency examinations
• Statutory regulation services
• Continuing professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The IPA is a UK Recognised Professional Body that authorises, licenses and regulates Insolvency Practitioners under the Insolvency Act 1986. It administers three professional insolvency qualifications (CPI, CPPI, JIE), provides membership categories for individuals and firms, and operates the bespoke Volume Provider Regulation (VPR) Scheme for high-volume IVA and PTD providers covering approximately 67% and 59% of those respective markets.

Product overview

The Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) operates as a unified membership and regulatory body offering professional qualifications, licensing, and ongoing training for insolvency practitioners. The core product portfolio centres on three examination-based qualifications: the Certificate of Proficiency in Insolvency (CPI) and Certificate of Proficiency in Personal Insolvency (CPPI) as foundational qualifications, and the Joint Insolvency Examination (JIE) as the mandatory licence-qualifying exam. Supporting these are the annual Insolvency Practitioners' Handbook and membership/licensing services. The IPA also operates the Volume Provider Regulation (VPR) Scheme for IVA and PTD providers at volume, an online learning platform for CPD, AML supervision services, and a programme of events and training. Together these products form an integrated pathway from student membership through professional qualification to licensed practice and continued professional development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certificate of Proficiency in Insolvency (CPI)

Quantifiable outcome

• 63-67% of IVA market coverage through VPR Scheme
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BPPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2027Training provider partner for IPA CPI Exam Scholarships from 2027 and JIE Exam Scholarships, providing free training to scholarship recipients.
• AryzacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Training provider partner for IPA CPI Exam Scholarships launching in 2026, providing free training to scholarship recipients taking the CPI qualification.
• Advice Centre GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• Bennett JonescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• CreditfixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• Debt MovementcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• ForestKing Insolvency GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• Freeman JonescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• Fresh Start InsolvencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• Hanover InsolvencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• MoneyPlus InsolvencycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• My Debt PlancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• Oakfield FinancialcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• Payplan Bespoke SolutionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• Payplan PartnershipcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• StepChange Voluntary ArrangementscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• The Insolvency GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• UK Debt ExpertcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• Carrington DeancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• Harper McDermottcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering IVAs and PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime.
• Payplan ScotlandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime in Scotland.
• UK Debt Expert ScotlandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019VPR Scheme member firm administering PTDs at volume under the IPA's enhanced regulatory monitoring regime in Scotland.
• ISS (Training Partner)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partner offering a full range of professional development courses. IPA members receive a 10% discount on both full courses and individual modules.
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the three Recognised Professional Bodies party to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade for authorisation and regulation of Insolvency Practitioners.
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the three Recognised Professional Bodies party to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade for authorisation and regulation of Insolvency Practitioners.
• Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForum working together for the benefit of the profession, wider economy and public interest. The IPA is a member and participates in external committees dealing with AML.
• Accountancy AML Supervisors' Group (AASG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional bodies working in collaboration to maintain consistent standards and best practice in AML supervision.
• Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulator set up in January 2018 by the Government to strengthen the UK's AML supervisory regime. Housed within the FCA and facilitates collaboration between professional body AML supervisors.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Law Society of England and Wales: Statutory regulator for solicitors in England and Wales. Many insolvency practitioners are solicitors rather than accountants, making the Law Society a parallel professional regulator for a significant share of the IPA's addressable licensee base.

Broad incumbents

• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA): Global chartered accountancy body with much broader scope than the IPA but providing parallel professional qualifications and CPD pathways relevant to insolvency practitioners. Acts as a broader-incumbent alternative for accountancy-qualified insolvency professionals.

Emerging players

• INSOL International: Global federation of insolvency practitioner associations. Comparable as an international umbrella organisation addressing the same professional community as the IPA, with overlapping membership and thought-leadership activities on cross-border insolvency.

Direct peers

• R3 — The Association of Business Recovery Professionals: UK trade association for insolvency, restructuring, and turnaround professionals. R3 represents a substantially overlapping membership community to the IPA and operates a parallel professional-development and lobbying agenda for the restructuring profession.
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS): The third Recognised Professional Body under the Insolvency Act 1986. ICAS licences and regulates insolvency practitioners primarily in Scotland, mirroring the IPA's regulatory remit and competing for Scottish IP volume.
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW): One of the three Recognised Professional Bodies alongside the IPA under the Insolvency Act 1986. ICAEW authorises and regulates a large share of UK insolvency practitioners through its chartered accountant membership, competing directly for IP licensing share.
• Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI): All-Ireland chartered accountancy body with overlapping membership and disciplinary structures to the IPA. Comparable as a UK-and-Ireland professional regulatory body in the accountancy/insolvency adjacency.

Regional players

• Association of Business Insolvency Professionals Australia (ABIPA): Australia's specialist insolvency practitioner body — the closest international functional analogue to the IPA as a sole-specialist membership and qualification body for the insolvency profession. Comparable in scope despite operating in a different geography.
• The Insolvency Service: UK government agency responsible for overseeing the RPBs and administering some insolvency functions directly. Comparable as the statutory counterparty to the IPA's regulatory role, but operates as a public body rather than a private professional association.
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia & New Zealand (CA ANZ): Major chartered accountancy body in the Australia/NZ region that licenses and regulates a comparable insolvency/restructuring practitioner cohort. Operates in a different geography but with parallel regulatory structure and qualifications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IPAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/insolvency_practitioners_association_ipa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA)