Trade Finance Merchants Ltd

Reference number: 738167

Instant download

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 7590 1839

  • Address

    Montpelier House, 4th Floor, 106 Brompton Road, London, SW3 1JJ, United Kingdom

In the full report: 2 background checks, 1 thing worth a closer look

  • What kind of line 020 7590 1839 is
  • Whether SW3 1JJ is a shared office: 116 other firms give it
Instant PDF download

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
09411356
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
28 January 2015 (11 years old)
Registered office
Montpelier House, 106 Brompton Road, London, SW3 1JJ, England
Nature of business
  • Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified (SIC 64999)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Emilio Castelbolognesi Director Jun 1954 28 Jan 2015 1 other company
Luca Cesare Armando Ceretti Director Nov 1966 28 Jan 2015 1 other company

Other companies run by these 2 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 company
1
closed down
1
run together
1

In the full report: all 1 company, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 2 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The 1 company these 2 directors run together
  • All 4 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
Instant PDF download

Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 March 2026Full accountsAudited

Total equity

£536k

+4.2% from £515k

Cash at bank

£565k

+5.3% from £537k

Owed within a year

£29.0k

+29% from £22.5k

Total equity

In the full report: all 7 years of accounts

  • Every year from 2020 to 2026
  • The chart, over every year
  • Every filed figure, year by year
Instant PDF download
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 09411356. 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

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

Key events (4) All events (10)

2016

6 April 2016

  • Emilio Castelbolognesi became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)
  • Luca Cesare Armando Ceretti became a part-owner (25–50% of shares)

Companies House

26 February 2016

  • Registered with the FCA

FCA register

2015

28 January 2015

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 10 events

  • All 10 events in its history (4 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 6
Instant PDF download

Get the full report on Trade Finance Merchants

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

  • 1 other company its directors have run, named
  • 2 background checks on its contact details, 1 flagged
  • 7 years of accounts, charted
  • All 10 events in its history

Instant PDF One-off payment Secure checkout by Stripe

Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Trade Finance Merchants Ltd FCA authorised?
Trade Finance Merchants Ltd (FRN 738167) 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 Trade Finance Merchants’ phone number?
The FCA register lists the phone number 020 7590 1839 for Trade Finance Merchants. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is Trade Finance Merchants a scam or clone?
Trade Finance Merchants 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 Trade Finance Merchants?
Money you hand to Trade Finance Merchants 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 Trade Finance Merchants?
Companies House lists 2 people with significant control of Trade Finance Merchants: Mr Emilio Castelbolognesi (25–50% of shares) and Mr Luca Cesare Armando Ceretti (25–50% of shares).
Who runs Trade Finance Merchants?
Companies House lists 2 directors of Trade Finance Merchants: Emilio Castelbolognesi and Luca Cesare Armando Ceretti.
How long has Trade Finance Merchants been in business?
The company was formed on 28 January 2015.
What do Trade Finance Merchants’ latest accounts show?
Its latest accounts, to 31 March 2026, show total equity of £536k (+4.2% from £515k) and cash at bank of £565k (+5.3% from £537k).

Sources and links

The full report on Trade Finance Merchants Ltd

£19.99 · Instant PDF download

Loading secure checkout…