About a-team Marketing Services
The knowledge platform for the financial technology industry
The knowledge platform for the financial technology industry

A-Team Insight Blogs

ACA Completes Foreside Merger to Form One of Largest GRC Platforms

Subscribe to our newsletter

GRC platform operator ACA Group has completed its merger with Foreside Financial Group, creating one of the world’s most extensive governance, risk and compliance offerings. The merger combines ACA’s regulatory compliance, cybersecurity, ESG and performance capabilities with Foreside’s distribution and broker-dealer capabilities to create a one-stop shop for investment firms.

ACA’s business model involves supplementing its ComplianceAlpha regulatory technology platform with the specialized expertise of former regulators and practitioners to offer both capabilities and advisory services.

Going forward, the combined entity will operate as ACA, with Foreside’s distribution business will operate under the name ACA Foreside, a new division of ACA, and ACA’s current CEO, Shvetank Shah, continuing as the new company’s CEO. Private equity firm Genstar Capital was the lead investor in the combined business. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

The rationale for the merger is that “clients are looking for a comprehensive, one-stop solution for their GRC needs,” according to Shah. Together, ACA and Foreside will offer a full suite of GRC capabilities, including advisory, technology, managed services, analytics, distribution, and outsourcing solutions. The combined firm will have more than 1,250 employees and 18 offices globally, and will serve over 6,300 clients.

Tony Salewski, Managing Director at Genstar and Sid Ramakrishnan, Director at Genstar, commented: “The combined business is a disrupter in the financial services GRC space, offering end-to-end regulatory advisory, benchmarking, managed services, technology platforms and the power of an unmatched network all under one roof. We are excited to partner with an exceptional management team who will lead the company on the next chapter of growth while continuing to focus on delivering exceptional service to clients.”

Subscribe to our newsletter

Related content

WEBINAR

Recorded Webinar: Managing Non-Financial Misconduct Under SMCR

Non-financial misconduct – encompassing behaviours such as bullying, sexual harassment, and discrimination is a key focus of the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR). The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has underscored that such misconduct is not only unethical but also poses significant risks to a firm’s culture and operational integrity. Recognizing the profound impact on...

BLOG

Data Readiness is No Longer Optional for Banks

By Stuart Harvey, Chief Executive of Datactics. In a landscape marked by increasing regulatory scrutiny and accelerating digital change, data has long since shed its role as a by-product of banking operations and is now a critical strategic asset. The speed at which institutions must demonstrate data integrity, quality, and accessibility has made compliance not...

EVENT

TradingTech Summit New York

Our TradingTech Briefing in New York is aimed at senior-level decision makers in trading technology, electronic execution, trading architecture and offers a day packed with insight from practitioners and from innovative suppliers happy to share their experiences in dealing with the enterprise challenges facing our marketplace.

GUIDE

The DORA Implementation Playbook: A Practitioner’s Guide to Demonstrating Resilience Beyond the Deadline

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) has fundamentally reshaped the European Union’s financial regulatory landscape, with its full application beginning on January 17, 2025. This regulation goes beyond traditional risk management, explicitly acknowledging that digital incidents can threaten the stability of the entire financial system. As the deadline has passed, the focus is now shifting...