Fintel‘s mortgage acquisition strategy moved into sharper focus on 15 September, when the fintech and support services group published its half-year results and chief executive Matt Timmins confirmed that the mortgage market is now its primary target for both acquisitions and technology investment. The group is also projecting organic growth of around 5% for the full year, despite reporting 2% organic revenue growth in the first half of 2026.
Revenue growth holds steady, recurring income leads the way
Continuing revenue for the half year rose 5.3% to £38.6m, while adjusted EBITDA increased 16.6% to £12.4m. The figures that will interest long-term investors most, however, are in the subscription line: SaaS and subscription revenue grew 7.9% to £26.1m, underlining how much of Fintel’s income base is now contractually recurring rather than transactional. For income-focused portfolio holders, that distinction matters considerably when assessing the reliability of future cash flows.
Timmins told Money Marketing that the gap between the 2% first-half organic growth rate and the full-year target of around 5% reflects the timing of contracted revenues rather than any underlying softness. “We are confident in hitting our numbers at the end of the year, which is more akin to sort of 5% organic growth,” he said. The board confirmed that current trading remains in line with its expectations for the full year.
Fintel mortgage acquisition strategy: where the capital is pointed
With £76.5m of headroom remaining on its £120m revolving credit facility, Fintel has meaningful scope to deploy capital following 18 months of integrating earlier acquisitions. Timmins was clear about where that capital is most likely to go. “We are looking at the mortgage market most closely from an acquisition and development perspective,” he said. The group already has more than 1,800 mortgage advisers on its platform, and lending through the business has grown 19%.
Any acquisition in a specialist lending market carries execution risk. Mortgage technology businesses can command premium valuations, and the integration demands on a management team still embedding previous deals should not be underestimated. Investors evaluating Fintel over a five-to-ten-year horizon will want to watch whether bolt-on mortgage acquisitions genuinely extend the platform’s earnings power, or whether they simply add complexity and dilute returns on capital in the near term.
The Pearson Ham market pricing acquisition, completed in January 2026 according to Fintel PLC’s investor relations, illustrates both sides of that equation. Timmins said it has strengthened Fintel’s market intelligence capabilities and supported the rollout of Matrix 360. It also demonstrates that the group is targeting the data and analytics layer of financial services infrastructure, not just distribution headcount.
AI compliance tools add a technology dimension to the growth story
Beyond acquisitions, Fintel is developing its technology platform in ways that could deepen retention among existing intermediary customers. The group launched Trust, an AI-enabled compliance and oversight solution designed to extend technology penetration across its intermediary base, as noted in Fintel’s investor relations materials. Separately, the group is testing AI-based compliance file-checking technology, with Timmins expecting intermediaries to begin using it towards the end of the year.
Investment in Plannr, meanwhile, has generated what Timmins described as a significant pipeline of prospective licensees, adding another potential revenue stream to what is already a largely recurring income model. For investors in accumulation or early drawdown, the combination of subscription revenues, AI-driven tools and a clearly stated acquisition pipeline makes the investment case coherent, provided integration discipline is maintained.
The Financial Conduct Authority‘s continued focus on consumer duty and advice quality creates a structural tailwind for compliance technology businesses, and Fintel’s positioning across both adviser support and mortgage distribution puts it close to where regulatory pressure is heaviest. Whether the mortgage acquisition strategy ultimately proves value-accretive will depend on price discipline and the quality of whatever targets the group brings forward in the months ahead.
