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Corporate Finance and Deal Advisory
We offer a dedicated team of experienced individuals with a focus on successfully executing transactions for corporates and financial institutions. We offer an integrated approach, with our corporate finance specialists working seamlessly with tax and other specialists to ensure that every angle is covered.
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Digital Risk
Grant Thornton offers solutions to the digital risk issues you are sure to face. Our skilled and experienced security team can helping by advising and consulting, giving you peace of mind, clear value for money and an enhanced ability to react to attacks.
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Technology Consulting
Motivating and assisting our clients to pursue, maintain and secure the benefits of digital solutions is at the core of our Digital Transformation teams' agenda and goals. We work with business leaders to deliver efficient digital strategies and operating models that provide new or enhanced capabilities.
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Economic Advisory
Our all-island Economics Advisory team combines expertise in economics and business with a wealth of experience across the public and private sectors.
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Forensic Accounting
We have a different way of doing business by delivering real insight through a combination of technical rigour, commercial experience and intuitive judgment. We take pride in delivering responsive and tailored solutions to all our clients, capitalising on the wealth of experience housed within our Belfast and wider Forensics team
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People and Change Consulting
The Grant Thornton People & Change Consulting practice works with clients on these issues as well as on all aspects of how they attract, retain, engage develop, deploy and lead their people.
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Restructuring
We work with a wide variety of clients and stakeholders such as high street banks, private equity funds, directors, government agencies and creditors to implement solutions which provide the best possible outcomes.
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Corporate and International Tax
Northern Ireland businesses face further challenges as they operate in the only part of the UK that has a land border with a country offering a lower tax rate.
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Employer Solutions
Our team specialises in remuneration and incentive planning and works closely with employers, shareholders and employees to ensure that business strategies are aligned and goals achieved in the most tax efficient, cost-effective manner.
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Entrepreneur and Private Client Taxes
Our team of experienced advisors are on hand to guide you through any decision or transaction ranging from the establishment of new business ventures, to realising value on exit, to succession planning and providing for loved ones.
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Global Mobility Services
Grant Thornton offer a different approach to managing global mobility. We have brought together specialists from our tax, global payroll, people and change and financial accounting teams across Ireland and Northern Ireland, while drawing on the knowledge and insights of our global network of over 143 offices of mobility professionals to provide you with a holistic approach to managing global mobility.
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Outsourced Payroll
Our outsourced service provides valued service to over 150 separate PAYE schemes. These ranging from 1 to 1000 employees, working for micro, SME and global employers. The service is supported by the integrated network of tax and global mobility teams and the wider Grant Thornton network delivering a seamless service. Experienced staff deliver a personal service built around your business needs.
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Tax Disputes and Investigations
Our Tax Disputes and Investigation team is made up of tax experts and former HMRC investigators who have years of experience in dealing with a variety of tax investigations. Our expertise and insight can guide you through all interactions, keeping your cost at a minimum while allowing you to continue with the day to day running of your business.
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VAT and Indirect Taxes
At Grant Thornton (NI) LLP, our team helps Northern Ireland businesses manage their UK and global indirect tax risks which, as transactional taxes, can quickly become big liabilities.
FinTech Companies and Financial Institutions Joining Forces
22 May 2018With a Financial Services workforce of 36,000 people, capability in the areas of blockchain, compliance, cybersecurity, trading technologies and mobile payments along with a renowned talent pool from local universities, both of which house trading rooms, Northern Ireland is very much positioning itself as a global FinTech hub. Simply put, FinTech is the use of technology to deliver financial services processes within the digital age which are fast, secure, simple and accessible. Northern Ireland’s capability in this area is certainly attracting inward investment with companies such as Options, a financial cloud provider embarking on ambitious growth plans.
Most FinTech companies specialise in particular areas of the value chain from providing market insight analytics through to offering customer centric products and services. A key driver of the growth in FinTech companies is their ability to be innovative within an agile way of working. This is due to not having the same level of regulatory requirements and governance structures as Financial Institutions and they are not restricted by ‘clunky’ legacy systems which is often the case with large organisations. On the other hand FinTech companies often lack the capital, infrastructure, customer base and trusted brand to disrupt the market independently. However, these challenges can be addressed by joining forces with established Financial Institutions whereby FinTech companies are able to apply their expertise to supporting institutions enhance their operations and customer experience offering. In doing so a competitive advantage is created against any new digitally focused banks which are required to overcome entry barriers such as, attaining a banking license and building a customer base.
Examples of local FinTech companies and Financial Institutions bringing innovations to the market together include Redline Trading Solutions which serves four of the top five leading investment banks. Additionally, Danske Bank has recently partnered with Swedish FinTech Company, Minna Technologies, which will see its personal finance management solution integrated into Danske Bank’s new mobile app to help private customers manage their subscriptions.
Financial Institutions engaging with FinTech companies must be aware of the complexities of managing such relationships, from the procurement phase through to implementation. The Financial Institution should be conscious that much of the compliance requirements they need to meet will also extend to their partnership network meaning they will need to prevent any breaches of regulations such as PSD2, UK Open Banking and GDPR. Similarly, in the customer’s eyes, they interact directly with the Financial Institution and will therefore hold that brand accountable for anything which falls short of expectation. On the development side a ‘sand box’, which processes data offline in a safe environment, can be used to configure a proof of concept followed by a full testing cycle and perhaps a pilot project before the wider implementation.
Ultimately, collaboration between FinTech companies and Financial Institutions can enable a ‘win-win’ go-to-market strategy. There are however many complexities to address along the way to deliver an enhanced customer experience, manage risk and meet regulatory requirements.