Portman Finance Limited

Reference number: 484423

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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

  • Phone number

    020 8209 3822

  • Address

    97 High Road, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, EN10 7BN, United Kingdom

In the full report: 2 background checks

  • What kind of line 020 8209 3822 is, and the 2 other firms that give it
  • Who else gives the postcode EN10 7BN
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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
05397019
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
17 March 2005 (21 years old)
Registered office
97 High Road, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, EN10 7BN, England
Nature of business
  • Other credit granting not elsewhere classified (SIC 64929)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Stewart Edward Barnes Director Jun 1964 1 Apr 2005 22 other companies

Other companies run by its director

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
22
closed down
4
are FCA-registered
2

In the full report: all 22 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of its director sits on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The 2 on the FCA register
  • All 3 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 August 2025Full accountsNot audited

Total equity

£43.3k

−5.3% from £45.7k

Cash at bank

£3,048

−97% from £87.5k

Owed within a year

£1.70m

+2.8% from £1.65m

Assets and liabilities

In the full report: all 6 years of accounts

  • Every year from 2020 to 2025
  • The chart, over every year
  • Every filed figure, year by year
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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.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company 05397019. 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

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

Key events (4) All events (7)

2016

6 April 2016

  • E & H Limited became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)
  • Martin Charles Hay became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)

Companies House

2008

24 September 2008

  • Registered with the FCA

FCA register

2005

17 March 2005

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 7 events

  • All 7 events in its history (4 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 3
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Firms connected to Portman Finance

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

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

In the full report: all 2 connected firms, named

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

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

  • 22 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 2 background checks on its contact details
  • 6 years of accounts, charted
  • All 7 events in its history
  • 2 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Portman Finance Limited FCA authorised?
Portman Finance Limited (FRN 484423) 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 Portman Finance’s phone number?
The FCA register lists the phone number 020 8209 3822 for Portman 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 2 other FCA firms.
Is Portman Finance a scam or clone?
Portman 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 Portman Finance?
Money you hand to Portman 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 Portman Finance?
Companies House lists 2 people with significant control of Portman Finance: Mr Martin Charles Hay (25–50% of shares) and E & H Limited (25–50% of shares).
Who runs Portman Finance?
Companies House lists one director of Portman Finance: Stewart Edward Barnes.
How long has Portman Finance been in business?
The company was formed on 17 March 2005.
What do Portman Finance’s latest accounts show?
Its latest accounts, to 31 August 2025, show total equity of £43.3k (−5.3% from £45.7k) and cash at bank of £3,048 (−97% from £87.5k).

Sources and links

The full report on Portman Finance Limited

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