Big Issue Invest Ltd

Reference number: 596764

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On the register, but not FCA authorised

This firm is registered with the FCA for anti-money-laundering checks only, which is why it appears on the register. That is not authorisation: the FCA does not oversee how it treats customers, and FSCS protection does not apply.

What does this mean?
  • Some businesses are required by law to have an anti-money-laundering supervisor. For this kind of business that supervisor is the FCA, and the registration is the only reason the firm appears on the FCA register.
  • What the FCA checks is narrow: that the firm identifies its customers, keeps records, and reports suspicious activity. It is the anti-crime paperwork behind a bank asking you for ID.
  • It does not check anything about you as a customer. Not whether the firm treats you fairly, not whether it is financially sound, not whether what it sells is any good. The FCA describes firms registered this way as “not authorised or subject to wider FCA regulation”.
  • So if the firm fails or treats you badly, there is no FSCS compensation, and the Financial Ombudsman Service usually cannot look at a complaint about unregulated business.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When bigissueinvest.com first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 020 7526 3440 is
  • Who else gives the postcode N4 3HH
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Past FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Money-laundering registration only
    This firm is registered for anti-money-laundering supervision only. It is not FCA-authorised. Money you hand over is not protected by the FSCS, and the Financial Ombudsman Service may not be able to consider a complaint about unregulated business.

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company name
BIG ISSUE INVEST LIMITED
Company number
04764982
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
14 May 2003 (23 years old)
Registered office
113-115 Fonthill Road, London, N4 3HH, England
Nature of business
  • Other credit granting not elsewhere classified (SIC 64929)
  • Fund management activities (SIC 66300)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Sara Leigh Redford Director Feb 1976 23 Apr 2020 None
Shaheen Verjee Director Jun 1979 8 Dec 2022 None
Lawrence Arthur Gosling Director Dec 1964 15 Dec 2023 None
Robert John Mcdougall Gilligan Director Oct 1965 25 Jan 2024 None
Fay Gina Brooks Director Aug 1973 13 Nov 2025 17 other companies
Jennifer Katherine Knott Director Apr 1968 12 Jan 2026 17 other companies
John-Paul Preston Director Sep 1980 20 May 2026 None
Yuliia Uhorska Director Apr 1996 20 May 2026 None
Holger Westphely Director Sep 1973 21 May 2026 6 other companies

Other companies run by these 9 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies
37
closed down
13
went insolvent
1

In the full report: all 37 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 9 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • The one that went into liquidation or administration
  • The 3 on the FCA register
  • The 2 companies these 9 directors run together
  • All 31 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 March 2022Abridged accountsNot audited

Net assets

£1.70m

No earlier figure to compare

Cash at bank

£5.92m

No earlier figure to compare

Employees (average)

22

No earlier figure to compare

Owed within a year

£1.57m

No earlier figure to compare

About these figures
Turnover
Money taken from sales in the year, before any costs.
Profit before tax
What was left after the year’s costs, before corporation tax. A minus figure is a loss.
Net assets, or total equity
Everything the company owns minus everything it owes. A minus figure means it owes more than it owns.
Total assets and total liabilities
Everything the company owns, and everything it owes, on the last day of the year. The gap between them is its net assets.
Cash at bank
Money in the company’s accounts on the last day of the year.
Owed within a year, owed after a year
Debts and bills due in the next twelve months, and those due later.

There is no turnover or profit: small companies do not have to publish them.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company 04764982. Every figure is as filed, apart from total assets and total liabilities, which are added up from filed figures. Nothing is estimated.

Key dates in its history

Big Issue Invest’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (3) All events (54)

2016

6 April 2016

  • Big Issue Group Limited took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

2013

15 March 2013

  • Registered with the FCA

FCA register

2003

14 May 2003

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 54 events

  • All 54 events in its history (3 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 51
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Firms connected to Big Issue Invest

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Big Issue Invest. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firm
1
share a director
1
share its postcode
1

In the full report: the connected firm, named

  • How it is linked: shared directors (1), the same postcode (1)
  • Who links it to this firm: the named directors, with dates
  • 2 past links through former directors
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Get the full report on Big Issue Invest

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

  • 37 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 54 events in its history
  • 1 connected firm, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Big Issue Invest Ltd FCA authorised?
Big Issue Invest Ltd (FRN 596764) is registered with the FCA under the Money Laundering Regulations only. That is anti-money-laundering supervision, not FCA authorisation, and the FCA does not supervise the firm's conduct.
What is Big Issue Invest’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 020 7526 3440 and the website bigissueinvest.com for Big Issue Invest. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is Big Issue Invest a scam or clone?
Big Issue Invest is genuinely on the FCA's money-laundering register, so it is not an outright fake, but registration is not authorisation, and scammers impersonate registered firms too. Verify contact details against the register before sending money.
Is my money safe with Big Issue Invest?
Money you hand to Big Issue Invest is not protected by the FSCS. Money-laundering registration carries no compensation scheme, and the Financial Ombudsman Service may not be able to consider a complaint about unregulated business.
Who owns Big Issue Invest?
Big Issue Invest is owned by Big Issue Group Limited, which holds 75–100% of shares, 75–100% of votes, can appoint and remove the board, significant influence or control and held through a firm, since 6 April 2016.
Who runs Big Issue Invest?
Companies House lists 9 directors of Big Issue Invest: Sara Leigh Redford, Shaheen Verjee, Lawrence Arthur Gosling, Robert John McDougall Gilligan, Fay Gina Brooks, Jennifer Katherine Knott and 3 more.
How long has Big Issue Invest been in business?
The company was formed on 14 May 2003.
What do Big Issue Invest’s latest accounts show?
Its latest accounts, to 31 March 2022, show net assets of £1.70m (no earlier figure to compare) and cash at bank of £5.92m (no earlier figure to compare).

Sources and links

The full report on Big Issue Invest Ltd

£19.99 · Instant PDF download

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