The Financial Conduct Authority has imposed restrictions on Kingscrown Finance Limited, a Stockport based lender to property developers.
Kingscrown has stopped onboarding new customers or undertaking new business with existing customers – including extending existing credit.
Kingscrown, which was incorporated in 2014, provides lending for business and investment purposes, including property investment, buy-to-let and houses in multiple occupation (HMO) finance.
It is part of the wider Kingscrown Group, which develops residential and commercial property.
The voluntary restrictions on Kingscrown’s business came into effect on 21 April 2026. Kingscrown has never been authorised by or registered with the FCA, but is known as an “Annex 1 businesses”, which include some lenders, safe custody providers, money brokers and financial leasing companies, undertake specified activities which mean they must be registered and supervised by the regulator for compliance with the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017.
There are approximately 1,000 Annex 1 registered firms, which are not authorised or subject to wider FCA regulation.
The FCA has also written to Annex 1 firms indicating “some are still not getting the basics right”.
It says common issues included discrepancies between firms’ registered and actual activities; financial crime controls which had not kept pace with business growth; and a failure to risk assess their own or their customers’ activities properly.
According to the FCA Kingscrown has notified all existing customers of the restrictions and their effects and will secure all books and records.
However, Kingscrown has not responded to multiple requests for comment and clarification.
Emad Aladhal, Director of a team of specialists at the FCA dedicated to reducing and preventing financial crime and fraud said: “Poor financial crime controls make it easier for criminals to abuse the financial system and damage the integrity of UK markets.
“We have made fighting financial crime a priority and though we’ve seen progress generally amongst the firms we supervise, this report highlights some basic failures amongst Annex 1 firms which are not subject to our full regulatory regime.
“These must be addressed.”
Daniel Pollock and Barrie Pollock
The business is part of Kingscrown Group, which was established in 1997 by Barrie Pollock, who the website says is “still responsible for the direction of the business, overseeing all acquisitions of new commercial, and residential investments.” The managing director is Daniel Pollock.
Barrie Pollock has 50 years’ experience in property and finance and was a co-founder with Henry Moser of Blemain Finance in 1977 which now trades as Together, but left in 2005.
The company website doesn’t as yet mention the FCA restrictions. “Over the past 25 years we have established ourselves as a reliable and consistent business with a strict focus on property and commercial enterprise.”