The Financial Intelligence Report
A Financial Intelligence Report is an independent research document produced by The Investors Centre that evaluates UK trading platforms, brokers, and financial products through live account testing, regulatory verification, and transparent methodology. Unlike aggregated comparison sites that republish broker marketing materials, our reports are based on first-hand testing conducted by our research team using real accounts with real money.
The Investors Centre launched Financial Intelligence Reports in 2025 to address a gap in the UK broker comparison market: most "reviews" simply restate what brokers claim about themselves. Our reports verify those claims independently, document where brokers fall short, and provide specific, timestamped data that traders can use to make informed decisions.
Each Financial Intelligence Report follows a standardised methodology, is reviewed by multiple team members before publication, and is updated when market conditions or broker offerings change materially.
How We Conduct Our Research
Our research process follows five core stages, applied consistently across all Financial Intelligence Reports:
We open real, funded accounts with every broker we evaluate. Demo accounts are useful for platform familiarisation, but they don't reflect actual execution conditions, spread behaviour during volatility, or withdrawal processing times. Our team deposits funds, places trades across multiple sessions, and documents the experience from onboarding to withdrawal.
Spreads vary significantly by time of day and market conditions. We record spreads at three standardised time points: London open (8am GMT), London/New York overlap (2pm GMT), and Asian session (11pm GMT). This captures the range of costs a UK trader would actually experience, rather than cherry-picked "from" figures that only occur during peak liquidity.
Every broker featured in a Financial Intelligence Report has their FCA authorisation verified directly through the FCA Register. We document registration numbers, authorisation dates, and any regulatory actions or restrictions. For brokers regulated outside the UK, we verify equivalent authorisations and note the implications for UK trader protections.
We calculate total trading costs per standard lot, including spreads, commissions, and overnight funding charges where applicable. This provides a like-for-like comparison that accounts for different pricing structures—spread-only accounts versus raw spread plus commission models, for example.
Each report undergoes review by at least two team members before publication. We verify claims against source documentation, check calculations, and ensure the report meets our editorial standards. Significant updates trigger a full re-review.
Editorial Independence
The Investors Centre generates revenue through affiliate partnerships with some brokers featured in our reports. We believe transparency about this relationship is essential to maintaining reader trust.
Our affiliate relationships do not influence our methodology, ratings, or recommendations. We have published reports that rank non-affiliate brokers above affiliate partners when our testing supports that conclusion. We have also documented shortcomings of affiliate brokers when our research identifies them.
- Research and commercial teams operate independently
- Methodology is standardised and applied identically to all brokers
- Negative findings are published when supported by evidence
- Affiliate status is disclosed on relevant pages
- We only recommend FCA-regulated brokers we would use ourselves
This standard has led us to exclude brokers from our reports despite commercial interest in featuring them.
Research Team
Financial Intelligence Reports are produced by The Investors Centre's research team, led by the company's co-founders:
Adam Woodhead
Co-Founder
Focus on regulatory compliance and content accuracy. Manages FCA verification and disclosure processes across all Financial Intelligence Reports.
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Tom Drury
Co-Founder
Background in financial analysis and investment research. Responsible for methodology development and quality oversight across all reports.
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Dom Farnell
Co-Founder
Retail trading experience across multiple asset classes. Leads hands-on broker testing and platform evaluation for all Financial Intelligence Reports.
Read My BioThe team collectively holds accounts with over 15 UK-regulated brokers, providing ongoing insight into platform changes, pricing updates, and service quality beyond initial testing periods.
What Makes Financial Intelligence Reports Different
The UK broker comparison market is crowded with sites that aggregate publicly available information without independent verification. Financial Intelligence Reports differ in several documented ways:
We place real trades and record actual spreads. When we state that CMC Markets offers a 0.20-point gold spread, that figure comes from our live platform observations—not from CMC's marketing page.
Our reports include testing dates and, where relevant, screenshot evidence. This allows readers to assess the recency of our data and provides accountability for our claims.
Rather than vague qualitative assessments, we provide specific figures: spreads in points, costs per lot in pounds, FCA registration numbers, and platform feature availability.
We document what we tested and what we didn't. If we haven't evaluated a specific platform feature or asset class, we say so rather than extrapolating from incomplete information.
Financial markets and broker offerings change. We review and update reports when brokers change their pricing, platforms, or regulatory status. Each report displays its last-verified date.
How to Use Financial Intelligence Reports
Financial Intelligence Reports are designed to support, not replace, your own due diligence. We recommend using our reports to:
- Identify brokers that meet your specific requirements (instrument range, platform preference, cost sensitivity)
- Verify regulatory status before opening an account
- Understand the true cost of trading, including factors beyond headline spreads
- Compare platform features relevant to your trading style
Our reports provide factual comparisons and document our testing experience. Your trading requirements, risk tolerance, and preferences will determine which broker is right for you.
Citation and Republication
Journalists, researchers, and content creators may cite Financial Intelligence Reports with attribution to The Investors Centre. We request that citations include a link to the relevant report and accurately represent our findings.
For press enquiries, data requests, or methodology questions, contact the editorial team through our website.
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