MWA Financial has acquired Kent-based independent financial adviser, Knighthood Financial Advice (KFA).

The acquisition, which is the first major deal done by MWA using long-term growth capital provided by independently owned private equity house Coniston Capital, has added £100m of assets under administration (AUA) to the group.

Founded in its current form nine years ago by advisers David Tyler, James Richards and Kevin Howard, KFA has built an established office in Kent with a client base of over 400 households. The three advisers and their support staff will all remain with the business, rebranding as MWA Financial Advice with immediate effect to benefit from MWA’s scale and centralised operating systems.

MWA, launched in 2016, is headquartered in London and currently has offices in Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Cornwall, Kent and the Scottish Borders. Coniston Capital took a minority stake in MWA towards the end of 2023 in exchange for an injection of growth capital that significantly increased MWA’s acquisition power.

CEO of MWA, Campbell Banks, said: “The acquisition of KFA marks another important milestone for the Group and an exciting next step for our growth strategy.

“In addition to a profitable business with a highly engaged and happy client base, we have gained an experienced and efficient team with the ambition, ability and incentive to play a major role in the future direction and growth of MWA. It is the perfect example of the kind of business that sits at the heart of our acquisition strategy and we are thrilled to have them on board.”

KWA founder, David Tyler, added: “What Cam, Ed and the team have created at MWA is testament to the considerable experience they have in the sector and the unwavering passion they have for building a market-leading advice business. From our earliest conversations there were clear and obvious synergies in both our thinking and business practices that made the decision to agree a deal an easy one.”

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