Financial services for a business in the UK
UK financial solutions
A business's finance needs in the UK fall under five headings: financial analysis and reporting, working capital and debt restructuring, tax and accounting, insurance, and investment. Each heading is served by a different regulated profession.
On this page
Registering a company is a single step; running one produces a continuous set of obligations and decisions, and each falls to a different profession. Registration itself is at UK company formation.
01
Which financial services does a UK business use?
The scope falls under five headings: financial analysis and reporting, working capital and debt restructuring, tax and accounting, insurance, and investment services. Most businesses draw on several of these headings at once rather than on one alone.
| Heading | Who provides it |
|---|---|
| Financial analysis and reporting | Accountants and advisers |
| Working capital and debt restructuring | Corporate finance advisers |
| Tax and accounting | Accountants with verified professional membership |
| Insurance | FCA authorised firms |
| Investment services | FCA authorised firms |
02
Who is permitted to provide these services?
Insurance and investment services are provided only by firms authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. In the FCA's own words, almost all financial services activity in the UK requires authorisation or registration before it is carried on.
03
What does corporate finance solve?
Corporate finance takes a company's cash flow, its debt structure and its capital requirement into a single plan. The typical problem it solves is a business that looks sound on paper but cannot meet a payment when a filing period falls due.
Timing is usually the issue rather than profitability. A company with money owed to it and tax due in the same month has a cash flow problem, not a trading one, and the two need different answers.
04
What happens on the tax and accounting side?
This side consists of two jobs: filing the annual returns on time and calculating the tax burden in advance. Corporation tax in the UK is not charged at a single rate, and profits above £250,000 are treated differently.
Because the rate depends on the level of profit and on the number of associated companies, the figure cannot be assumed from a headline rate. The deadlines themselves are at after registering a UK company.
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05
Where does company formation sit on this map?
Formation is a step taken once before any of these services, and it is not the subject of this page. Once registration completes, the company enters a filing calendar that runs continuously from that date.
The steps, documents and cost of registering are set out at UK company formation, and the structures to choose between at UK business structures.
06
What does British Global do on the finance side?
British Global manages the process on the finance side: it sets out the company's position in a written preliminary report, identifies which item needs support, and refers you to a firm whose authorisation it has verified on the register.
Insurance and investment services are provided only by firms authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and authorisation is verified on the Financial Services Register before any engagement.
07
Frequently asked questions
Is corporation tax a single rate?
No. The rate depends on the level of profit and on the number of associated companies, so it cannot be assumed from a headline figure.
How is a firm's authorisation checked?
On the FCA's Financial Services Register, which is the public record of firms and individuals authorised by the FCA and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Does British Global provide financial services?
No. It sets out the published position and refers to firms whose authorisation has been verified on the register.
Sources
- Financial Conduct Authority (opens in a new tab)
The Financial Services Register is the public record of firms and individuals authorised by the FCA and the Prudential Regulation Authority. — 26 August 2026
- GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
Corporation tax in the UK is not charged at a single rate; profits above £250,000 are treated differently and the thresholds move with the number of associated companies. — 26 August 2026
- legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 restricts the communication of financial promotions to authorised persons or communications they approve. — 26 August 2026
