KEY TAKEAWAYS
- EquitiesFirst operates through separately incorporated entities, each licensed or registered for the activities it conducts in its own market.
- Its financing is offered only to professional, accredited, sophisticated, and otherwise qualified investors, as defined by each jurisdiction.
- The firm maintains 12 offices across seven countries; its headquarters are in the United States and its client-facing financing serves investors across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
- Know-your-client and anti-money-laundering checks apply to every transaction.
The market for capital outside the banking system has grown large enough that sophisticated borrowers now scrutinise the lender as closely as the loan. Private credit has expanded from roughly US$2 trillion in 2024 toward an estimated US$5 trillion by 2029, and much of that money moves through firms that are not banks. The licensing and regulatory oversight of non-bank lenders are important factors to consider.
A group structure
EquitiesFirst operates as a group of separately incorporated entities, each licensed or registered for the activities it conducts in the market where it does business. Equity-backed financing touches securities law, financial-promotion rules, and client-classification regimes that differ from one jurisdiction to the next, and the permissions a given entity holds depend on the activity it carries out locally.
A locally established entity gives each regulator a supervised entity to hold accountable and gives clients a clear counterparty governed by rules they can recognise.
Qualified investors only
A defining feature of how the firm operates is who it is permitted to serve. EquitiesFirst's financing is directed at professional, accredited, sophisticated, and otherwise qualified investors, defined according to each jurisdiction's own standard. Client classification determines which protections apply and which disclosures are required.
Local presence, local rules
EquitiesFirst maintains 12 offices across seven countries, with an established presence in financial centres including London, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Sydney. Its headquarters are in the United States, from which the group is administered, while its client-facing financing business is conducted with investors in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. EquitiesFirst is licensed or registered with the local regulator in each markets where it does client-facing business.
What this means for a borrower
For a borrower weighing equity-backed financing, licensing is one part of a broader due-diligence question, alongside a firm's track record and how it manages risk. EquitiesFirst has operated for more than two decades, has provided over US$7 billion of financing (as of Q1 2026), and applies institutional-grade risk management across its portfolio. A firm with that record — one that funds transactions with its own capital, operates through locally regulated entities, and works exclusively with qualified investors — can be assessed against a clear, checkable set of facts.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. EquitiesFirst operates through separately incorporated entities that are licensed or registered for the activities they conduct in their own jurisdictions. Its services are offered only to professional, accredited, sophisticated, and otherwise qualified investors. To learn more about the services offered in your market, see the firm's FAQs page.
EquitiesFirst has provided securities-backed financing since 2002 and has issued more than US$7 billion of loans (as of Q1 2026). It maintains 12 offices across seven countries. Its financing is funded from the firm's own capital and structured on a non-recourse basis, with know-your-client and anti-money-laundering checks on every transaction. A non-recourse structure limits recourse to the collateral but does not remove market risk, which remains with the borrower throughout the term.
EquitiesFirst is licensed or registered for the activities it conducts in jurisdictions including Australia, Hong Kong, the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and the United Kingdom, operating through separately incorporated entities that meet each market's requirements. Because financial permissions are activity- and jurisdiction-specific, prospective clients should confirm the entity and permissions that apply in their own market before proceeding.
These are questions worth asking of any equity-backed financing provider. Is it regulated in the markets where it operates, and does it limit its services to professional and otherwise qualified investors? What is the source of its capital: does it fund transactions with its own money, or with borrowed or third-party money, and if so, who are its own lenders? Does it apply know-your-client and anti-money-laundering checks to every transaction, and what may it do with the shares while it holds them? The answers describe a provider's counterparty profile more reliably than a headline rate does.