The transaction brings together two established consultancies to expand Thistle Initiatives’ digital transformation and advisory capabilities for financial services clients. The acquisition supports the company’s strategy to broaden its management consulting offering alongside its established strengths in compliance and financial crime prevention.
Founded in 2012, Thistle Initiatives provides advisory and compliance services to a wide range of financial services institutions, including banks, wealth managers, insurers, payment providers, fintech, and digital asset companies. The company supports clients across areas including FCA authorisations, acquisition due diligence, audits, supervision and enforcement matters, and financial crime and fraud prevention, and has increasingly expanded into management consulting across the sector.
Headquartered in London, TORI Global advises financial services organisations on digital, data, and technology transformation, with operations across the UK and internationally.
Reed Smith’s team advising Thistle Initiatives was led by Andrew Houghton with support from Heather Stewart and Vivian Chan (corporate). The team also included Caspar Fox and Emily Clarke (tax), David Ashmore and Amy Treppass (employment), and Nick Williams and Frederik Howard (finance).
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. With an inclusive culture and innovative mindset, we deliver smarter, more creative legal services that drive better outcomes for our clients. Our deep industry knowledge, long-standing relationships and collaborative structure make us the go-to partner for complex disputes, transactions, and regulatory matters.
