WealthKernel
AcquiredFounded 2015 · 30 employees on LinkedIn · 6 known investors
WealthKernel provides investment infrastructure through an API, including account funding services that handle deposits, matching, settlement, and multicurrency support (GBP, EUR, USD) for firms offering investment products to their users. It offers bank verification via Confirmation of Payee, Direct Debit integration, and holds client deposits at Tier 1 UK banks under WealthKernel Nominees.
Also known as WealthKernel Limited · WealthKernel Spain, A.V., S.L.U.
Investors · 6
Also in the syndicate · 2
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements$7M disclosed across 1 of 6 rounds · 2021–2024
- Undisclosed amountSeries A extensionJan 2024
ETFS Capital (lead), XTX Ventures
Source ↗ - Undisclosed amountSeries A+Jan 2022Source ↗
- $7MraisedJan 2022 · 2 sources
XTX Ventures (lead), Big Start Ventures, Digital Horizon, ETFS Capital
Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026WealthKernel is a UK-based provider of digital investment infrastructure delivered over API. Its modular services cover user onboarding with configurable risk and suitability flows plus automated KYC and AML checks, UK tax wrappers and account types (ISAs, GIAs, SIPPs, JISAs), account funding via BACS, CHAPS, direct debits, open banking, instant matching deposits, recurring payments and standing orders, cash and in-specie transfers in from other providers, custody, trading, portfolio management and transaction reporting.
The company is a licensed custodian for client money and assets in the UK, holding cash and securities with tier 1 banking and sub-custodian partners. Its trading service supports thousands of fractional securities across multiple markets and currencies, including fractional US and UK equities, alongside programmatic portfolio rebalancing, performance tracking, fee accrual and model drift monitoring. Transaction reporting feeds directly into the FCA's portal, removing the need for client firms to maintain a separate reporting mechanism, and an Appointed Representative service allows clients to launch without holding their own FCA authorisation. Stated use cases include safeguarding, fractional trading, robo advice, money market funds, direct indexing and embedded investing.
Founding story
WealthKernel was founded in 2015 after its founders concluded that existing wealth infrastructure was either poorly designed or not built for a digitised world, and that legacy wealth businesses were oriented toward investors with substantial assets. The company set out to open access to investing infrastructure for firms wanting to build products for a broader base of investors. Karan Shanmugarajah is CEO and founder. [2][6]
Business model
WealthKernel sells vertically integrated, modular investing services to other businesses over API, so that those firms can offer investment functionality to their own end users under their own brand and user experience without building infrastructure in-house. [0][2]
Traction
WealthKernel powers fintechs and wealth managers across the UK and EU, and has enabled providers such as Claro Money, Wahed and Wealth8 to serve underserved segments including halal, ethical and ESG investing. It was appointed by ESG investment app Clim8 to protect customer funds through Clim8's 2023 wind-down. [0][4][7]
Latest developments
WealthKernel's website states that the company is now part of Alpaca. Aqsa Tariq is named as CFO. [0][5]
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
WealthKernel describes itself as one of the few API-first investment infrastructure providers dual-regulated in the UK and EU, and as a leading UK provider of API-integrated digital investment infrastructure and embedded investing. It is listed among the Top 100 WealthTech companies globally, is a member of Tech Nation's Fintech 3.0 cohort, and was named WealthTech of the Year 2022 at the Fintech Awards London. [0][4]
Dual regulation in the UK (FCA, firm reference 723719) and Spain/EU (CNMV securities broker with RTO and custody permissions), full custodian licensing for UK client money and assets, FSCS coverage, and a modular API covering the full investing stack from onboarding to transaction reporting. [0]
Technology
An API-first platform providing building blocks for digital investing: onboarding, accounts, funding, transfers, custody, trading in fractional US and UK equities, programmatic portfolio rebalancing and management, and FCA transaction reporting. WealthKernel is certified to ISO 27001:2022. [0][2]
Go-to-market
The company positions itself as a route for clients to reach market quickly, offering API documentation and guides, case studies, and an Appointed Representative arrangement that lets clients operate without their own FCA authorisation. [0][3]
Fintechs, established businesses and wealth managers across the UK and EU, including challenger banks, neobrokers, trading apps and value-based communities; named clients and case studies include Wahed, Stratiphy, Wealthyhood, Claro Money, Rosecut and Wealth8. [0][2][4]
Geography
Headquartered in London, UK (41 Luke St, EC2A 4DP), with a Spanish entity, WealthKernel Spain, A.V., S.L.U., registered in Madrid (Avda Manoteras 8) and authorised by the CNMV; clients span the UK and EU. [0]
History
Founded in 2015, WealthKernel received its first investment from ETFS Capital in 2018. It raised a Series A reported at £4.5m/US$6m around 2020, followed by a US$7m Series A+ led by XTX Ventures with Digital Horizon, Big Start Ventures and ETFS Capital, used to add intraday trading and expand into European markets. It later entered US equities trading and raised a further £6 million Series A extension led by ETFS Capital with participation from XTX Ventures, targeting European and adviser market segments. The company's website states that WealthKernel is now part of Alpaca. [0][4][5][6]
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 8
launches, deals, and filingsWealthKernel's website states that the company is now part of Alpaca.
WealthKernel launched US equities trading ahead of its Series A extension announcement.
WealthKernel secured a £6 million Series A extension round led by ETFS Capital, with participation from XTX Ventures, to support growth into European and adviser market segments.
ESG investment app Clim8, which shut to new customers on 28 March and remained open to existing customers until 30 May, appointed WealthKernel to protect customers' funds throughout the closure process.
WealthKernel Spain, A.V., S.L.U. is authorised and registered with the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores under Official Registry No. 328, as a securities broker permitted to receive and transmit orders and offer custody solutions.
WealthKernel announced a US$7m Series A+ extension to its US$6m Series A, led by XTX Ventures with participation from Digital Horizon, Big Start Ventures and existing lead investor ETFS Capital, to fund intraday trading and expansion into European markets.
$7M source ↗
WealthKernel Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 723719, registered in England and Wales, company no. 09686970.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureCompanies House · registry record
View on Companies House ↗- Registered name
- WEALTHKERNEL LIMITED
- Company number
- 09686970
- Status
- Active
- Company type
- Private limited company
- Incorporated
- 15 Jul 2015
- Registered office
- 41 Luke Street, London, EC2A 4DP
- Nature of business (SIC)
- 62012 — Business and domestic software development64205 — Activities of financial services holding companies66300 — Fund management activities
- Previous names
- WEALTHKERNAL LIMITED (2015–2015)
- Accounts
- last made up to 31 Dec 2025 · next due 30 Sept 2027
- Confirmation statement
- last made up to 10 Apr 2026 · next due 24 Apr 2027
Current officers · 5
- Samantha Karan — secretary, appointed 13 Aug 2021
- Ohs Secretaries Limited — corporate secretary, appointed 24 Jan 2022
- Yannick Marshall Brunner — director, appointed 15 Jul 2015
- Brian James Schwieger — director, appointed 7 Feb 2023
- Thuvakaran Shanmugarajah — director, appointed 15 Jul 2015
Source: Companies House public register · retrieved 23 Aug 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- WealthKernelwealthkernel.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does WealthKernel do?
- WealthKernel provides API-based investment infrastructure — onboarding, accounts, custody, trading and portfolio management — in the UK and EU.
- Who are WealthKernel's investors?
- WealthKernel's investors include Digital Horizon, Digital Horizon VC, ETFS Capital, Seedcamp.
- How much funding has WealthKernel raised?
- WealthKernel has disclosed $7M raised across 1 of its 6 known rounds.