What CO-LABS GROUP LTD does

Co-Labs Global is a London-based collaborative innovation ecosystem operating under parent Change Gap. Founded by Sarah Sinclair in 2021, the company convenes business leaders from competing financial services organisations alongside regulators, academics, and technology innovators in events and hackathons designed to co-create shared solutions to shared regulatory challenges. Its work is structured around six interlocking global themes: AI Practices, Sustainability, Economic Crime, Regulatory Reporting, Operational Resilience, and Digital Assets & Crypto. Each theme is led by a named Co-Lab Lead drawn from the 30+ expert ecosystem.

The core offering is not a software product but a facilitated collaboration platform. Co-Labs runs in-person hackathons and ecosystem events — including activities in London, Seoul, and Scotland — and curates a network of more than 30 named experts spanning Cambridge and Edinburgh academia, regulators such as the Bank of England, and industry bodies including the Payments Association and the Business Reporting Advisory Group. There is no proprietary technology stack disclosed in available material; the asset is the convening power, brand trust, and the process itself.

Monetisation is structured around an ecosystem partnership model in which partners receive first-mover advantage and revenue share on solutions developed together, broadly characterised as recurring/ subscription-style engagement. Customer segments are primarily regulated financial institutions, regulators and policy makers, and RegTech/SupTech innovators. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated with ecosystem partners. Headcount is 1–10 employees, indicating an asset-light operating model that leverages partner organisations for delivery capacity.

Name

CO-LABS GROUP LTD

Legal name

CO-LABS GLOBAL LTD

Website

https://co-labs.global

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Co-Labs Global is a London-based innovation ecosystem, founded in 2021 under Change Gap, that convenes financial services firms, regulators, academics, and innovators via events and hackathons to co-create regulatory solutions across six themes, monetising through ecosystem partnership revenue share.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regulatory Innovation Ecosystem

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG Governance, Sustainability Reporting & Assurance Advisory (BPAHAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability, ESG & Climate Risk Advisory (BPAHAJAH), Finance & Investment Conferences (MPAGAGAG), Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

Keywords

• Regulatory innovation ecosystem
• Financial services collaboration
• Compliance hackathons
• Regulatory reporting solutions
• Ecosystem partnership platform

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Ecosystem Partnership Revenue Share: Co-Labs Global generates revenue through ecosystem partnerships where partners receive first mover advantage and revenue share opportunities on all solutions created together. The company facilitates collaborative innovation across six global challenges (AI Practices, Sustainability, Economic Crime, Regulatory Reporting, Operational Resilience, Digital Assets & Crypto) and monetises through shared solution development with participating organisations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Co-Labs Global convenes financial services stakeholders — business leaders from competing organisations, regulators, academics, and innovators — through a series of events and hackathons to co-create shared solutions to shared regulatory, risk, and compliance challenges. The offering is organised around six global challenge areas: AI Practices, Sustainability, Economic Crime, Regulatory Reporting, Operational Resilience, and Digital Assets & Crypto. Ecosystem partners gain first-mover advantage and revenue share opportunities on the solutions created through these collaborative initiatives.

Product overview

Co-Labs Global is a single unified collaborative ecosystem offering. The company operates as a platform for convening stakeholders in events and hackathons to develop shared regulatory solutions. Rather than a traditional software platform with modules, the offering centers on facilitated collaboration across six named challenge areas: AI Practices, Sustainability, Economic Crime, Regulatory Reporting, Operational Resilience, and Digital Assets & Crypto. Ecosystem partners gain first-mover advantage and revenue share on solutions created through these collaborative initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Change GapcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChange Gap is the parent organisation that created Co-Labs Global. The Change Gap entity is the founder and operator of Co-Labs, taking affirmative action to bring interested parties together and unlock the potential of technology to improve the whole regulatory ecosystem.
• UndividedminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBranding agency engaged to develop Co-Labs Global's branding story and key messages. Partners Stefan and Laura from Undivided contributed to brand development and key messaging frameworks.
• Bank of EnglandflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Bank of England actively supports Co-Labs as a collaborative initiative to transform regulatory reporting. The Bank believes private sector initiatives like Co-Labs will be crucial to delivering regulatory transformation alongside the Bank and FCA's joint transformation programme.
• Project Financial Crime (Payments Association)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject Financial Crime is a flagship initiative under the Payments Association that collaborates with Co-Labs to improve financial crime prevention through better collaborative efforts. Led by Jane Jee since the project was formed in 2018.
• Business Reporting Advisory GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChairman and CEO Michal Piechocki sees Co-Labs as augmenting collaboration efforts by standards bodies, with innovative collaboration among all stakeholders needed to bridge gaps in the RegTech and SupTech environment for a digital economy.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Innovate Finance: UK fintech industry body that convenes banks, regulators, startups, and investors through events, policy working groups, and reports. Closely comparable to Co-Labs' vertical-specific convening of financial services stakeholders around regulatory and innovation challenges.
• GFMA (Global Financial Markets Association): Global umbrella for regional financial markets associations; convenes banks and policymakers on cross-border regulatory issues including operational resilience and digital assets. Directly comparable convening model and membership economics.
• TheCityUK: Industry body that convenes UK financial services participants and regulators to shape policy and standards. Operates a similar cross-sector convening model with explicit regulator engagement, making it a strong structural peer to Co-Labs.
• AFME (Association for Financial Markets in Europe): European trade body convening banks, regulators, and infra providers to shape regulatory and market structure outcomes. Comparable convening-then-advocate playbook in financial services regulatory space.
• Institute of International Finance (IIF): Global association of financial institutions that convenes banks, regulators, and policymakers to address cross-border regulatory issues. Directly comparable mission (regulatory collaboration across borders/industries) and membership-driven revenue model.
• UK Finance: UK banking and financial services trade association that works with regulators, government, and members on policy, conduct, and operational resilience issues. Overlaps with Co-Labs' regulatory reporting, operational resilience, and economic crime verticals.

Emerging players

• FinTech Circle: UK-based fintech community and event series that convenes founders, investors, and regulated institutions. Comparable event-driven, network-effect GTM targeting the same fintech/regulatory intersection.
• RegGenome: Regulatory data and tagging platform spun out of Cambridge that maps financial regulations to technology controls. Founded by Prof. Robert Wardrop, a named Co-Labs ecosystem partner, so a tighter emerging competitor in the RegTech data/compliance space.

Broad incumbents

• Baringa Partners: Independent consulting firm with a substantial financial services risk, regulatory, and compliance practice. Comparable deep FS regulatory expertise though delivered via traditional advisory engagements rather than convening.
• Deloitte UK Centre for Regulatory Strategy: Big Four advisory practice that publishes regulatory foresight and convenes clients across financial services regulatory themes. Comparable thought-leadership and convening presence but as part of a much broader professional services portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/co-labs-global

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 CO-LABS GROUP LTD