RCS - Fintel PLC - Fintel partners with Intellect Design Arena

FintelAnnouncement

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RNS Number : 8620W  Fintel PLC  17 March 2026

17 March 2026 RNS REACH

 

This is a Reach (i.e. non-regulatory) announcement and the information
contained is not considered to be material or to have a significant impact on
management's expectations of the Company's performance.

Fintel plc

("Fintel", the "Company" or the "Group")

Fintel partners with Intellect Design Arena to introduce enterprise grade

Agentic AI advisory architecture to the UK market

 

Fintel plc (AIM: FNTL), a leading provider of software and services to the UK
retail financial services sector, is pleased to announce that it has entered
into non legally binding heads of terms agreement with Intellect Design Arena
Limited (NSE: INTELLECT), a global leader in AI-first, enterprise-grade
financial technology, to establish a joint venture company (the "Joint
Venture") to develop and commercialise an AI-led financial advisory platform
for the UK market (the "Platform").

Key Highlights

•     50:50 joint venture to be incorporated in the United Kingdom,
subject to regulatory approvals

•     Platform to be specifically designed for the UK retail financial
services market, combining Fintel's market-leading data, distribution and
customer relationships with Intellect Design Arena's AI-first technology and
global financial services expertise

•     Governance structure of five board members: two nominees each from
Fintel and Intellect Design Arena, plus one independent director

•     Capital contributions and share issuance details to be finalised
at incorporation; no material cash outflow anticipated at this stage, with
both parties seeking to invest up to £5m in JV funding

•     Consistent with Fintel's stated strategy to become the key
technology and data partner to UK retail financial services

Background and Strategic Rationale

The Board believes the Joint Venture represents a compelling opportunity to
accelerate Fintel's Software & Data strategy by combining complementary
capabilities across both organisations.

Fintel brings to the Joint Venture its deep UK market expertise, an
established and loyal customer base spanning thousands of financial
intermediaries, and Defaqto's market-leading product ratings, pricing data and
research capabilities. Intellect Design Arena brings its proprietary eMACH.ai
open finance platform and Purple Fabric AI architecture, which are deployed
across more than 500 financial institutions in 57 countries.

The UK retail financial advisory market is undergoing significant structural
change, driven by the Financial Conduct Authority's Consumer Duty
requirements, rising demand for accessible financial advice, and rapid
advances in AI-enabled technology. The Board considers the Joint Venture well
positioned to address this opportunity by enabling advisers to access
higher-quality, lower-cost technology, workflow and decisioning solutions
through an integrated, AI-powered platform.

About Intellect Design Arena

Intellect Design Arena is a global leader in enterprise-grade financial
technology, delivering composable and intelligent solutions to forward-looking
financial institutions across 57 countries. With three decades of domain
expertise, its product suite spans wholesale banking, consumer banking,
central banking, wealth management, capital markets, treasury and insurance.
Intellect Design Arena is listed on the National Stock Exchange of India.

Commenting on the announcement,

Matt Timmins, Chief Executive Officer of Fintel plc, said:

"2025 was a transformational year for Fintel and we enter 2026 with a clear
strategic ambition: to be the defining technology and data platform for UK
retail financial services. This joint venture with Intellect Design Arena is a
significant step towards that goal. Intellect brings world-class AI-first
financial technology that has been proven at scale across global markets.
Combined with our unrivalled UK distribution, customer relationships and
proprietary data assets, we believe the Joint Venture has the potential to
materially enhance the quality and accessibility of financial advice in the UK
- and to create meaningful long-term shareholder value for Fintel. We look
forward to providing further details at our Capital Markets Event on 23 April
2026."

Next Steps

The Joint Venture is subject to finalisation of definitive legal documentation
and necessary regulatory approvals. The Board will provide a further update on
the Joint Venture, including initial capital contributions and commercial
milestones, in due course. The Company's full year results for the year ended
31 December 2025 will be announced separately today, and the Board will
discuss the Joint Venture further at its Capital Markets Event on 23 April
2026.

A further announcement will be made as and when appropriate.

For further information please contact:

Fintel plc

Phil Smith (Non-Executive Chairman)

Matt Timmins (Chief Executive Officer)

David Thompson (Chief Financial Officer)

via MHP Group

Intellect Design Arena
Banesh Pradhu (CEO)

Nachu Nagappan

+91 89396 19676

MHP Group (Financial PR)

Reg Hoare

Matthew Taylor

Lexi Iles

+44 (0) 7827 662 831

Fintel@mhpgroup.com

Notes to Editors

Fintel is a leading provider of software and services to the UK retail
financial services sector. Through its two divisions, Software & Data and
Services, and portfolio of trusted brands including Defaqto, Simplybiz and
threesixty, Fintel provides technology and expert support services to
thousands of intermediary businesses, data and distribution services to
hundreds of financial institutions, and expert product ratings that empower
millions of consumers to make better informed financial decisions.

For more information about Fintel, please visit: www.wearefintel.com
(http://www.wearefintel.com)

 

Headquartered in Chennai, India, and listed on the Indian Stock Exchange,
Intellect Design Arena Ltd is a global leader in AI-First, enterprise-grade
financial technology, architected from first principles to deliver measurable
business impact at scale. With three decades of domain expertise, Intellect
delivers composable, intelligent platforms across Wholesale Banking, Consumer
Banking, Central Banking, Wealth, Capital Markets, Treasury, Insurance and
Digital Technology for Commerce. Applying First Principles Thinking and Design
Thinking, Intellect has elementalised financial services into a finite set of
Events, Microservices and APIs, enabling faster, modular transformation with
predictable and measurable outcomes.

 

At the heart of this AI-First architecture are eMACH.ai, the world's most
comprehensive, composable and intelligent open finance platform; Purple
Fabric, the world's first Open Business Impact AI platform; and iTurmeric, a
composable integration and configuration platform. A pioneer in applying
Design Thinking at enterprise scale, Intellect's 8012 FinTech Design Center -
the world's first Design Center dedicated to Design Thinking principles,
underscores its commitment to continuous, outcome-driven innovation. Intellect
serves over 500+ customers across 61 countries, supported by a global
workforce of domain, solution and technology experts.

 

For more information about Fintel, please visit: www.intellectai.com

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