F&C Investment Trust

What F&C Investment Trust does

F&C Investment Trust is a London-listed, closed-ended investment trust (LON: FCIT) founded in 1868, recognised as the world's oldest investment trust. It provides investors with diversified exposure to global equity markets through a single shareholding, investing in 400+ of the world's leading companies across developed and emerging markets, alongside select private equity funds. The trust is managed externally by Columbia Threadneedle Management Limited (FCA-authorised, Firm Reference 517895), with Fund Manager Paul Niven responsible for portfolio strategy and shareholder communication.

The company's core product is the investment trust itself, supplemented by Columbia Threadneedle Savings Plans that allow regular monthly contributions from £25 and minimum opening investments of £2,000 (adult) or £1,000 (child). Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the company's website and indirect through more than ten UK retail platforms, including Hargreaves Lansdown, Interactive Investor, AJ Bell, Barclays Smart Investor, Fidelity, Aviva, M&G Wealth Platform, Interactive Brokers, and EQi. The trust reported a market capitalisation of £6.02 billion as of April 2026 and a 90.89% net margin, with a claimed 55 consecutive years of dividend growth.

Strategically, F&C has prioritised accessibility and engagement in 2026: a 4-for-1 nominal share split took effect on 11 May 2026 following AGM approval, intended to broaden retail accessibility by reducing per-share price while preserving NAV. The company also runs the F&C Live 2026 investor event and publishes AGM recordings, shareholder updates, and educational content to reinforce its "foundation holding" positioning. Customer base is retail-skewed, served through diversified UK distribution, with no disclosed enterprise or anchor-customer concentration.

Name

F&C Investment Trust

Legal name

F&C Investment Trust

Website

https://fandc.co.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1868

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

F&C Investment Trust is the world's oldest investment trust (founded 1868), London-listed under ticker FCIT, offering UK retail investors diversified exposure to over 400 global equities and select private equity funds, with a claimed 55 consecutive years of dividend growth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Management Fees and Performance: F&C Investment Trust generates returns through investment in diversified global equities and private equity funds, providing shareholders with capital growth and dividend income. The trust has a net margin of 90.89%, indicating efficient operations as an investment vehicle.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

F&C Investment Trust is a publicly listed closed-end investment trust that invests in a diversified portfolio of global equities (400+ of the world's leading companies) plus selected private equity funds, aiming to deliver long-term capital growth and dividend income to shareholders. The trust is managed by Columbia Threadneedle Management Limited and supplemented by Columbia Threadneedle Savings Plans that allow regular monthly investing from £25 and lump-sum investments from £2,000 (adults).

Product overview

F&C Investment Trust operates as a single core investment trust product—a London-listed investment vehicle that provides diversified exposure to over 400 global equities and select private equity funds. The trust is managed by Columbia Threadneedle Investments and is designed for both new and experienced investors seeking long-term capital growth and reliable dividend income. Supplementary offerings include savings plans that facilitate regular investing with low minimum contributions. The trust is accessible through multiple UK broker platforms including Hargreaves Lansdown, Interactive Investor, AJ Bell, Barclays Smart Investor, Fidelity, Aviva, M&G Wealth, and Interactive Brokers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• F&C Investment Trust The world's oldest investment trust (founded 1868), offering exposure to over 400 of the world's leading companies across global stock markets plus private equity fund exposure. The trust aims to deliver long-term capital growth and dividend income, having increased dividends for 55 consecutive years, and is targeted at UK retail investors seeking a single, diversified global equity vehicle.
• F&C Investment Trust Savings Plans Cost-effective savings plans managed by Columbia Threadneedle allowing regular monthly contributions from £25 or one-off additional investments from £100, with minimum opening investments of £2,000 for adult accounts and £1,000 for child accounts, and no online dealing charges. Designed for UK investors who want to build exposure to F&C Investment Trust through regular, automated investing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90.89% net margin
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Columbia Threadneedle InvestmentscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorColumbia Threadneedle Management Limited manages F&C Investment Trust and offers cost-effective Savings Plans for investing in the trust, starting from £2,000 for adult accounts and £1,000 for child accounts.
• Hargreaves LansdowncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHargreaves Lansdown is one of the UK's largest investment platforms distributing F&C Investment Trust shares to retail investors.
• Interactive InvestorcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInteractive Investor provides platform access for purchasing and managing F&C Investment Trust shares.
• AJ BellminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAJ Bell Youinvest platform offers F&C Investment Trust as part of its investment options.
• Barclays Smart InvestorminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBarclays Smart Investor provides access to F&C Investment Trust for Barclays customers.
• FidelityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFidelity provides factsheet data and investment platform access for F&C Investment Trust.
• AvivaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAviva platform offers F&C Investment Trust as an investment fund option.
• M&G Wealth PlatformminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorM&G Wealth Platform distributes F&C Investment Trust to UK investors.
• Interactive BrokersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInteractive Brokers provides international access to F&C Investment Trust shares.
• EQiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEQi platform offers F&C Investment Trust with detailed stock information.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bankers Investment Trust: Long-running UK global equity investment trust managed by Janus Henderson; similar heritage, similar global equity focus with some emerging market and private investment exposure, and similar retail distribution footprint.
• Monks Investment Trust: UK-listed global growth investment trust managed by Baillie Gifford; comparable to F&C in global equity focus, retail distribution, and long-term capital growth orientation, though with higher growth tilt.
• Personal Assets Trust: UK-listed multi-asset investment trust focused on capital preservation and growth; comparable to F&C in being a long-established, diversified retail-facing investment trust distributed via major UK platforms.
• Witan Investment Trust: Long-established UK diversified global equity investment trust with multi-manager structure; closely comparable to F&C in heritage, scale, retail distribution, and global equity mandate.
• RIT Capital Partners: UK-listed investment trust with diversified global exposure spanning listed equities, private equity, and alternatives; closely comparable to F&C's portfolio construction with its PE sleeve and global mandate.
• Alliance Trust: UK-listed diversified global equity investment trust with a multi-manager investment approach; directly comparable in product structure, retail distribution model, and long-term capital growth mandate.
• Brunner Investment Trust: UK-listed global equity investment trust with a long dividend track record; directly comparable to F&C as a long-established, dividend-focused diversified global equity trust distributed via UK platforms.
• Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust: UK-listed investment trust focused on global growth equities with selected unlisted/PE exposure; one of the largest and most comparable diversified global equity trusts to F&C, sharing the same retail distribution channels and active management model.
• JPMorgan Global Growth & Income: UK-listed global equity investment trust with a balanced capital growth and income mandate; closely comparable to F&C's global equity diversification and dividend focus, distributed through the same UK platforms.

Broad incumbents

• Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF: Massive passive global equity vehicle from Vanguard offering comparable diversified international equity exposure at very low cost; competes with F&C for the same retail investor seeking global diversification, but at a fraction of the fees and without active management.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FandCTrust

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 F&C Investment Trust