GC Factoring Limited

Reference number: 1016693

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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.

  • No website on the FCA register

  • No phone number on the FCA register

  • Address

    Building 2, Guildford Business Park Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 8XG, United Kingdom

In the full report: 1 background check

  • Who else gives the postcode GU2 8XG
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Other names (1)

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

  • grenke Trading name: A name it trades under now.

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 status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
19 December 2012 (13 years old)
Registered office
2 London Square, Cross Lanes, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1UN
Nature of business
  • Factoring (SIC 64992)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
James Robert Williamson Director Aug 1978 19 Dec 2012 None

In the full report: every company its directors have run

  • Confirmation that its director runs no other company
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Key dates in its history

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

2024

27 September 2024

  • Registered with the FCA
  • Began trading as "grenke"

FCA register

2023

10 July 2023

  • James Williamson stopped being a part-owner

Companies House

5 January 2023

  • Ctp Handels - Und Betelligungs Gmbh stopped being a part-owner
  • Grenke AG took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

2017

14 November 2017

  • Ctp Handels - Und Betelligungs Gmbh became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)
  • Ctp Handels- Und Beteiligungs Gmbh stopped being the majority owner

Companies House

2016

5 December 2016

  • Ctp Handels- Und Beteiligungs Gmbh became the majority owner (50–75% of shares)
  • James Williamson became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)

Companies House

2012

19 December 2012

  • Incorporated at Companies House
  • James Robert Williamson appointed as a director

Companies House

Director appointments and resignations, and trading names, appear under All events.

Firms connected to GC Factoring

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

connected firms
4
share its postcode
4

In the full report: all 4 connected firms, named

  • How each is linked: the same postcode (4)
  • Who links each one: the named directors, with dates
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Get the full report on GC Factoring

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

  • Every company its directors have run, named
  • 1 background check on its contact details
  • All 11 events in its history
  • 4 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is GC Factoring Limited FCA authorised?
GC Factoring Limited (FRN 1016693) 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.
Is GC Factoring a scam or clone?
GC Factoring 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 GC Factoring?
Money you hand to GC Factoring 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 GC Factoring?
GC Factoring is owned by Grenke AG, which holds 75–100% of shares, since 5 January 2023. Before that, it was controlled by Ctp Handels - Und Betelligungs Gmbh, Ctp Handels- Und Beteiligungs Gmbh and Mr James Williamson.
Who runs GC Factoring?
Companies House lists one director of GC Factoring: James Robert Williamson.
How long has GC Factoring been in business?
The company was formed on 19 December 2012.
Does GC Factoring use any other names?
It trades as grenke.

Sources and links

The full report on GC Factoring Limited

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