Introduction
The trust and fund administration sector has undergone substantial change over the last two decades. Triggered initially by regulation and fuelled by institutional capital, there has been significant consolidation across the market. Responding to client demands for wider geographic coverage and increased product sophistication, global groups have emerged — while high-quality specialists continue to thrive alongside them. This period of change has not yet run its course.
Wyvern has advised businesses in this sector throughout that period — across jurisdictions, deal structures, and varying market conditions. We have completed over 60 transactions, including some of the most complex deals the sector has seen.
Valuations continue to reflect the recurring-revenue, relationship-driven nature of the sector — but the market is more nuanced than it was, and the choice of route matters as much as the timing.
We know the buyers, the valuations, and the dynamics — from every angle.
Our Services
Pre-transaction advisory: We work with owner-managers before they have made any decisions — on valuations, strategic options, and preparing for a sale — with no obligation to proceed. If now is not the right time, we will say so.
Sell-side advisory: We manage discreet, targeted processes for shareholders seeking to exit or bring in a partner. We do not run large auctions. We identify the right buyers, approach them directly, and manage the process in a way that protects confidentiality and keeps the client in control.
Buy-side advisory: We identify and execute acquisitions for clients building scale. We have completed buy-side mandates for strategic acquirers, management teams, and institutional investors.
Management Advisory: We advise management teams on MBOs and secondary buyouts — on equity structuring, incentive arrangements, and finding the right financial partner.
Strategic advisory: Valuations, fairness opinions, board-level advisory, and strategic options reviews — whether or not a transaction is imminent.
Our clients range from owner-managed businesses in a single jurisdiction to the largest international groups. We advise shareholders, management teams, and major banking groups.
How we work
Most of our clients come to us before they have decided anything. The conversation starts simply — what are your objectives, and what would the ideal outcome look like? From there we work through the questions that matter: is this the right time, who would be the right partner for this business, and how do we ensure that staff and clients are looked after through the process and beyond. Sometimes the answer is that a sale does not make sense yet.
When a transaction does go ahead, we run it differently to most advisory firms. We work with a targeted shortlist of buyers — often a single counterparty — rather than a broad process. This protects confidentiality, keeps the client in control, and means buyers are approached directly and discreetly.
Every mandate is led by a partner. The person you speak to at the outset is the person who runs the process. We do not hand work to junior teams.
Recent Transactions
Wyvern Partners is proud to have played a role in the following transactions.
£ND Million Sale
Autonomous
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Autonomous, a leading launch, finance, and operations partner for digital asset projects, on their sale to GSR.
£ND Million Sale
Meritus Trust Company Sale to Opera
Wyvern Partners brokered the transaction.
£ND Million Sale
Accuro Group
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Accuro Group on their sale to Opera Limited.
£ND Million Sale
Rawlinson & Hunter Jersey
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Rawlinson & Hunter Jersey, a leading trust, corporate, tax and fund administration business based in Jersey, on their sale to Summit Group.
£ND Million Secondary Buyout
Suntera
Wyvern advised the management of Suntera in relation to their secondary MBO backed by Valeas.
£10 Million Public to Private
GRC International Group plc
Wyvern advised on the public to private of GRC International Group plc, an AIM-listed global provider of leading edge regulatory and compliance services. Wyvern brokered the deal and negotiated the transaction, which was funded by Bloom Equity Partners of New York.
$110 Million Sale
FFP (Holdings) Limited
Wyvern advised the shareholders of FFP (Holdings) Limited, a leading Cayman & BVI provider of complex fiduciary services, on their sale to JTC. Wyvern brokered the deal and negotiated the transaction.
£ND Million Sale
Kroll (Luxembourg) Management Company S.à r.l.
Wyvern advised Kroll Inc on the sale of Kroll (Luxembourg) Management Company S.à r.l., a prominent super management company (Super ManCo), on their sale to Vistra. Wyvern brokered the deal and negotiated the transaction.
£ND Million Sale
Garfield-Bennett Trust Company Limited
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Garfield-Bennett Trust Company Limited, a trust and fund administration company based in Jersey, on their sale to Summit Group Limited. Wyvern brokered the deal and negotiated the transaction.
£ND Million Sale
Carey Commercial Limited
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Carey Commercial Limited, a Trust, Corporate and Fund Administration provider based in Guernsey, on their sale to Suntera Global. Wyvern brokered the deal and negotiated the transaction.
€ND Million Sale
Adepa
Wyvern provided sector expertise.
£ND Million Sale
Sovereign Pension Services
Wyvern advised The Sovereign Group on the sale of Sovereign Pension Services (UK) to International Financial Group Limited.
Trade Sale
Nedgroup Trust
Wyvern advised Nedbank Private Wealth on the sale of Nedgroup Trust, its trust business in Jersey and Guernsey, to Suntera Global.
Acquisition
NeoTrust Fiduciary Luxembourg
Wyvern advised Suntera Global with the identification and acquisition of NeoTrust, a Luxembourg fund and corporate services firm.
Trade Sale
Trust Corporation International
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Trust Corporation International, a leading Guernsey Private Client business, on their sale to Ocorian backed by Inflexion.
Acquisition financing
ZEDRA
Wyvern advised Corsair Capital on debt financing to support its acquisition of ZEDRA.
Acquisition
DMS Governance
Wyvern advised MML Capital Partners on their acquisition of DMS Governance, the global leader in fund governance, risk & compliance services.
Trade sale
Helm Trust Company
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Helm Trust, a Jersey-based trust administration business, on their sale to SMP Partners.
Management buyout
SMP Partners
Wyvern advised the shareholders and management of SMP Partners, an Isle of Man based trust administration business, on their management buyout backed by Palatine Private Equity.
Acquisition and MBO
Zedra
Wyvern provided comprehensive advice to Corsair Capital on their acquisition of ZEDRA, a leading global provider of trust, corporate and fund services, including buyside advice, the arrangement of debt finance and advice to management on the MBO structuring of the transaction.
Sale
Augentius
Wyvern advised the management of Augentius, a leading global provider of alternative-investment solutions to private-equity and real-estate funds, on the sale of the business to SGG backed by Astorg.
£23 million trade-sale
Nerine Fiduciaries
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Nerine fiduciaries, a Guernsey-based trust administration business, on their £23m trade sale to PraxisIFM.
Trade sale
Capco Trust
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Capco, a Jersey-based trust-administration business, on its sale to Ocorian.
Secondary MBO
First Names
Wyvern advised the management of First Names Group, the leading independent provider of trust, fund, real estate and corporate services and present in 14 jurisdictions worldwide, on their secondary MBO from AnaCap, backed by Astorg, and combination with SGG.
Trade sale
Cains
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Cains Fiduciaries Limited, an Isle of Man based trust and fund administration business, on its sale to First Names.
Trade sale
Virtus Trust
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Virtus Trust, a Guernsey-based private-client trust business, on its sale to Equiom.
Acquisition of Jordans Group
Vistra
Wyvern conducted a buyside search on behalf of Vistra identifying company-incorporations specialists Jordans as an attractive target, and subsequently advised Vistra on their successful acquisition of the business.
Management buy-out
Bedell Trust
Wyvern initiated the deal, advised the shareholders and arranged the debt finance for the MBO of Bedell Trust, a leading Jersey-based trust and fund administration business, backed by Inflexion.
Tertiary MBO
Orangefield Group
Wyvern advised the management of Orangefield on their tertiary MBO from AAC, backed by Barings PE Asia, and combination with the Vistra Group.
Acquisition of USA2Europe
Orangefield Group
Wyvern identified the target as part of a buyside search and advised Orangefield on the acquisition of USA2Europe, a provider of international corporate services.
MBO/Acquisition
Appleby Fiduciary & Administration
Wyvern advised Bridgepoint on their investment in the MBO of Appleby Fiduciary & Administration.
Sale to the OV Group
FML
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Fiduciary Management Limited in Jersey on the sale of the business to OV Group.
Merger of IFM Trust Group (Jersey) and Praxis (Guernsey)
IFM
Wyvern advised the shareholders of IFM Trust Group on this cross-jurisdiction merger.
Acquisition of Legis Fund Services in Guernsey
Orangefield
Wyvern identified the target as part of a buyside search and advised Orangefield on the acquisition.
Acquisition of Janus in Singapore
Hawksford
Wyvern advised Hawksford, a Dunedin company, on a refinancing in support of their acquisition of Janus in Singapore.
Sale to First Names Group
Mercator Holdings
Wyvern advised Mercator Holdings, of Guernsey, on its sale to Isle of Man based First Names Group.
MBO, backed by Vitruvian
RL360
Wyvern advised RL360 on their MBO from Royal London Group, backed by Vitruvian.
Sale to Equiom
West Corporation
Wyvern advised the shareholders of West Corporation on their sale to Equiom.
£50m secondary MBO, backed by Silverfleet
ipes
Wyvern advised the management of Ipes on their secondary MBO from RJD, backed by Silverfleet Capital.
Acquisition of Waterlow Legal and Company Services
Orangefield Group
Wyvern advised Orangefield Group on their acquisition of the London-based company secretarial business of Waterlow from Wilmington PLC.
Sale of Mourants International Fund Administration
Mourant
Wyvern advised the management of Mourants International Fund Administration on the sale of the business to State Street.
Group restructuring and VMBO
Bachmann
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Bachmann on the group restructuring and VMBO of the Bachmann Group.
Sale of majority stake
Vistra
Wyvern advised the shareholders of Vistra on the sale of a majority stake to IK Investment Partners.
Sale of Isle of Man trust operation
HSBC
Wyvern advised HSBC on the sale of its trust operation in the Isle of Man to IFG Group plc.
MBO of the Jersey and Singapore trust-administration business
Rathbones
Wyvern advised the management of the Jersey and Singapore trust-administration business of Rathbone Brothers on their management buy-out backed by Dunedin Capital Partners.
MBO of the Guernsey fund-administration business
ipes
Wyvern advised management on their buy-out of the Guernsey-based fund-administration business of ipes, backed by RJD Partners.
Sale of corporate, fund and cubicle bank administration business
Scotiabank
Wyvern were sole financial adviser to Scotiabank on their sale of the corporate, fund and bank administration business of Scotia Bank & Trust Company (Cayman) Limited to Close Brothers Group.
£35m MBO of Isle of Man trust operations
Anglo Irish Bank
Wyvern acted as specialist sector advisers to ISIS Equity Partners in their £35 million MBO of the Isle of Man trust operations of Anglo Irish Bank.
Management buy-in
Chiltern
Wyvern acted as sole financial adviser to the shareholders of Chiltern in the MBI of their Jersey and London based trust and fiduciary operations to VISTRA.
Trade sale
Scotia Bank
Wyvern acted as sole financial adviser to Scotiabank in the sale of Bank Nova Scotia Channel Islands Limited to Barclays.
Management buy-out
Walbrook
Wyvern advised management on their buy-out of Walbrook led by Hermes Private Equity, for more than £50 million.
€183m management buy-out
Equity Trust
Wyvern initiated the transaction and advised the vendors of Equity Trust on a €183 million management buy-out led by Candover.
Trade sale
MeesPierson Fortis
Members of Wyvern advised the owners of Intertrust on the sale of the business to MeesPierson Fortis.
Jonathan Smith
Jonathan was one of the founding members of Wyvern.
He has broad corporate finance experience but has focused increasingly on the Trust and Fund Administration sector in recent years where he has completed over 60 deals.
Contact
mobile: +44 (0) 7720 838 745
Andrew Goodchild
Andrew has been with Wyvern since 2016.
He specialises in advising management teams and owner managers, private equity investors and corporates across a number of sectors but with a particular focus on the trust and fund administration sector
Contact
mobile: +44 (0) 7738 248 676