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Coddan CPM Ltd. – Company Registration Agent in the UK

Follow the journey from defining the proposed investment-management activity to establishing its members, governance requirements and appropriate LLP formation route.

Step 1
Define Investment Purpose
Step 2
Identify Investment Activities
Step 3
Confirm Member Arrangements
Step 4
Assess Governance Requirements
Step 5
Choose Formation Route
Step 6
Plan Ongoing Governance

Setting Up an Investment Management LLP: Fund Governance & Structuring

Phase 2 · Information and professional referral · Information and referral only

LLP for Investment, Asset-Management or Fund-Related Activity

No formation package is available through this page. The proposed activities must first be defined, independently reviewed by an appropriately competent regulatory professional and covered by acceptable written clearance. Coddan must then accept the formation separately.

Regulatory gate first Written clearance required Coddan acceptance separate

Start with activities, not the label

“Investment LLP”, “fund”, “family office” and “asset manager” do not decide the legal or regulatory position. The analysis starts with what each person will actually do, for whom, with which assets, under what authority and in which jurisdictions.

A genuine lawful business

At least two persons must associate to carry on a lawful business with a view to profit. A label, incorporation certificate or tax aspiration does not establish that test.

Information and referral only

Every instruction remains on regulatory pause pending evidence until compliant written clearance, satisfied conditions, unchanged material facts and Coddan’s independent acceptance.

No routine formation

No package, assessment product, price, order route, application route, credit or checkout is offered. Clearance never compels Coddan or any third party to accept a case.

The possible structure must remain open

An LLP is only one candidate. Company, LP, PFLP, contractual and authorised-fund routes can have materially different ownership, governance and regulatory consequences. LLP as a holding and ownership entity covers general holding suitability, LLP as a joint-venture entity covers general joint ventures and Private fund limited partnerships covers the PFLP route.

Investment/fund structure comparison
CandidateThe people or organisations involvedPossible useCritical questionAppropriate route
LLPMembersDefined lawful businessPerimeter, pooling and permissionsLLP for investment, asset-management or fund-related activity after clearance
Limited companyShareholders/directorsCorporate ownership/operationRegulatory and capital designCompare an LLP with a private limited company / professionals
Ordinary LPGeneral and limited partnersPartnership arrangementManagement and regulatory roleProfessional route
PFLPQualifying private-fund LPPrivate-fund routeEligibility and regulatory treatmentPrivate fund limited partnerships separate route
Contractual co-investmentContracting partiesNo new entityPooling, control and documentationLegal/regulatory review
Authorised or recognised fundRegime-specificRegulated collective investmentAuthorisation and fund rulesFund/regulatory professionals

Compare an LLP with a private limited company — complete LLP-versus-company comparison. LLP as a holding and ownership entity

Map every participant and actual function

Identify sponsors, members, controllers, managers, advisers, operators, promoters, arrangers, custodians, administrators, investors and clients. Titles are not determinative. Member, designated-member, UBO, PSC, controller and regulatory roles must not be conflated.

you and regulatory-role map
Person/entityPossible LLP statusActual function to recordEvidenceProfessional question
SponsorMember or external personOrigination and designMandate, remuneration, authorityPromotion/arranging
Member/controllerMember/designated memberOwnership, voting, influenceStructure and control recordsPSC/regulatory control
Manager/operatorInternal or appointedDecisions and operationDelegation and permissionsManagement/operation
Adviser/arrangerMember, employee or providerAdvice, introduction, arrangementScope and statusRAO activity
Promoter/approverAny relevant personCommunication and approvalMaterials, audience, approvalFSMA section 21
Custodian/administratorUsually externalAssets, money, records, valuationAgreement and permissionsCustody/client money

Identity verification proves identity only. It does not establish authority, beneficial ownership, source of funds, investor category, permission or PSC status. LLP members, designated members, corporate members and PSCs — complete member and PSC explanation; separate specialist assistance.

Recognise the regulatory perimeter without deciding it

The professional must map the actual functions and assets against current law and guidance. Coddan organises facts and identifies questions; it does not conclude whether activities are regulated, excluded, exempt or outside scope.

Activity and regulatory-perimeter recognition
FunctionFacts to establishPossible topicEvidenceDecision owner
Discretion/managementWho selects or changes investmentsManaging investments/AIFMMandates and decision mapRegulatory professional
AdviceInformation or recommendation; recipientAdvisingCommunications and service scopeRegulatory professional
Arranging/dealingIntroductions, steps and executionArranging or dealingProcess and contractsRegulatory professional
Pooling/operationPooling, whole-property management, controlCIS/AIF/operationEconomic and governance modelRegulatory/fund lawyer
Promotion/marketingMessage, sender, audience and territoryFinancial promotionAll communications and approvalsRegulatory professional
Custody/client moneyPossession, control and receiptCustody/safeguarding/CASSMoney and asset flowsAuthorised/custody professional

FSMA section 19

The general prohibition can restrict regulated activity in the UK unless the person is authorised or exempt. Only a competent professional may apply it to the facts.

RAO

The Regulated Activities Order identifies specified activities, investments, exclusions and conditions. A generic list is not a perimeter conclusion.

Permissions

Authorisation, registration or a register entry alone does not prove that the specific proposed function is within scope or that an adviser is competent for the requested opinion.

Pooling, CIS, AIF and AIFM require fact-specific conclusions

FSMA section 235 supplies the collective-investment-scheme definition. The result can depend on pooling, management as a whole and participants’ day-to-day control. AIF and AIFM treatment can depend on capital raising, investment policy and management facts. LLP incorporation decides none of these outcomes.

Pooling, CIS and AIF treatment
FeatureFacts to establishPossible relevanceEvidenceOwner
ContributionsSeparate or pooledCIS/AIF analysisCapital and asset flowsRegulatory professional
ReturnsIndividual or pooled returnPooling/economic arrangementAllocation modelRegulatory/tax professionals
Management as a wholeHow property is managedSection 235Mandates and governanceRegulatory solicitor/adviser
you controlActual day-to-day controlCIS definitionRights and actual operationRegulatory solicitor/adviser
Capital raising/policyNumber/source of investors; defined policyAIF/AIFMStrategy and fundraising recordsFund/regulatory professionals
Exclusion/conditionExact legal basis and continuing factsPotential route outside ruleReasoned written clearanceCompetent professional

The AIF regime and guidance can change. Clearance must be current for the intended launch and activities, and any material change requires renewed review.

Marketing and investor communications are a separate gate

FSMA section 21 can restrict communications that invite or induce investment activity. A private approach, professional investor, sophisticated investor or high-net-worth label is not automatically compliant. The sender, content, recipient, approval route, exemption conditions and territory all matter.

Financial-promotion and investor-communication treatment
Communication/recipientFacts neededSection 21 questionEvidence/approvalOwner
Website/public materialAccess, content, audienceInvitation/inducement and approvalApproved final materialRegulatory professional
Direct approachSender, recipient, contextRestriction/exemptionRecipient and communication recordRegulatory professional
Member invitationRights, purpose, contentInvestment promotion statusGovernance and communicationRegulatory/legal professional
Professional investorActual category and ruleConditions and scopeCategorisation evidenceRegulatory professional
High-net-worth/sophisticatedCurrent criteria and processWhether route appliesRequired statements and recordsRegulatory professional
Overseas audienceEach territory and targetingUK and foreign restrictionsMulti-jurisdiction clearanceUK/foreign professionals

What acceptable written clearance must do

  1. Be written, dated and identify the professional or regulated firm, relevant capacity, status or qualification.
  2. Use the actual facts: activities, services, assets, investors or clients, jurisdictions and participant roles.
  3. Address discretion, advice, management, pooling, operation, marketing, promotion, custody and client money where relevant.
  4. Address FSMA sections 19, 21 and 235, the RAO, PERG, CIS, AIF/AIFM and fund rules where relevant.
  5. State required authorisation, registration, permission, approval, exemption or exclusion, with assumptions and unresolved matters.
  6. Identify what must happen before formation, investors or clients, money/assets, marketing and operation.
  7. Be current, materially consistent with the Coddan facts and sufficiently usable to understand formation consequences.
Permissions, exemptions and written-clearance evidence
IssueRequired written conclusionSupporting evidencePre-activity conditionCoddan treatment
Authorisation/permissionWhether and which permission is requiredStatus and permission recordEffective before relevant activityCheck coverage; no advice
ExemptionExact legal basis and personFacts satisfying every conditionConditions maintainedpause pending evidence if unexplained
ExclusionExact RAO/other routeActivity and asset analysisFacts remain within routeRenew if facts change
CIS/AIF/AIFMStatus and consequencesPooling, control, policy and management factsRelevant requirements metNo independent conclusion
PromotionPermitted route and restrictionsMaterial, audience and approvalBefore communicationNo approval included
Professional statusRelevant competence and capacityQualification/register/permissionsCurrent when relied onAuthorisation alone insufficient

The approved professional-referral workflow

  1. Coddan collects and organises factual information.
  2. Coddan identifies potential perimeter questions without deciding them.
  3. The you goes to an appropriately competent regulatory professional.
  4. The professional independently determines the perimeter, permissions, exclusions, exemptions, structure and restrictions.
  5. The you supplies written clearance and evidence.
  6. Coddan checks coverage of the facts and route, without giving regulatory advice.
  7. Coddan separately decides whether the case is acceptable.
  8. Formation is considered only after both clearance and acceptance.
  9. No step guarantees third-party acceptance.
  10. Any material change requires renewed professional review.

A change in activities, participants, assets, investors, jurisdictions, marketing, control, permissions or assumptions suspends reliance on the previous clearance.

Formation does not implement the regulated business

Custody, client money, capital, compliance, conflicts, valuation, AML, sanctions, banking and investor-protection systems remain separate. So do offering, subscription, management, advisory, promotion and investor documents.

Custody, client-money, capital and operational dependencies
DependencyQuestionFormation provides?Evidence/implementationOwner
CustodyWho holds or controls assets?NoPermission, agreement and controlsCustodian/client-asset professional
Client moneyWho receives, controls or transmits money?NoSegregation, bank, reconciliation, rulesRegulatory/compliance professional
Capital/own fundsWhat prudential condition applies?NoCalculation, evidence and monitoringRegulatory/accounting professional
ValuationWho values, how and how often?NoMethod, independence and recordsValuer/fund professional
BankingWill a provider accept the model?No guaranteeIndependent onboardingBank/payment provider
Compliance/reportingWhich systems and returns apply?NoFramework, monitoring and filingsCompliance professional

Identity, KYC, AML, sanctions and source-of-funds checks remain separate ecosystems. Identity verification is not authority, ownership, funds, sanctions or investor-eligibility clearance. Opaque or inconsistent facts can require pause pending evidence or refusal.

An LLP agreement is not a fund or regulatory document

No standard agreement is considered before clearance and acceptance. Even afterwards, it can record settled internal LLP governance only if all fifteen conditions pass. It cannot serve as an offering memorandum, subscription, investment-management, advisory, promotion, custody, client-money or fund agreement.

Standard-agreement fit versus regulated or bespoke work
MatterStandard scope possible only ifOutside standard scopeOwnerResult
Internal governanceClearance passed and all instructions settledNegotiated/bespoke controlUK LLP formation later / LLP agreements and governanceConditional only
Regulated functionsNever implemented by LLP agreementPermissions and regulated appointmentsRegulatory professionalsSeparate
Investor/fund documentsNot includedOffering, subscription and managementFund lawyersSeparate
Custody/client moneyNot includedSystems, accounts, agreementsCustody/compliance professionalsSeparate
Permissions/promotionsNot includedApplications, opinions, approvalsRegulatory professionalSeparate
Disputes/bespoke rightsNo dispute or bespoke needNegotiated rights and enforcementLLP agreements and governance/solicitorRefer
Post-clearance suitability for a standard LLP agreement
  1. Every proposed member, controller, manager and authorised decision-maker is identified.
  2. The complete ownership, UBO, PSC and control structure is known.
  3. The exact activities, services, assets, investors or clients and jurisdictions are defined.
  4. Investment discretion, pooling, management, operation, advice, arranging, dealing and marketing functions are identified.
  5. Appropriate written regulatory clearance has been supplied.
  6. The clearance addresses FSMA, RAO, CIS, AIF/AIFM and financial-promotion questions relevant to the facts.
  7. Every condition, permission, exemption, exclusion and pre-formation requirement in the clearance has been satisfied.
  8. The facts have not materially changed since the clearance.
  9. Contributions, economics, management, voting and authority are settled.
  10. Approved standard clauses can record the settled internal governance instructions accurately.
  11. No ownership, authority, regulatory, valuation, contribution or entitlement dispute remains.
  12. No offering, subscription, investment-management, advisory, promotion, custody, client-money or fund document is included.
  13. No FCA application, authorisation, permission, exemption, regulatory opinion or promotion approval is included.
  14. No tax, accounting, valuation, compliance, custody, banking, foreign-law or investor-acceptance conclusion is treated as formation work.
  15. Coddan’s human review confirms both regulatory-clearance compatibility and standard-scope fit.

If any condition fails, no standard agreement or routine formation package may be offered.

Who covers each conclusion and decision

Responsibility and professional ownership
Question/workCoddan roleDecision ownerIn formation?Destination
Facts and formation readinessCollect, organise, risk-assessCoddan within scopeReadiness onlyDefined workflow
Perimeter/permissionsIdentify questions; check coverageCompetent regulatory adviser/solicitorNoSeparate route
Fund/investor documentsExclude from formationFund lawyersNoSeparate route
Tax/accounting/valuationIdentify dependencyTax, accounting, valuation professionalsNoSeparate route
Compliance/custodyExclude from formationCompliance/custody professionalsNoSeparate route
Bank/investor/regulator acceptanceNo guaranteeEach independent partyNoIndependent decision
Formation/statutory filingsOnly after acceptanceUK LLP formation/International and non-UK LLP formation and LLP annual accounts/LLP confirmation statements and continuing complianceYes, within later scopeConfirmed/appropriate routes

The formation route appears only after both gates pass

UK LLP formation covers routine UK formation and International and non-UK LLP formation covers international or complex formation. Neither is directly available here. No LLP for investment, asset-management or fund-related activity product or assessment product exists.

Post-clearance formation-route placement
Case statusPackage availabilityPossible later ownerRequired conditionOutcome
No clearanceNoneNone yetObtain competent written clearancepause pending evidence
Incomplete/stale clearanceNoneNone yetCorrect or renew reviewpause pending evidence
Cleared domestic factsNot automaticUK LLP formation may be consideredAll conditions plus Coddan acceptanceLater decision
International/corporate complexityNot automaticInternational and non-UK LLP formation may be consideredClearance, evidence and acceptanceLater decision
Materially changed factsSuspendedNone pending reviewRenewed professional reviewpause pending evidence
Unlawful/declined caseNoneNo formation routeNot curable or unacceptableRefuse

Information-only commercial placement: regulatory, legal, fund, tax, accounting, compliance, custody, banking, foreign-law and documentary work is separately owned and priced. No assessment name, fee, credit, application or checkout has been created.

After incorporation, implementation still comes first

A certificate does not permit the LLP to market, accept investors, advise, arrange, deal, manage, operate, hold money or safeguard assets. Each relevant pre-activity condition must be completed and maintained.

Post-incorporation regulatory organisation
WorkstreamRequired ownerBefore activity?Evidence/recordContinuing review
Permissions and conditionsRegulatory professional/firmYes, where requiredPermission and condition recordActivities and permissions
Governance/complianceCompliance/legal professionalsYesFramework, roles, monitoringPeriodic and event-driven
Promotions/investorsRegulatory/fund professionalsBefore communication/onboardingApproved material and categorisationEach material/audience
Custody/client moneyCustodian/compliance/bankBefore handlingAccounts, agreements, controlsReconciliation and monitoring
Capital/valuationRegulatory/accounting/valuationAs requiredCalculations and valuation recordRequired frequency
AML/sanctionsApplicable regulated/obliged personsBefore onboarding/transactionsRisk and due-diligence recordOngoing and event-driven
Tax/accounting/reportingAccountants/tax/compliancePlan before operationBooks, returns and reportsStatutory/regulatory calendar

For statutory LLP continuity, LLP annual accounts covers annual accounts and LLP confirmation statements and continuing compliance covers confirmation statements and the continuing filing calendar. Regulatory and professional obligations remain separate.

Prepare one organised evidence record

People and control

Members, managers, roles, identity, authority, complete ownership/UBO/PSC chain, remuneration and source-of-funds evidence.

Activities and assets

Service map, discretion, advice, arranging, dealing, pooling, operation, promotions, assets, strategy, valuation and jurisdictions.

Clearance and conditions

Dated professional opinion, status/permission evidence, assumptions, restrictions, conditions, implementation steps and material-change confirmation.

Operations and documents

Custody/client-money plan, capital, banking, compliance, promotions, investor/fund documents, tax/accounting and reporting dependencies.

Formation, governance and professional boundaries

Statutory LLP default rules

Without an effective contrary agreement, statutory defaults can govern equal capital and profit sharing, participation in management, remuneration, admission, ordinary decisions, changes to the nature of the business and expulsion. They are not a regulated-investment governance system and may be unsuitable for the proposed model.

Tax, accounting and reporting

Formation determines no partnership, manager, investor, VAT, withholding, reporting, profit-allocation, capital-account or foreign-tax result. Accountants and tax professionals own those conclusions, calculations and filings.

Multiple jurisdictions and foreign law

Member, investor, client, asset, activity, communication, management, bank and provider jurisdictions must be mapped. Foreign professionals own capacity, permissions, promotion, recognition and foreign-law conclusions.

Costs now and later

The route continues from recognised facts to independent clearance and, only if accepted, to the proper formation service. Unapproved next destinations remain services arranged separately after review.

What formation includes—and what comes next

Incorporation completes the statutory formation event only. It does not complete authorisation, fund establishment, promotions, contracts, custody, banking, tax, compliance or operations.

When professional advice is needed

Professional review precedes formation and continues whenever activities, law, permissions, investors, assets, jurisdictions, marketing or control change.

What makes the process easier

Convenience is a clearly defined checklist, intelligible role and activity maps, precise evidence standards and clear separation of responsibilities—not reduced scrutiny or instant formation.

How decisions are checked

Trust comes from information and referral only, no package selling, primary-source validation, exact prohibited claims, written clearance, independent acceptance, renewed review and refusal controls.

pause pending evidence, refer, consider or refuse

  • pause pending evidence: clearance, evidence or permissions are missing, stale, inconsistent or conditional on unmet steps.
  • Renew review: activities, participants, assets, investors, jurisdictions, marketing, control or law have materially changed.
  • Refer: Private fund limited partnerships/PFLP or another structure covers the outcome; bespoke, regulatory, fund, tax, accounting, compliance or custody work is required.
  • Consider formation: clearance is compliant, conditions are met, facts are stable and Coddan accepts the instruction.
  • Refuse: the proposal is unlawful, misleading, evasive, sanctioned, opaque, misrepresented or outside risk appetite.

No guarantee: clearance, acceptance or incorporation does not guarantee banking, custody, investor, regulator, service-provider or commercial acceptance.

What happens next: information and referral only; information and referral only remains until written clearance and Coddan acceptance.

No public guide, referral URL, redirect, order, checkout, form, client portal or live-site alteration is created by this HTML.