Fern Trading Group Limited

Reference number: 750521

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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, 1 thing worth a closer look

  • When ferntrading.com first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 0800 316 2295 is, and the 2 other firms that give it
  • Who else gives the postcode EC1N 2HT
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Other names (6)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

  • Dragonfly Trading name
  • Dragonfly Property Finance Trading name
  • Octopus Capital Trading name
  • Octopus Property Trading name
  • Octopus Real Estate Trading name
  • Fern Trading Limited Former name

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 number
06447318
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
6 December 2007 (18 years old)
Registered office
6th Floor 33 Holborn, London, England, EC1N 2HT
Nature of business
  • Activities of head offices (SIC 70100)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Sarah Mary Grant Director Mar 1973 6 Jan 2023 125 other companies
Benjamin Charles Thompson Director Dec 1984 1 Aug 2025 112 other companies
Matthew Nicholas Armes Director May 1992 7 Apr 2026 74 other companies
OCTOPUS COMPANY SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED Corporate secretary Not published 15 Nov 2018 –

Other companies run by these 3 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
246
closed down
20
are FCA-registered
2

In the full report: all 246 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 3 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The 2 on the FCA register
  • The 46 companies these 3 directors run together
  • All 11 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Key dates in its history

Fern Trading Group’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (6) All events (28)

2021

9 July 2021

  • Changed its registered name from "Fern Trading Limited"

FCA register

2020

10 July 2020

  • Fern Trading Limited took control (75–100% of shares)
  • Octopus Investments Nominees Limited gave up control

Companies House

2016

22 June 2016

  • Registered with the FCA

FCA register

6 April 2016

  • Octopus Investments Nominees Limited took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

2007

6 December 2007

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 28 events

  • All 28 events in its history (6 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 17
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Firms connected to Fern Trading Group

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

connected firms
3
share a director
2
share its phone number
2

In the full report: all 3 connected firms, named

  • How each is linked: shared directors (2), the same phone number (2), the same postcode (3)
  • Who links each one: the named directors, with dates
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Get the full report on Fern Trading Group

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

  • 246 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details, 1 flagged
  • All 28 events in its history
  • 3 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Fern Trading Group Limited FCA authorised?
Fern Trading Group Limited (FRN 750521) 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 Fern Trading Group’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 0800 316 2295 and the website ferntrading.com for Fern Trading Group. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further. The same number is also given by 2 other FCA firms.
Is Fern Trading Group a scam or clone?
Fern Trading Group 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 Fern Trading Group?
Money you hand to Fern Trading Group 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 Fern Trading Group?
Fern Trading Group is owned by Fern Trading Limited, which holds 75–100% of shares, 75–100% of votes and can appoint and remove the board, since 10 July 2020. Before that, it was controlled by Octopus Investments Nominees Limited.
Who runs Fern Trading Group?
Companies House lists 3 directors of Fern Trading Group: Sarah Mary Grant, Benjamin Charles Thompson and Matthew Nicholas Armes.
How long has Fern Trading Group been in business?
The company was formed on 6 December 2007.
Does Fern Trading Group use any other names?
It trades as Dragonfly, Dragonfly Property Finance, Octopus Capital, Octopus Property and Octopus Real Estate. It has previously used the name Fern Trading Limited.

Sources and links

The full report on Fern Trading Group Limited

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