Wealth manager Blevins Franks has for over 50 years specialised in advising Britons moving to Europe and has seen a surge in interest in their services.
But its senior advisers on the ground continue to find clients who have been poorly guided by those who do not fully understand EU tax and other financial laws.
Blevins Franks has launched services specifically to address these issues, prime motivators being:
- The company is experiencing an enormous increase in enquiries from those considering moving to Europe (13,000 last year, on course for 20,000 this). Around 250,000 Britons move abroad each year. They need the right advice.
- Blevins Franks advisers in Europe are still finding clients who have been poorly ‘advised’ by those who do not understand tax rules in EU countries, leaving clients with liabilities.
- Advisers operating in the EU are at increased regulatory risk.
The challenges
More than 1.3 million UK nationals live in the EU and higher UK taxes may increase that number. This creates a challenge for financial advisers. How can they continue to support clients who are resident in another country?
When abroad, a client’s financial position can fundamentally change. Local tax rules, succession laws and regulation affect pensions, investments, estate planning and wealth transfer. They can also legally limit the advice a firm is allowed to provide once the client becomes EU-resident.
Blevins Franks has launched European Client Solutions (ECS) to help advisers remove these challenges and liabilities from their books, while ensuring clients continue to receive appropriate advice.
This enables advisers to introduce clients living in France, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus or Malta to Blevins Franks’ locally-based cross-border specialists. It provides a collaborative and compliant referral route, ensuring clients access advice suited to their location.
This new solution is about achieving the best possible outcomes for clients by connecting them with established teams of in-country experts.
“An additional revenue stream…reducing risk without increasing workload”
Ben Simmonds
Wealth managers are given support for a smooth transition while protecting the valuable client relationships they have built. Improved governance across the industry means many firms have identified this as the right time to remove this regulatory risk from their books.
Blevins Franks put solid frameworks in place to continue advising in EU countries post-Brexit and its transition period. Many other firms did not – due to the complexity and costs involved.
The solutions
Advisory firms with clients in the EU have three choices:
- Get regulated to give financial advice in an EU jurisdiction
- Resign from the client but leave them without help
- Introduce them to a properly EU-regulated advisory firm which will ensure a collaborative and positive experience in transition.
The new European Client Solutions from Blevins Franks present an attractive collaborative resolution. It offers a partnership with advisers, ensuring their clients receive compliant, local advice when abroad.
It offers advisers a way out of a regulatory dilemma and an introductory fee for referred clients, creating an additional revenue stream, while reducing risk and without increasing workload.
See further information here: https://www.blevinsfranks.com/european-client-solutions/
Ben Simmonds is a regional director of Blevins Franks
Blevins Franks is the leading international tax and wealth adviser to British expatriates in Europe. The business operates in the UK and six European countries, employing over 250 people. It celebrated its 50th anniversary in October 2025. Its fully qualified and authorised advisers are situated in France, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Malta and Monaco as well as the UK.
Advising in the EU: Six Key Factors
An adviser can advise an EU tax-resident client if you can demonstrate that:
