Equilend Limited: FCA regulated?

Authorised by the FCA

This firm is on the FCA register and authorised to carry out regulated activities.

Authorised for 2 years
Your funds are protected by FSCS
No FCA actions
Active company since 1899
Accounts filed up to 31 December 2025
1 thing worth a closer look in the background checks

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.

Website

equilend.com (opens in a new tab)
Phone number

020 7426 4426
Address

36th Floor, One Canada Square, London, E14 5AA, United Kingdom

In the full report: 3 background checks, 1 thing worth a closer look

When equilend.com first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
What kind of line 020 7426 4426 is
Whether E14 5AA is a shared office: 43 other firms give it

FCA permissions and consumer protection

Investments & pensions FSCS may apply
Eligible investment and pension claims are typically FSCS-protected up to £85,000 per person, depending on the product and your circumstances.
Complaints Ombudsman, free
You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.

Limits on what they may do

Firm must not operate an OTF until systems are onboarded to FCA's MDP system.

Firm are unable to carrying out the activity of operating an Organised Trading Facility, as defined in MiFID and The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001, until it is evidenced to the FCA that the firm’s systems are onboarded to the FCA’s MDP system.

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: GEORGE BENCE & SONS LIMITED
Company number: 00062473 (opens Companies House in a new tab)
Company status: Active
Company type: Private limited company
Incorporated: 8 June 1899 (127 years old)
Registered office: 41-47 Fairview Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 2EJ
Nature of business: Agents involved in the sale of timber and building materials (SIC 46130)

Directors and company secretaries

Name	Role	Born	Appointed	Other companies
Paul Christopher Bence	Director	Jul 1979	23 Feb 2011	5 other companies
Matthew George Bence	Director	Feb 1985	5 Jun 2017	3 other companies
Carlwyn Jon Coombes	Director	Aug 1976	7 Jul 2017	None
Christopher George Bence	Director	Oct 1950	Not published	8 other companies
Elaine Emerton-Haines	Secretary	Not published	5 May 2017	–

Other companies run by these 4 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: 12
closed down: 3
run together: 4

In the full report: all 12 companies, named

What each company does, and whether it is still trading
Which of these 4 directors sit on each board, and since when
Any that went into liquidation or administration
The 4 companies these 4 directors run together
All 9 people who have ever been directors, with their dates

Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 December 2025Group accountsAudited

Turnover

£19.2m

−7.3% from £20.7m

Profit before tax

−£732k

Down £582k from −£150k

Net assets

£7.19m

−7.4% from £7.76m

Cash at bank

£55.5k

−29% from £78.3k

Turnover and profit

In the full report: all 6 years of accounts

Every year from 2020 to 2025
Both charts, over every year
Every filed figure, year by year

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.

These are group figures: the firm and the companies it owns, combined.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company 00062473. 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

Equilend’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (5) All events (16)

2023

1 December 2023

Regulated by the FCA from this date
FCA imposed a requirement (Firm must not operate an OTF until systems are onboarded to FCA's MDP system.)
Became authorised by the FCA

FCA register

2016

30 June 2016

Christopher George Bence took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

1899

8 June 1899

Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 16 events

All 16 events in its history (5 shown here)
Every director appointment and resignation: 9

Get the full report on Equilend

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

12 other companies its directors have run, named
3 background checks on its contact details, 1 flagged
6 years of accounts, charted
All 16 events in its history

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Equilend Limited FCA authorised?

Yes, Equilend Limited (FRN 986283) is authorised by the FCA to carry out regulated activities. It has held its current authorisation since December 2023. The FCA has placed a limit on what it may do.

What is Equilend’s phone number and website?

The FCA register lists the phone number 020 7426 4426 and the website equilend.com for Equilend. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.

Is Equilend a scam or clone?

Equilend is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.

Is my money safe with Equilend?

Its FCA permissions do not allow it to hold or control client money. It depends on the product, but eligible claims may be protected by the FSCS. You can also refer complaints about Equilend to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.

Who owns Equilend?

Companies House lists one person with significant control of Equilend: Mr Christopher George Bence (75–100% of shares).

Who runs Equilend?

Companies House lists 4 directors of Equilend: Paul Christopher Bence, Matthew George Bence, Carlwyn Jon Coombes and Christopher George Bence.

How long has Equilend been in business?

The company was formed on 8 June 1899, and has held its current FCA authorisation since December 2023.

What do Equilend’s latest accounts show?

Its latest accounts, to 31 December 2025, show turnover of £19.2m (−7.3% from £20.7m) and profit before tax of −£732k (down £582k from −£150k).