Corporate finance, M&A advice and capital raising for wholesale clients are regulated financial services — providing them lawfully means holding an AFSL or operating under one. For many corporate advisory firms, standing up and maintaining your own licence is more cost and overhead than it's worth. Provenance gives you the licensing, compliance and operational infrastructure to advise and transact for your wholesale clients, on the framework of Providence Equity Holdings.
The challenge for corporate advisory firms
Providing financial product advice, dealing in financial products, or arranging deals for clients requires AFSL authorisation. Your own licence means an application, responsible managers, capital and compliance — before you've advised a client. Operating as an authorised representative lets you provide those services under an established licence and direct your time to the advisory work.
New to AFSL obligations? Read do corporate advisors need an AFSL? — or see our guide to the licensing pathways.
How Provenance helps corporate advisors
Provenance is built on the licensed framework of Providence Equity Holdings:
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Authorised Representative Onboarding →
Get authorised under our AFSL — operate as an authorised representative within your authorised scope.
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Compliance & Regulatory Reporting →
Meet your compliance and reporting obligations — a maintained framework, monitoring and regulatory reporting.
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Operational Governance →
Run to an operating standard — governance, risk and operational frameworks.
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Managed Scheme & Trustee Infrastructure →
Licensed trustee and scheme infrastructure for wholesale funds.
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Syndication & Co-Investment →
Licensed infrastructure to pool wholesale capital into deals.
Which path is right for you?
A guide to where corporate advisors usually start. The right structure — and the authorisations you need — depend on the services you provide and need confirming with us.
| Your situation | Where to start | |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Advising or dealing for wholesale clients without your own licence | Authorised representative onboarding. |
| 02 | Need compliance or operational support | Compliance & regulatory reporting and operational governance. |
| 03 | Structuring a pooled wholesale investment vehicle for a transaction | Managed scheme & trustee infrastructure and syndication & co-investment. |
Who this is for
- Boutique corporate advisory and corporate finance firms serving wholesale clients.
- M&A and capital-raising advisors who need authorisation to provide financial services.
- Advisors spinning out or going independent.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an AFSL to provide corporate advisory services?
If you provide financial services — financial product advice, dealing, or arranging — to clients, you generally need to hold an AFSL or operate as an authorised representative under one. Whether your activities require authorisation depends on what you do; we can help you map it.
Can I operate under your licence?
Yes — you can operate as an authorised representative within an authorised scope that matches your services, rather than holding your own licence.
Is this only for wholesale clients?
Yes — Provenance's framework is for advisors providing financial services to wholesale clients only.
Can I transition to my own AFSL later?
Yes. Many advisory firms start on our framework and move to their own licence as they scale.