Why 900+ Investment bankers chose Finalis for FINRA sponsorship and BD affiliation

FINRA sponsorship is the process by which a registered broker-dealer sponsors an individual or firm to obtain FINRA registration and hold the licenses required to conduct securities transactions. Without a sponsoring BD, investment bankers and placement agents cannot legally earn commissions on securities-related deals in the United States. Finalis acts as the sponsoring BD, managing the registration process and ongoing compliance oversight so members focus on their deals, not the paperwork.

Through Finalis, most members reach active FINRA registration status in a matter of days. Building your own broker-dealer from scratch typically takes 12 to 18 months and requires significant capital, compliance infrastructure, and ongoing regulatory overhead. Affiliating with an established BD like Finalis eliminates that burden entirely and gets you in front of deals faster.

Yes. Finalis members operate under their own firm name and brand identity. Your client relationships, your deal pipeline, and your firm's reputation remain entirely yours. Finalis provides the regulatory infrastructure your practice runs within, not a brand to adopt or a firm to work under.

Broker-dealer affiliation costs vary significantly depending on the provider. Finalis uses a transparent fee structure with no hidden splits or surprise costs. Members pay a subscription fee and a transaction fee on closed deals. There are no setup fees for FINRA registration, and unused subscription credits roll over on qualifying plans.

The SEC's M&A broker exemption allows certain intermediaries to facilitate the purchase or sale of privately-held businesses without full broker-dealer registration, subject to specific conditions. However, BD affiliation provides access to a broader deal scope, institutional credibility, compliance infrastructure, and a professional network that the exemption alone does not offer. Advisors who expect to grow or handle a wider range of transactions typically benefit from BD affiliation even when the exemption technically applies.