UK Financial Services Payment Practices Blow the National Average Out of the Water

The Numbers

• Companies analysed: 474
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 84.6/100
• UK average: 50.0/100
• Financial Services sector outperformance: 34.6 points
• Top score: 100/100 (multiple companies)
• Lowest score: 16.3/100
• Northern Ireland average: 91.0 (3 companies)

What Stands Out

The financial services sector is a clear outlier, exceeding the UK average PaymentCheck score by a significant margin. While the headline figure is positive, the wide disparity between the best and worst payers suggests inconsistent practices within the sector, and firms at the bottom end may want to use a late payment calculator to estimate the impact of their poor payment behaviour. The regional data is interesting but based on such small sample sizes that it's hard to draw meaningful conclusions.

Best Payers

1. ABRDN INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED - 100/100
2. VOLVO CAR FINANCIAL SERVICES UK LIMITED - 100/100
3. NEWTON INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED - 100/100
4. FIDELIS UNDERWRITING LIMITED - 100/100
5. PERSHING SECURITIES LIMITED - 100/100

Worst Payers

1. SHOP DIRECT FINANCE COMPANY LIMITED - 16.3/100
2. ARDONAGH SPECIALTY LIMITED - 22.1/100
3. UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT (UK) LTD - 22.1/100
4. ERNST & YOUNG (ASIA-PACIFIC) SERVICES LIMITED - 22.3/100
5. ERNST & YOUNG (EMEIA) SERVICES LIMITED - 23.6/100

Regional Patterns

Northern Ireland reports the highest regional average (91.0), but this is based on only three companies, so the result must be treated with caution. The East Midlands comes in second place with an average of 90.2 across 9 companies, whilst Scotland's 89.6 average across 20 companies might represent a more robust picture. The data suggests that payment practices may vary by geography, but more analysis would be required to understand the impact of company size, business activity, or other regional factors.

Takeaway: Despite an impressive sector average of 84.6, the 83.7-point range between the top and bottom payers shows that excellent payment practices aren't uniformly applied across the UK financial services.

2025: The Story

The Financial Services sector experienced a slight dip in payment performance in 2025, with the average score declining by 0.6 points to 84.6 across 474 reporting companies. This marginal overall decline masks some significant individual shifts. A notable turnaround story came from Vanguard, with VANGUARD ASSET MANAGEMENT, LTD. improving by +36.8 points to 83.3/100 and VANGUARD ASSET SERVICES, LTD. by +35.6 points to 85.3/100, indicating a concerted effort across the group. Conversely, BAILLIE GIFFORD & CO LIMITED saw a substantial -5.5 point decline, landing them at 76.5/100. The data also welcomed new high-achievers, including PEAC BUSINESS FINANCE LIMITED, debuting with a perfect 100.0/100, and HSBC BANK PLC, entering at a strong 97.5/100. Suppliers should closely monitor both established firms for payment consistency and the impact of these high-scoring new entrants on sector benchmarks.