London, 12.09.2024 Thistle Initiatives, the award-winning financial services compliance company, and Fort Cyber,, an established cybersecurity services expert, have forged a strategic partnership to facilitate integrated financial regulations and cybersecurity compliance, for clients in banking, payments, lending, investment and insurance.
By joining their capabilities, Thistle and Fort enable Financial Institutions to access an accelerated, simplified and sound path to achieve compliance and resilience in the United Kingdom and European Union.
“With financial institutions a preferred target for cyber criminals and threat actors, regulatory compliance, operational resilience and third-party supplier management are mission-critical for financial services clients, be they enterprise-level banks and FIs, or startups and fintech operators”, said Lorraine Mouat, Head of Payment Services at Thistle Initiatives.
Founded in 2012, Thistle Initiatives have worked with over 1000 firms within the financial services sector, providing support with FCA authorisations, acquisition due diligence, audits, supervision and enforcement, financial crime and fraud prevention, and ongoing compliance advice and support, in sectors including investments, payment services, credit, mortgages, digital assets and general insurance.
Fort augments Thistle’s extensive range of services with audit and compliance services centered around current cybersecurity and operational resilience requirements, DORA and regulations such as PSD2 / PSD3, EBA guidelines, PCI DSS or ISO27001.
With a team of 40 cybersecurity professionals with multiple sector certifications, Fort provides a complete suite of services covering every aspect of cybersecurity: from risk assessments, penetration testing and compliance consulting, to incident response, SOC as a Service, advanced threat detection and robust remediation strategies.
Fort has delivered 100+ audit missions, 300+ penetration tests and 10,000+ man days hands-on cyber services. “We have had the privilege of working with both enterprise and scaleup organisations, in banking, insurance, fintech, government administration, software and healthcare. Our team have tested – and proven! – their strength and skill against a hugely varied and sophisticated threat landscape, in the UK and EU. We’re delighted to partner with Thistle, a like-minded, leading consultancy which thrives on delivering operational and competitive edge for financial services clients”, said Andrei Resmerita, CRO of Fort Cyber.
“We were impressed by Fort’s hands-on experience, proven track record in delivering to both fintechs and banks, and insurance companies, their extensive range of expert certifications, and, crucially, their agile mindset”, adds LM. “Financial services companies need advanced industry knowledge and hands-on expertise, if they are to successfully navigate the complex frameworks of requirements in cybersecurity and compliance, across the United Kingdom and European Union. This is what Thistle and Fort jointly deliver”, adds Lorraine Mouat.
About Thistle Initiatives
Thistle Initiatives, part of the Thistle Group, is a multi-award-winning compliance consultancy, providing advice and support to regulated and unregulated firms internationally and across the UK. Since launching in 2012, we have become one of the largest members of the APCC and have proudly supported over 1000 firms to become FCA authorised.
Our 70+ team of financial industry specialists, compliance officers, ex-regulators and lawyers is dedicated to providing support with FCA Authorisations, Acquisition Due Diligence, Audits, Supervision and Enforcement and ongoing compliance advice and support, to sectors including Investments, Payment Services, Credit, Mortgages, Digital Assets and General Insurance.
With a strong focus on financial crime compliance, we support firms to navigate the complexities of financial crime regulations, including anti-money laundering, anti-bribery, counterterrorism, and tax evasion.
We are guided by a principle to be much more than a compliance consultancy; our philosophy of providing a world-class service and hands-on approach, from a problem-solving and commercial focus, means we strive to be trusted by the regulator and our valued clients alike.
About Fort Cyber
Fort is an established cybersecurity company which provides a complete suite of services covering every aspect of cybersecurity: from risk assessments, penetration testing and compliance consulting, to incident response, SOC as a Service, advanced threat detection and robust remediation strategies.
Fort offers extensive capabilities across the UK and European Union. The company has its roots in Romania’s highly skilled IT and cybersecurity sector, a European centre of excellence in security expertise and the location of the European Union’s Cybersecurity Competence Centre. Fort is listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange.
Leading organisations trust Fort to protect their digital assets and enable their growth in the digital age. Its clients include major institutions such as Vienna Insurance Group, Banca Transilvania, as well as fintech and AI scaleup rising stars Fintech OS or DruidAI.
Fort has delivered 100+ audit missions, 300+ penetration tests and 10,000+ man days hands-on cyber services.
