Fast-growing Clifton Wealth Partnership has acquired two independent Financial Planning firms based in South Wales, Banyard Independent Advice Services and Wilcox Financial Planning.
The deals, for undisclosed amounts, add £68m in AUM and around 300 clients to Clifton.
The latest two deals mark Clifton's sixth and seventh acquisitions of 2026 so far, following 10 acquisitions in 2025.
Banyard Independent Advice Services was formed by husband-and-wife duo Mark and Jane Banyard from their home in Pembrokeshire in 2016. Each had worked in financial services for decades before deciding to set up their own firm. The couple will stay with CWP for a handover period before retiring.
The firm services around 80 clients with approximately £22m AUM total. Most clients are local to the firm, based around the South Wales region.
Mr Banyard, Chartered Financial Planner, said: “Deciding to partner with CWP was ultimately an easy decision. It came down to knowing our clients would be well looked after.”
Talbot Green-based Wilcox Financial Planning was founded in 2015. The firm looks after some 250 clients with approximately £46m AUM total.
Wilcox FP’s founder Gerwyn Wilcox has worked in financial services for his entire career, having started out in the insurance industry when he was 19. He became an independent financial adviser in the early 2000s before eventually setting up his own firm.
He will stay on as a consultant with Clifton for two years to support the transition. His paraplanner, the firm’s only other employee, will move across to CWP full time.
Mr Wilcox said: “I spoke to several consolidators before deciding to work with CWP. It was very important to me that my clients would be looked after properly, and that they wouldn’t see a drop in the quality of service offered to them after I sold the business.”
Anthony Carty, managing director of Bristol-based Clifton Wealth Partnership, said: “Both firms did their homework before choosing Clifton and spoke to advisers who’d already joined us. That kind of due diligence is as important to us as it does to them, and we’re looking forward to supporting both teams and their clients across South Wales, as well as growing our presence in the region.”
Clifton Wealth Partnership is the Financial Planning arm of Bristol-based Clifton Aset Management which has more than 15,000 clients and 180 employees. So far this year it has acquired seven Financial Planning firms, brining in a total of £400m AUM.
Most recently, in July it acquired Soffolk-based Morgan Law, which added £138m in assets under management.
Before that it acquired Hertfordshire-based Financial Planning firm Dukes IFA, adding 170 clients and £43m AUM.
In April it acquired Essex-based Financial Planning firm Cutting & Carter for an undisclosed sum and in February it acquired two Scottish Financial Planning firms, bringing £150m in new assets.
Clifton Asset Management, of which CWP is part of, now has a total AUM of more than £4bn.
In December it acquired Welsh Financial Planning firm Lifestyle Financial Advice for an undisclosed amount. It was the tenth advice business to join Clifton Wealth in 2025. It completed the acquisitions of nine other Financial Planning businesses from across England and Wales over the year, adding £721m AUM and 26 team members during 2025.
In October 2024 UK private equity firm CBPE Capital LLP made a “strategic investment” in Clifton Wealth Partnership to be partly used to speed up Clifton's acquisition programme.