Regulatory&ProfessionalStandards

A sale of this size deserves to be handled to a serious standard. This page sets out our regulatory position and the professional commitments that govern how we work, independent of the terms agreed for any specific engagement.

Regulatory status

ClyOps provides corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions advisory in connection with the sale of established private companies. The sale of a business as a going concern, including the sale of the entire issued share capital of a company or of its business and assets, falls outside the activities regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority by virtue of the exclusion for the sale of a body corporate in Article 70 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001.

On that basis, Clyops Group Limited is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Nothing on this website, including the exit-readiness diagnostic and the valuation estimator, is a financial promotion, investment advice or an inducement to engage in investment activity within the meaning of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

If a prospective transaction were to fall outside this exclusion, we would not act on it without the appropriate authorisation in place or the involvement of a suitably authorised firm.

Independence and conflicts of interest

We act for one side of a transaction only. On any given deal we represent the seller. We do not also act for the buyer on that deal, take a fee from the buyer on the same transaction, or hold any interest that competes with our client’s. Buy-side work, where we take it, is a separate client, a separate engagement and a separate transaction.

Where any actual or potential conflict of interest arises, we disclose it promptly and in writing. If it cannot be managed in a way our client is satisfied with, we decline or withdraw from the engagement.

Confidentiality

A sale process depends on discretion. We treat the existence of a mandate, the identity of our clients and everything we learn about their business as strictly confidential. Information is released only to parties a client has approved, under a non-disclosure agreement, and on a need-to-know basis, with access to deal materials restricted and controlled. These obligations continue after an engagement has ended.

Client due diligence and anti-money laundering

Before and during an engagement we carry out client due diligence appropriate to a transaction of this value. This includes verifying the identity of our clients and the people who own and control the business, and understanding the source of the funds and wealth involved. We may decline to act, or to stop acting, where we are unable to complete these checks to our satisfaction. This protects every party to a deal, and the integrity of the process itself.

The terms of an engagement

The commitments above stand whoever we work with. The specific terms of any engagement, including scope, fees and the basis on which we are paid, are agreed separately and in writing before any work begins. See our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Complaints procedure.

This page is a general statement of our regulatory position and professional approach, provided in good faith. It is not legal advice, and the regulatory position should be confirmed with a qualified adviser in light of the specific structure of any transaction.