ETFINVEST: on the UK FCA Warning List — unauthorised firm, “beware of scams”

When a UK regulator puts a trading name on its Warning List, that is not a blog rumour. It is an official public alert. Scam Wire publishes the trail as it stands in documents — not gossip.

1. What the FCA said (fact)

According to the FCA printable warning for ETFINVEST:

• The firm may provide or promote financial services without FCA permission.
• The public is told to avoid dealing with the firm and to beware of scams.
• Almost all firms must be authorised to carry out or promote financial services in the UK.
• ETFINVEST is listed as not authorised and may be targeting people in the UK.

2. Contact details listed by the FCA (fact)

The warning records the following (subject to change by the firm):

• Name: ETFINVEST
• Addresses given: Kemp House, City Road, London EC1V 2NX, UK; Tower 3, International Towers, Barangaroo Avenue, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia; Karlavagen 108, PO box 24210, Stockholm 10451, Sweden
• Telephone: +44 20 3996 2661
• Email: support@etfinvest.net
• Website: www.etfinvest.net

The FCA also warns that unauthorised firms may give incorrect or recycled contact details to look genuine.

3. What “unauthorised” means for victims (fact)

If you deal with an unauthorised firm, the FCA states you typically:

• do not have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service for complaints;
• are not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS);
• are unlikely to get money back if the firm goes out of business.

That combination — no authorisation, no ombudsman path, no FSCS — is exactly why regulators use the word scams on the same page. It is the legal-public reality of dealing with unauthorised promoters.

4. Companies House: ETF INVEST LTD (fact)

A UK company filing shows ETF INVEST LTD, company number 10372693. On an AP01 form received for electronic filing on 20 October 2025, Paul Davis was recorded as appointed director with effect from 7 October 2025 (English nationality; service address as registered office; date of birth February 1967, day redacted on the public form).

Desk note: public warnings and company names often use close variants (ETFINVEST / ETF Invest / ETF INVEST LTD). Anyone dealing with a similar brand should check the FCA Warning List and the Financial Services Register for the exact legal entity — and treat name-similarity as a risk flag, not proof of legitimacy.

5. Document red flags in “loan + MT799 + SBLC” structures (pattern)

Separate from the FCA page, professional counterparties have documented structures in which a party styling itself as ETF Invest Ltd (e.g. London address / company no. 10372693) appears in a loan agreement that purports to force bank messaging (including characterisation of SWIFT MT799 as an “irrevocable commitment” to issue a large standby letter of credit) and a small facility letter of credit — while imposing duties on banks and arrangers who are not signatories.

Classic red flags in that paper trail include:

• Treating MT799 (free-format traffic) as if it were a binding bank undertaking (operatives are typically MT760 class messages).
• Contracts that try to bind third parties (bank / arranger) without mandate.
• Vague beneficiaries (“bank or authorised representative”).
• No completed KYC / source-of-funds file on the purported lender.
• Inconsistent loan amounts (figures vs words) and mismatch between loan tranches and SBLC face value.
• Unclear governing law / forum across UK, German bank, and Swiss parties.

A real lender that is authorised does not need a fake “irrevocable MT799” from a bank that never signed the loan. That is a paper-trail pattern, not a banking product.

6. Bottom line for the public

Documented fact: the UK FCA has publicly warned about ETFINVEST as an unauthorised firm and told people to avoid dealing and beware of scams. There is no FCA authorisation shield, no FOS path, and no FSCS safety net as described on that warning.

Documented fact: UK company filings exist for ETF INVEST LTD (10372693) with a recorded director appointment of Paul Davis in October 2025.

Documented pattern risk: loan / MT799 / SBLC paperwork that tries to force bank messages and third-party obligations is a known fraud and non-compliance vector. Anyone asked to pay fees, send bank messages, or “unlock” funds against such documents should stop and verify authorisation on the FCA Register before one euro moves.

Editorial note

Scam Wire does not invent convictions. Where a regulator uses the language of scams and unauthorised firms, we quote that language and cite the source. Further court judgments, insolvency filings, or victim exhibits will be added to this case file if and when they are verified.