Defaqto, the UK’s leading provider of financial product ratings, has acquired Pearson Ham Group’s Market Pricing Business for £11m.
The move is set to significantly enhance its portfolio of data and technology solutions for the UK retail financial services and insurance industries, according to FF News.
The deal was completed through Defaqto’s parent company, Fintel plc, a UK-based financial technology and data provider.
By combining product and pricing data, the acquisition is designed to provide deeper consumer insights, enabling insurers and advisers to design smarter financial solutions while helping consumers make better-informed decisions.
Defaqto is best known for its Star Ratings, which evaluate financial products across sectors such as insurance and pensions, and for its technology platforms, including Matrix 360, which already serves 22 major insurers. Pearson Ham Group’s Market Pricing Business brings extensive pricing datasets across UK personal lines insurance, covering motor, home, travel, and pet insurance.
This integration gives Defaqto the most comprehensive product and pricing datasets in the UK market.
It will also support the firm’s expansion into AI-driven analytics, with proprietary data assets underpinning new capabilities such as “value for money” ratings and advanced benchmarking tools.
The Market Pricing Business will initially operate as a standalone entity before being fully integrated into Defaqto during 2026.
Other strategic benefits include the reinforcement of Defaqto’s position as a leading provider of market intelligence and technology in the personal lines insurance market. The acquisition exemplifies Fintel plc’s approach to high-quality, synergistic deals that enhance capabilities and deepen market presence.
John Milliken, CEO of Defaqto, said, “We are extremely excited about this strategic acquisition. The Pearson Ham Group pricing business is a profitable, growing, cash generative business with a rich historic data set and a strong value proposition that is invaluable to the UK insurance industry. The winners in the AI economy will be those with unique, valuable, proprietary data and expertise who can also innovate to benefit their customers. Through the combination of unrivalled product and pricing data, Defaqto has the tools to help the industry to better understand and deliver consumer value.
“This strategic move further reinforces Defaqto’s position within the personal lines insurance market, strengthening our role as a leading provider of market intelligence and technology. Acquiring pricing data to complement our market-leading product data is critical. The unique combination of product and pricing data will help providers build smarter financial solutions.”
Matt Timmins, CEO of Fintel plc, said, “This acquisition is an important milestone in growing our Software and Data division. It exemplifies the type of high-quality, synergistic acquisition that we target as part of our strategy – enhancing our capabilities, deepening our market position, and reinforcing our position as the strategic technology and data partner to UK financial services.”
Stephen Kennedy, CEO, Pearson Ham Group Market Pricing, said, “We are delighted to become a part of the Defaqto family, because of the exciting ideas we have to grow the business and Defaqto’s proven ability to integrate and add value to the businesses they acquire.”
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