AIM-listed Fintel plc has reported a strong first half of 2026, with organic adjusted EBITDA up 11.2% to £11.8m and continuing revenue rising 5.3% to £38.6m, as the financial services technology group presses ahead with a strategy built around data, AI and higher-margin recurring income.

The Leeds-based business, which supplies software, data and support services to the UK retail financial services sector, said adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations climbed 16.6% to £12.4m in the six months to 30 June, against £10.6m a year earlier. Group chief executive Matt Timmins pointed to an incremental margin of more than 90% as evidence of the strength of Fintel's operating model.

Revenue growth was driven by both of the Group's divisions. Software & Data revenue rose 9.6% to £20.2m, boosted by the acquisition of Pearson Ham's market pricing business, completed in January and now being integrated alongside RSMR to sharpen customer propositions. Services revenue, spanning regulatory and business support for more than 18,000 advisers, wealth managers and mortgage specialists, edged up to £18.4m.

SaaS and subscription revenue, a key measure of the quality of Fintel's income, increased 7.9% to £26.1m, underlining the shift towards recurring, higher-margin work that has become central to the Group's strategy.

Fintel used the results to highlight a run of product launches. Its Matrix 360 market intelligence platform has expanded into the banking and wealth sectors and now serves 27 institutional customers, while a new AI-enabled compliance and oversight platform is designed to extend technology adoption across adviser firms. Investment in Plannr, the Group's CRM system, has also accelerated, with Timmins describing a "significant pipeline" of licensees drawn to its design and flexibility.

The half also saw Fintel reshape its portfolio. In April it completed the disposal of Gateway Surveying Services and APS Legal & Associates, a move it said sharpens focus on technology, data and professional services. It also launched Omnicore, a whole-of-market intelligent distribution platform aimed at expanding its reach in mortgage and distribution markets.

The balance sheet remains solid, with £7.3m of cash and £76.5m of headroom on its £120m revolving credit facility. Net debt stood at £38.2m, representing leverage of 1.4 times adjusted EBITDA, after what the company described as significant investment in acquisitions, people, products and services.

Looking ahead, Timmins said trading since the half-year end had remained in line with Board expectations. "Fintel is well positioned to deliver sustainable long-term growth," he said, pointing to a growing base of recurring revenues and increasing participation across the adviser and provider value chain.

For a business built on helping others manage risk and regulation, Fintel's own half-year scorecard suggests it is following its own advice rather well.