Paragon Business Finance PLC

Reference number: 730803

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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 paragonbank.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 01489 775600 is, and the other firm that gives it
  • Who else gives the postcode SO18 2RY
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Other names (3)

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

  • Iceberg Trading name
  • Five Arrows Business Finance PLC Former name
  • Paragon Bank Business Finance PLC 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
01497411
Company status
Active
Company type
Public limited company
Incorporated
19 May 1980 (46 years old)
Registered office
51 Homer Road, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 3QJ, England
Nature of business
  • Financial leasing (SIC 64910)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Keith Graham Allen Director Jul 1972 28 Apr 2017 133 other companies
Richard James Woodman Director May 1965 21 Oct 2019 140 other companies
John Edward Phillipou Director May 1972 21 Oct 2019 23 other companies
David Newcombe Director Jun 1967 21 Oct 2019 18 other companies
Marius Van Niekerk Secretary Not published 2 Apr 2025 –

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
148
closed down
95
are FCA-registered
7

In the full report: all 148 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 7 on the FCA register
  • The 133 companies these 4 directors run together
  • All 39 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Key dates in its history

Paragon Business Finance’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (8) All events (79)

2023

4 July 2023

  • Paragon Asset Finance Limited took control (75–100% of shares)
  • State Securities Holdings Limited gave up control

Companies House

2022

28 September 2022

  • Changed its registered name from "Paragon Bank Business Finance PLC"

FCA register

2016

6 April 2016

  • State Securities Holdings Limited took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

27 January 2016

  • Changed its registered name from "Five Arrows Business Finance PLC"

FCA register

18 January 2016

  • Regulated by the FCA from this date
  • Registered with the FCA

FCA register

1980

19 May 1980

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 79 events

  • All 79 events in its history (8 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 70
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Firms connected to Paragon Business Finance

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

connected firms
5
share a director
5
share its phone number
1

In the full report: all 5 connected firms, named

  • How each is linked: shared directors (5), the same phone number (1), the same postcode (1)
  • Who links each one: the named directors, with dates
  • 2 past links through former directors
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Get the full report on Paragon Business Finance

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

  • 148 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 79 events in its history
  • 5 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Paragon Business Finance PLC FCA authorised?
Paragon Business Finance PLC (FRN 730803) 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 Paragon Business Finance’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 01489 775600 and the website paragonbank.co.uk for Paragon Business Finance. 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 one other FCA firm.
Is Paragon Business Finance a scam or clone?
Paragon Business Finance 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 Paragon Business Finance?
Money you hand to Paragon Business Finance 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 Paragon Business Finance?
Paragon Business Finance is owned by Paragon Asset Finance Limited, which holds 75–100% of shares, 75–100% of votes and can appoint and remove the board, since 4 July 2023. Before that, it was controlled by State Securities Holdings Limited.
Who runs Paragon Business Finance?
Companies House lists 4 directors of Paragon Business Finance: Keith Graham Allen, Richard James Woodman, John Edward Phillipou and David Newcombe.
How long has Paragon Business Finance been in business?
The company was formed on 19 May 1980.
Does Paragon Business Finance use any other names?
It trades as Iceberg. It has previously used 2 other names: Five Arrows Business Finance PLC and Paragon Bank Business Finance PLC.

Sources and links

The full report on Paragon Business Finance PLC

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