The build temptation
Every growing firm considers it: hire developers, build a bespoke platform, own the IP. On paper it sounds like the right move. In practice, the true cost of building a regulated investment platform is far higher than most teams expect.
Development is only the beginning. You also need to solve for FCA compliance, client money segregation, ISA management, payment integrations, ongoing security and a roadmap that never ends.
The buy advantage
A proven platform gets you to market faster, with lower risk and a fraction of the cost. You benefit from years of development, regulatory experience and operational best practice from day one.
ShareIn has powered regulated investment platforms since 2014. Our clients launch in weeks rather than years, with full FCA compliance, client money handling and ISA management built in.
The real cost of building in-house
Development team. You'll need senior full-stack engineers, a product manager, QA, DevOps and a designer. Budget £400k–£600k+ per year in salaries alone before you write a line of code.
Timeline. A minimum viable investment platform typically takes 12–24 months to build. That's 12–24 months of cost before you process your first investment.
Ongoing maintenance. Regulatory changes, security patches, payment provider updates and feature requests never stop. Maintenance alone can consume 40–60% of your development capacity.
What you'd need to build
A regulated investment platform isn't a single product — it's a system of interconnected services, each with its own compliance requirements.
Investor onboarding
KYC/AML identity verification, appropriateness assessments, risk warnings, document collection and ongoing monitoring.
Fundraising engine
Support for equity, bonds and debt. Offer management, allocation logic, cooling-off periods and completion workflows.
Client money
Segregated accounts, CASS compliance, daily reconciliation, FSCS protection and payment routing — all FCA-regulated.
ISA management
HMRC ISA manager authorisation, annual subscription tracking, transfers in/out, void and repair processes and annual returns.
Payments & wallets
Bank integrations, Direct Debit, card payments, investor wallets, payout processing and reconciliation.
Compliance & reporting
FCA regulatory reporting, audit trails, transaction monitoring, complaints handling and data retention policies.
Build vs buy at a glance
| Build in-house | Buy — ShareIn | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to launch | 12–24 months | 2 months |
| Upfront cost | £500k–£1m+ | Fraction of the cost |
| FCA compliance | Your responsibility to build and maintain | Built in — FCA-authorised since 2014 |
| Client money | Requires separate authorisation and infrastructure | Included — segregated accounts, CASS compliant |
| ISA management | Requires HMRC authorisation and specialist systems | Included — authorised ISA manager |
| Ongoing maintenance | Your team, indefinitely | Managed by ShareIn |
| Regulatory updates | Monitor and implement yourself | Handled automatically |
| Security & hosting | Your infrastructure and responsibility | Enterprise-grade, fully managed |
You still own the relationship
Buying doesn't mean giving up control. With ShareIn, your investors see your brand, your domain and your design. You control the commercial relationship, the investment products and the investor experience.
We handle the regulated infrastructure so you can focus on raising capital and growing your business.
Everything in one platform
ShareIn provides a complete, end-to-end investment platform. Onboarding, fundraising, ISA management, client money and compliance are all built in and work together out of the box.
Our team configures each deployment to fit your workflow, brand and regulatory position. No two platforms are the same.
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