CITY ONE SECURITIES LIMITED
The corporate finance house City One Securities Limited was authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) with Firm Reference Number (FRN) 146908. It marketed itself as a ‘Boutique Corporate Finance House,’ specialising in tax-efficient investments, notably those qualifying for the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS).
The company has since gone into liquidation and the administrators Antony Batty & Company appointed.
Risky Investments
City One Securities worked alongside St Pauls Marketing Ltd for promoting and arranging unregulated & high-risk investments into Water Bonds PLC.
The marketing around the investments made it clear that City One Securities approved the debenture investment. Additionally, the company arranged and promoted the purchase of investments and shares in unquoted securities such as Aviation & Tech Capital, Net Energy and The House of Britannia. There are strict restrictions in place for these types of securities.
Self-Certified Investors
Although the company relied heavily on the fact their clients were self-certified investors, it is still likely to be responsible for the investment losses of its clients.
In order to be defined as a self-certified investor an individual must fall into at least one of the following criteria:
- Is or has been a company director in the past two years and had a turnover of a minimum of £1m.
- Is working or has worked in the last two years within the private equity industry or providing finance for small and medium sized businesses.
- Has made more than a single investment in the past two years in a company that is unlisted.
- Has been the member of a syndicate or network of business for a minimum of six months.
If you have invested, you should have your original transaction with City One Securities reviewed by an expert even if you signed a statement to say you are a self-certified investor.
Next Steps
Call us now for a phone or video consultation with one of our legal experts on 0800 041 8358 to find out if you are entitled to compensation, you may even be entitled to additional compensation if you have successfully claimed in the past.
Company background (public record)
The company was incorporated at Companies House on 25 June 1990 under company number 02515237. Its status at Companies House is recorded as dissolved.
Registered office: 3 Field Court, London, WC1R 5EF.
Previously named: EUROPACIFIC CORPORATE FINANCE LIMITED; S.W. HOLMES AND COMPANY LIMITED.
Nature of business (SIC): 64999.
Company timeline (public record)
Key dated events for this firm, drawn from public records. Each entry shows its source.
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1990 | Company incorporated | Companies House |
| 10 May 1991 | Company renamed (previously S.W. HOLMES AND COMPANY LIMITED) | Companies House |
| 18 May 1996 | Simon William Holmes resigned as secretary | Companies House |
| 18 May 1996 | Simon William Holmes resigned as director | Companies House |
| 01 Jun 1996 | Ursula Schoenenberger appointed secretary | Companies House |
| 01 Jun 1996 | Ursula Schoenenberger appointed director | Companies House |
| 01 Dec 2001 | Ursula Schoenenberger approved by the FCA at the firm | FCA Register |
| 01 Dec 2001 | Douglas Lindsay Henderson approved by the FCA at the firm | FCA Register |
| 29 Nov 2007 | Simon Scott Kiero-watson appointed director | Companies House |
| 30 Nov 2017 | Beer & Young Ltd ceased as appointed representative | FCA Register |
| 27 Dec 2017 | Thrive Financial Limited appointed as appointed representative | FCA Register |
| 28 Dec 2017 | Ryan Holdaway approved by the FCA at the firm | FCA Register |
| 01 Jun 2018 | Malcolmbe Bertram Warne resigned as director | Companies House |
| 13 Mar 2019 | Beer & Young Ltd appointed as appointed representative | FCA Register |
| 12 Jun 2019 | Thrive Financial Limited ceased as appointed representative | FCA Register |
| 06 Jan 2020 | Company wound up (creditors’ voluntary liquidation) | Companies House |
| 06 Jan 2020 | Insolvency practitioner appointed: Hugh Francis Jesseman | Companies House |
| 06 Jan 2020 | Insolvency practitioner appointed: William Antony Batty | Companies House |
| 06 Jan 2020 | Beer & Young Ltd ceased as appointed representative | FCA Register |
| 06 Jan 2020 | Venture Equity Limited ceased as appointed representative | FCA Register |
| 29 Apr 2020 | Declared in default by the FSCS | FSCS |
| 13 Sep 2022 | FSCS update: FSCS is placing a cohort of claims against City One Securities Ltd on hold | FSCS |
| 12 Dec 2022 | FSCS update: We have now received the Firm’s records and are reviewing the information | FSCS |
| 18 Aug 2023 | FCA status recorded as: No longer authorised | FCA Register |
| 28 Sep 2023 | FSCS update: We've made significant progress with our investigation into City One Securities, concerning the activities of St Pauls M… | FSCS |
| 07 Feb 2024 | FSCS update: We’ve completed our investigation into City One Securities Ltd (City One) in relation to the activities of its appointed… | FSCS |
| 18 Oct 2025 | Company dissolved | Companies House |
| 18 Oct 2025 | Company due to be dissolved (creditors’ voluntary liquidation) | Companies House |
Focused on the firm’s early history and the events leading up to and following its failure. 36 routine entries from its active years are omitted.
Who was involved?
The following individuals are listed on public records in connection with the firm. These are matters of public record only and their inclusion does not imply any wrongdoing by any named person.
- Simon Scott Kiero-Watson. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (07/12/2007 to 22/04/2009), CF1 Director (07/12/2007 to 22/04/2009) at the firm.
- James McGrath Dolan. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (20/10/2014 to 07/08/2015) at the firm.
- David Munro Anderson. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF1 Director (03/01/2014 to 01/12/2015) at the firm.
- Neil Butland. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (23/06/2014 to 07/08/2015) at the firm.
- John Ronald Burness Newlands. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (16/04/2008 to 08/12/2019), CF29 Significant management (24/07/2008 to 08/12/2019), CF11 Money Laundering Reporting (01/02/2010 to 08/12/2019), CF10 Compliance Oversight (01/02/2010 to 08/12/2019) at the firm.
- Henry George Berry. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (26/04/2017 to 25/11/2020), CF1 Director (AR) (26/04/2017 to 25/11/2020) at the firm.
- Nicholas Charles Anthony Young. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (27/02/2014 to 08/01/2016), CF1 Director (AR) (13/08/2014 to 08/01/2016), CF3 Chief Executive (AR) (21/03/2019 to 18/08/2023) at the firm.
- Christopher James Nicholson. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (16/11/2012 to 18/01/2016), CF1 Director (AR) (10/07/2014 to 18/01/2016) at the firm.
- David Richard Rae. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (17/03/2015 to 18/01/2016) at the firm.
- Ronald George Jennings. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF2 Non Executive Director (01/08/2014 to 01/06/2018) at the firm.
Appointed Representatives and Agents
While it was authorised, the firm acted as principal for the following appointed representatives. An appointed representative carries on regulated business under the responsibility of its principal, so their conduct can be relevant to a claim.
| Appointed representative | Reference | Effective from | Ended |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACF Equity Research Ltd | FRN 607274 | 12/09/2013 | 06/06/2014 |
| ACF Equity Research Ltd | FRN 607274 | 30/06/2014 | 23/03/2016 |
| Beer & Young Ltd | FRN 836285 | 13/03/2019 | 06/01/2020 |
| Beer & Young Ltd | FRN 616935 | 07/03/2014 | 30/11/2017 |
| Dunsmore Marketing Limited | FRN 501300 | 18/05/2009 | 20/11/2009 |
| St Pauls Marketing Limited | FRN 591448 | 16/11/2012 | 01/01/2016 |
| Thrive Financial Limited | FRN 797237 | 27/12/2017 | 12/06/2019 |
| Venture Equity Limited | FRN 771419 | 10/02/2017 | 06/01/2020 |
Review page sources: FCA Register (FRN 146908) · Companies House (02515237) · FSCS. Public records, provided for transparency.
