What The Tracing Group does

The Tracing Group is a UK-based B2B data management and people tracing company, headquartered in Wymondham, Norfolk, and operating since 2017 under the legal entity The Tracing Group Limited. The firm serves pension schemes, life insurers, banks, building societies, and Child Trust Fund providers, addressing regulatory-driven needs around customer data accuracy, mortality screening, residency verification, and gone-away member location. Its core service line, People Screening and Remediation, combines automated screening databases with research-led forensic and genealogical tracing, with documented case-study outcomes including £50 million in liability savings for a single client and £460.55 per member in remediation-driven savings.

Technology is centred on two proprietary assets: Validentity, a biometric identity verification and liveness detection tool launched in July 2022 and delivered through a dedicated consumer-facing portal for verifying pension members, particularly those overseas; and the CTF Register, co-founded in 2020 with The Share Foundation to reunite young adults with unclaimed Child Trust Fund accounts. Supporting products include the Dormant Assets Guidebook, Common Data Score improvement services, and dedicated overseas tracing operations covering France, Australia, USA, Canada, UAE, and Thailand. The platform integrates with industry bodies including PASA, TISA, and Reclaim Fund Ltd, and holds ISO 27001 (2017) and FSQS (2020) accreditations.

The business operates a professional services revenue model with project-based, quote-driven pricing paid by client organisations rather than traced individuals. Distribution is direct B2B sales supplemented by thought leadership content (Robert's Pension Digest), industry conference participation, and CTF Register co-marketing. Customers include major UK financial institutions such as NatWest, Nationwide, SJP, Coutts, Phoenix Group, OneFamily, and Scottish Friendly, alongside pension schemes (Railpen, PPL, MNOPF) and selected non-financial corporates. The firm is privately held and founder-led by Managing Director Danielle Higgins, with no disclosed external funding.

Name

The Tracing Group

Legal name

The Tracing Group Limited

Website

https://thetracinggroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Tracing Group is a UK-based B2B data quality and people tracing firm serving pension schemes, life insurers, banks, and building societies with mortality screening, biometric identity verification (Validentity), and the co-founded Child Trust Fund Register.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pension Data Quality and Tracing Services

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Skip Tracing & Locate Services (Address/Phone/Employer Discovery) (BPAAAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regulatory Reporting & Recordkeeping (AML/CTF) (FSAMAMAG), Credit Bureau Reporting & Dispute Management Support (FCRA/CRA Ops) (BPAAAEAI)

Keywords

• Pension tracing services
• Data quality management
• Mortality screening services
• Identity verification biometrics
• Asset reunification services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wymondham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tracing and Remediation Services: The Tracing Group charges pension schemes and financial institutions for tracing gone-away customers, identifying deceased members, verifying overseas members, and improving data quality. The fee is paid by the company or pension scheme, not by the individual being traced.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Tracing Group provides people tracing, mortality and residency screening, and data quality remediation services to UK pension schemes, life insurance companies, banks, and building societies. Its core offering helps financial institutions locate gone-away members, identify unreported deaths, verify identities of overseas members, and improve Common Data Scores to meet FCA and Pensions Regulator requirements. Ancillary offerings include the proprietary Validentity identity-verification tool and the co-founded CTF Register for reuniting young adults with Child Trust Fund accounts.

Product overview

The Tracing Group is a UK-based data management company offering a portfolio of people tracing and data quality services primarily for the pension and financial services sectors. The core offering centers on People Screening and Remediation Services, which encompasses mortality and residency screening, overseas tracing, and data improvement solutions. Key products include Validentity (an AI-powered identity verification tool using face biometrics and liveness detection), the CTF Register (a collaborative Child Trust Fund tracing platform with The Share Foundation), and the Dormant Assets Guidebook. Additional services support pension buy-in/buy-out transactions, Common Data Score improvement, and regulatory compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Validentity: An innovative identity verification and liveness detection tool used to verify the identity and existence of pension members, particularly those living overseas, combining face biometrics and liveness testing technology.

Products and services

• People Screening and Remediation Services Primary service offering encompassing people tracing, data quality improvement, mortality and residency screening, and remediation services for pension schemes and financial institutions.
• Validentity Identity verification tool using face biometrics and liveness testing to verify the identity and existence of pension members, particularly those residing overseas. Delivered through a dedicated website portal accessed via unique codes supplied in letters.
• CTF Register (Child Trust Fund Register) A collaborative register jointly developed with The Share Foundation that enables young people aged 16+ to find their unclaimed Child Trust Fund accounts. CTF providers join the register to demonstrate FCA compliance with reuniting unclaimed assets.
• Mortality and Residency Screening Specialist screening services to identify unreported deaths within pension scheme memberships and verify members' current residency status, including overseas members, with results categorised into high, medium and low probability indicators.
• Pension Buy-In/Buy-Out Data Solutions Data preparation and remediation services to support pension schemes undergoing buy-in or buy-out transactions, including identifying missing members, updating contact details, confirming beneficiary information, and improving data accuracy.
• Common Data Score Improvement Services to improve pension schemes' Common Data Scores to meet the requirements of The Pensions Regulator, including address verification, mortality checks, and data cleansing.
• Overseas Tracing Services Forensic and genealogical methodologies to locate overseas pension members, including verification of members residing abroad using biometric and liveness technology from Validentity.
• Dormant Assets Guidebook A comprehensive resource for organisations managing dormant assets, accounts, goneaways, or unpaid deceased customers, providing insights and practical strategies for effective dormant asset management.

Quantifiable outcome

• £50M liability savings for a single client through effective tracing and remediation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Share Foundation (ShareFound)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded the CTF Register together with The Tracing Group and CTF providers. ShareFound, a registered charity, provides account administration and financial education for children in care, extending work since 2005. The partnership enables young people aged 16+ to search for their Child Trust Fund free of charge.
• Nationwide Building SocietycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNationwide joined the CTF Register as a member, committing to reunite people with their Child Trust Funds and complementing broader reunification efforts.
• Sheffield MutualcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSheffield Mutual joined the CTF Register, a friendly society operating since 1892 for the benefit of members.
• Scottish FriendlycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerScottish Friendly, one of the UK's biggest mutual life offices operating for over 160 years, joined the CTF Register.
• Killik & CocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKillik & Co, an independently owned and award-winning wealth management partnership since 1989, joined the CTF Register.
• NatWest GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNatWest Group (including National Westminster Bank Plc and The Royal Bank of Scotland plc) joined the CTF Register, providing CTFs to 759,000 young people.
• OneFamilycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOneFamily, one of the UK's biggest child trust fund providers with 1.6 million accounts and around 25% market share, joined the CTF Register.
• Foresters FinancialcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerForesters Financial, one of the largest children's investment providers in the UK, joined the CTF Register.
• Shepherd's FriendlycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerShepherd's Friendly joined the CTF Register as a founding member.
• Reclaim Fund LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner for Dormant Assets Scheme administration. Reclaim Fund Ltd administers dormant assets transferred by participating institutions for social and environmental causes.
• PASA (Pensions Administration Standards Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPASA partnered with The Tracing Group's Managing Director Danielle Higgins as Expert Knowledge Provider for data guidance development.
• TISA (The Investing and Savings Alliance)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry body collaboration for Child Trust Fund initiatives and standards development, including panel events on CTF reunification.
• Living Wage FoundationminorOthersLiving Wage employer accreditation recognised on website footer, demonstrating commitment to fair pay.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Equifax: Global data, analytics and identity verification company. Equifax competes with The Tracing Group's data quality, mortality and residency screening offerings via its consumer-data and identity platforms used by UK financial institutions and pension schemes.
• Kroll: Global investigation, due-diligence and tracing firm with a dedicated tracing and asset reunification practice serving financial institutions and pensions. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering similar tracing and locate services with greater geographic reach than The Tracing Group.
• Experian: Major credit bureau and consumer data analytics provider with established UK financial-services and pensions relationships. Overlaps with The Tracing Group in address verification, gone-away identification, and data-quality improvement services.
• TransUnion: Global information and insights company active in UK financial services with identity, fraud, and data-quality capabilities. Competes with The Tracing Group on mortality and residency screening, and identity verification for financial-services clients.
• Cofense / Pinkerton (note: Pinkerton): Pinkerton is a long-established corporate investigation and asset-tracing firm with global coverage. It overlaps with The Tracing Group's gone-away tracing, heir/beneficiary location, and corporate-intelligence investigations for financial institutions.

Direct peers

• GBG: Identity verification and location intelligence specialist serving UK financial services and pensions. Highly comparable to The Tracing Group's Validentity product, with overlapping biometric and document-verification functionality for KYC and member verification.
• BTR (Beneficial Trace & Reunite): UK specialist tracing and asset reunification firm serving financial institutions, insurers, and pension schemes. Direct competitor to The Tracing Group in gone-away tracing, beneficiary location, and dormant asset reunification.
• Onfido: AI-based identity verification provider using document checks and biometrics. Comparable to The Tracing Group's Validentity biometric/liveness solution, addressing identity proofing for financial services, fintech and pensions-adjacent customers.
• Reclaim Fund Ltd: Industry-administered dormant-assets scheme that consolidates unclaimed financial assets from UK institutions. Comparable as an ecosystem peer to The Tracing Group in the reunification of dormant assets and gone-away customers.

Emerging players

• Ancestry: Genealogy data and research provider whose records and expertise underpin forensic and genealogical people tracing. Comparable to The Tracing Group's research-led genealogical tracing methodology for locating overseas and gone-away individuals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thetracinggroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-tracing-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 The Tracing Group