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.
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No website on the FCA register
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No phone number on the FCA register
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Address
The Key, Bath Lane, Newcastle Helix, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5TQ, United Kingdom
In the full report: 1 background check
- Who else gives the postcode NE4 5TQ
Past FCA permissions and consumer protection
- Money-laundering registration onlyThis 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 number
- 10395804 (opens Companies House in a new tab)
- Company status
- Active
- Company type
- Public limited company
- Incorporated
- 27 September 2016 (10 years old)
- Registered office
- The Key Bath Lane, Newcastle Helix, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 5TQ, England
- Nature of business
-
- Activities of investment trusts (SIC 64301)
Directors and company secretaries
| Name | Role | Born | Appointed | Other companies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew James Harris | Director | Jun 1968 | 19 Dec 2016 | None |
| Douglas Noble | Director | Jan 1953 | 19 Dec 2016 | None |
| John Errington Newlands | Director | Nov 1950 | 14 Nov 2017 | 1 other company |
| Ian Michael Mcelroy | Director | May 1980 | 18 Apr 2018 | 35 other companies |
| Sameer Kamal Ibrahim Al Ansari (Dr) | Director | Oct 1962 | 2 May 2025 | None |
| Frances Michelle Percy | Director | Sep 1968 | 14 Aug 2026 | 4 other companies |
| APEX FUND ADMINISTRATION SERVICES (UK) LIMITED | Corporate secretary | Not published | 27 Jul 2021 | – |
Other companies run by these 6 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
- 40
- closed down
- 17
- went insolvent
- 1
In the full report: all 40 companies, named
- What each company does, and whether it is still trading
- Which of these 6 directors sit on each board, and since when
- The one that went into liquidation or administration
- The 3 on the FCA register
- All 9 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
Key dates in its history
Develop North’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.
2026
29 June 2026
- Registered with the FCA
FCA register
2017
24 January 2017
- Tier One Capital Limited gave up control
Companies House
2016
27 September 2016
- Incorporated at Companies House
- Tier One Capital Limited took control (50–75% of shares)
Companies House
In the full report: all 16 events
- All 16 events in its history (4 shown here)
- Every director appointment and resignation: 12
Firms connected to Develop North
Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Develop North. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.
- connected firms
- 2
- share a director
- 2
- share its postcode
- 1
In the full report: all 2 connected firms, named
- How each is linked: shared directors (2), the same postcode (1)
- Who links each one: the named directors, with dates
- 1 past link through former directors
Get the full report on Develop North
Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.
- 40 other companies its directors have run, named
- 1 background check on its contact details
- All 16 events in its history
- 2 connected firms, named, and who links them
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Frequently asked questions about this firm
Is Develop North PLC FCA authorised?
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Who runs Develop North?
How long has Develop North been in business?
Sources and links
- Its entry on the FCA register register.fca.org.uk
- Its Companies House record gov.uk
- Report a scam to the FCA fca.org.uk