Listing criteria

Status: draft, written 2026-10-09 (ROADMAP.md, "Listing criteria"). The directory is not live yet. These criteria apply from the day it launches, and any change is committed here, with a dated changelog entry, before it takes effect. They sit under the impartiality policy (docs/impartiality.md).

What the directory is

A list of the firms that offer each type of finance on the ladder, so a business that has found a route that fits can see who provides it and check them. It is a list of facts taken from public records, not a ranking, a review or a recommendation. Being listed means a firm met these criteria on the date we checked. It does not mean the firm or its products are good, cheap or a fit for any business.

The rest of the site stays as it is: the ladder, route pages, guides, fit results and readiness checklists describe categories of provider and never name a firm.

Paying cannot buy anything

• No one can pay to be listed, to be left out, to move up, or to be shown differently.
• We list firms without asking their permission and without charging them, because every fact comes from public records and the firm's own published terms.
• If Fundladder ever earns from introductions (stage 2 of the impartiality policy), firms that pay and firms that do not are shown in the same way. The only difference is the fee disclosure next to the introduction link.

Who can be listed

A firm is listed in a category when all of these are true when we check:

1. It offers that type of finance to UK businesses, and its own website has a page describing the product or its terms, which we link to.
2. It is a real, active UK entity, or is authorised to do business in the UK. UK companies and LLPs must be active on Companies House and not in liquidation, administration or being struck off. Firms based elsewhere must hold the UK authorisation that their activity needs.
3. It holds the FCA authorisation its activity needs. Where the activity is regulated (for example consumer credit lending or broking, crowdfunding platforms, investment managers, payment services or e-money), the firm must be on the FCA Register with the relevant permission, or be an appointed representative of a firm that has it. We show which. Where the activity is not regulated (for example most lending to limited companies), we say so plainly, because that is something a borrower should know.
4. It is not on the FCA Warning List, and the FCA Register shows no restriction that stops it offering the product.
5. Its category is on the ladder. It provides a type of finance that has a route page. Advisers, brokers and introducers are a separate category, not mixed in with the providers they introduce to.

Firms that are not run for profit (community development finance institutions, public schemes and their delivery partners, grant bodies) are listed on the same criteria, adjusted for their legal form.

For investment and crowdfunding, we list platforms and firms, never individual campaigns, offers or securities. Pointing to a specific investment can be a financial promotion (section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000).

What each listing shows

• Name, category, and the routes it provides
• Companies House number (or the overseas equivalent) and registered status
• FCA reference number (FRN), its status, and whether it is directly authorised or an appointed representative; or "Not FCA-regulated for this activity"
• Membership of a trade body or code of practice, where the body publishes its member list, linked to that list
• The nations it lends or invests in, where the firm says so
• Links to the firm's own product or terms page and to its FCA Register entry
• The date we last checked every fact

We do not show logos, star ratings, reviews, "best" or "top" labels, or claims taken from the firm's marketing.

Order

Within a category, firms appear in a random order that changes on each visit, so no firm is always first. Where the page cannot shuffle (without JavaScript, in print or in search results) they are in alphabetical order. No other order is used.

Checks and removal

• Every listing is checked again at least every 180 days, the same as route pages, and the FCA status before any change to the listing goes live.
• A listing is removed when the firm no longer meets the criteria: it loses its authorisation, appears on the FCA Warning List, stops offering the product, or is dissolved or enters insolvency. Removals are noted on the public change log.
• Anyone can suggest a firm, or point out a fact that is wrong, through the "Something wrong or out of date?" form or data@fundladder.uk. We check every suggestion against the same public records. A suggestion from the firm itself is treated the same as one from anyone else.
• A firm may ask to be left out, and we will do that. We will not change a fact at a firm's request unless the public record shows it is wrong.

Changelog

• 2026-10-09: First draft, before the directory is built.