World First UK Limited

Reference number: 900508

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Authorised by the FCA

This firm is on the FCA register and authorised to carry out regulated activities.

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 worldfirst.com first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 020 7801 1065 is, and the other firm that gives it
  • Who else gives the postcode E1W 1UN
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Other names (1)

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

  • WorldFirst Trading name

FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Handle payments & transfers Funds safeguarded
    Your money must be kept in a separate safeguarded account. If the firm fails, all safeguarded funds should be returned to you. With no upper limit, unlike the capped amounts under FSCS. Safeguarding works differently from FSCS, but protects your full balance when the rules are followed correctly.
  • Complaints Ombudsman, free
    You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.
Show FCA detail (8 permissions)
  • a) Services enabling cash placement on a payment account
  • b) Services enabling cash withdrawals from a payment account
  • c) Execution of payment transactions (not covered by a credit line)
  • d) Execution of payment transactions (covered by a credit line)
  • e) Issuing payment instruments or acquiring payment transactions
  • f) Money remittance
  • g) Execution of payment transactions via telecoms, IT system or network operator
  • h) Issuing Electronic Money

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
05022388
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
21 January 2004 (22 years old)
Registered office
2nd Floor, International House, 1 St Katharine's Way, London, E1W 1UN, United Kingdom
Nature of business
  • Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified (SIC 64999)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Leiming Chen Director Jul 1961 13 Feb 2019 None
Wenyi Shi Director Nov 1976 24 Jun 2022 None
Hoi Yan Irene Lau Director Jul 1987 21 Apr 2023 4 other companies

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
4
closed down
2
is FCA-registered
1

In the full report: all 4 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 one on the FCA register
  • All 22 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Key dates in its history

World First UK’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (17) All events (59)

2023

28 December 2023

  • Jack Ma Yun no longer has significant control

Companies House

2019

13 February 2019

  • Bradford Eric Bernstein no longer has significant control
  • David Cecil Clementi no longer has significant control
  • Jack Ma Yun gained significant control
  • Jonathan Roger Aitken Quin no longer holds 25–50% of the votes
  • Kyle Griswold no longer has significant control
  • Nicholas James Gray Robinson no longer has significant control
  • Richard Garman no longer has significant control

Companies House

2018

16 May 2018

  • Became an authorised e-money institution

FCA register

2016

6 April 2016

  • Bradford Eric Bernstein gained significant control
  • David Cecil Clementi gained significant control
  • Jonathan Roger Aitken Quin gained 25–50% of the votes
  • Kyle Griswold gained significant control
  • Nicholas James Gray Robinson gained significant control
  • Richard Garman gained significant control

Companies House

15 February 2016

  • Regulated by the FCA from this date

FCA register

2004

21 January 2004

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 59 events

  • All 59 events in its history (17 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 41
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Firms connected to World First UK

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

connected firm
1
share a director
1
share its phone number
1

In the full report: the connected firm, named

  • How it is linked: shared directors (1), the same phone number (1), the same postcode (1)
  • Who links it to this firm: the named directors, with dates
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Firms like World First UK

Other firms of the same type (payment or money transfer firm), nearest first.

In London

Uber Payments UK LimitedLondonAuthorisedWise Payments LimitedLondonAuthorisedForisgfs UK LimitedLondonAuthorisedWepay Payments Ltd.LondonAuthorisedAirbnb Payments UK LimitedLondonAuthorisedMollie UK Ltd.LondonAuthorised

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on World First UK

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

  • 4 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 59 events in its history
  • 1 connected firm, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is World First UK Limited FCA authorised?
Yes, World First UK Limited (FRN 900508) is authorised by the FCA to carry out regulated activities. It has held its current authorisation since May 2018 and works as a payment or money transfer firm. The FCA has placed no limits on its permissions.
What is World First UK’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 020 7801 1065 and the website worldfirst.com/uk for World First UK. 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 World First UK a scam or clone?
World First UK is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.
Is my money safe with World First UK?
It depends on the product, but payment and e-money balances should be safeguarded in a separate account, with no upper limit on the protected amount. You can also refer complaints about World First UK to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.
Who owns World First UK?
Companies House lists no one with significant control of World First UK now. Before that, it was controlled by Mr Jack Ma Yun, Jonathan Roger Aitken Quin and Mr Nicholas James Gray Robinson.
Who runs World First UK?
Companies House lists 3 directors of World First UK: Leiming Chen, Wenyi Shi and Hoi Yan Irene Lau.
How long has World First UK been in business?
The company was formed on 21 January 2004, and has held its current FCA authorisation since May 2018.
Does World First UK use any other names?
It trades as WorldFirst.

Sources and links

The full report on World First UK Limited

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