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Through mis-management and additional, unauthorised fees taken via a bad practice known as 'Churning'. This is where funds are moved from one portfolio to another, purely to earn additional commission for the company.

This company has reduced the value of my hard earned pension portfolio by around 40k sterling. To make matters worse they have chosen not to respond to four emails sent to complain - two of which we for the attention of their CEO Robert Parker. If you are a client - I urge you to review your portfolio status and charges.

If you are considering being a client - my strong advice - don't do it. My next steps are to contact the relevant regulatory authorities as I am determined to either receive compensation for my loss or at least make as many people aware of their schemes as possible and hope that I can stome someone else becoming a victim of their shady practice.

Do not deal with Holborn assets I lost 80 k a big chunk of my savings it ripped my life apart and with no remorse the financial advisor got his commission.Don.t touch this company with barge pole.Holborn has a duty of care to its customers so do the right thing to stop people's lives being ruined and pay back my life

before you sign with holborn assets they call you almost every day but when you sign you don't have to be worry any more that they call you and if like in our case we are losing big time money with them

and you sending mail or call no one answer

i send even to the top management mails and no one answer not Mr.Parker ,Mr Leahy

both are managing directors

when you call you can maximum reach Mr.Parkers PA

the person who make the deal with us he never answer any mail or call he is going somewhere his phone is with allays with his PA

the customer care Director Mr. Caleb he also not answer any mail

we are very disappointed with Holborn Assets not only because losing a lot of money ,even more that no one care in this company its more dishonesty

Holburn Assets...please steer clear....moving my 4 UK pensions offshore they have lost me £10000 + already....and thats before they have even been invested ....and they dont care...and high level management fail to reply to my emails

I met with an advisor form Holborn assets. I already had an advisor but he said I should have an Audit done every few years, it seemed to make sense. When we met he was really nice but made me feel really scared over the charges and the fees my current advisor was taking, I signed some paperwork as he said it was just an audit and he had to look. The next day My other advisor phoned and said my account had been transferred. I was shocked my advisor came down and explained everything to me and that they had no way of *** an Audit, they were in direct competition to them and that they would turn round and add fee's on.

After a week Holborn phoned and said that the previous advisor was charging 2% per annum and that they would only charge 1% per annum. And recommended a load of fund switches.

I called the providers direct, the provider confirmed my initial advisor was not charging any annual fee, that this had already been paid in advance and that there was no 2% per annum. the provider said that this was a trick being used to take clients away from other firms and start charging them a fee.

It turned out the funds they wanted to switch me in were all commission paying funds away from the low charging tracker funds I was in.

This all seems a little underhand.

Why cant advisors just be honest.

Hence to say I have gone back with my original advisor as I trust him and not these people who pretend to be friends, cast doubt and then start to charge.

This posting will deal with facts.

All UK (and other) Expats in the UAE MUST read this - https://www.fca.org.uk/news/fca-bans-and-fines-paul-reynolds-for-misleading-and-unsuitable-advice

Mr Reynolds has received a life ban from the UK regulator the Financial Conduct Authority and a personal fine of almost £300,000. Yet where is he now?

Providing financial advice to foreign nationals in the UAE, working for HOLBORN ASSETS.

So why has he been employed in the region. This from Bob Parker, the MD of Holborn Assets, when the story broke - http://www.international-adviser.com/news/101****/holborn-adviser-uk-ban-unsuitable-ucis-recommendations.

This is rubbish. The 'defence' from Mr Parker omits to mention the financial standing of the clients, the poor state of health of some, and the fact that Reynolds was involved in the (alleged / now proven by the FCA) falsification of documents.

These serious investigations were underway when Reynolds moved to the region. The appeal lodged to the FCA was withdrawn when he (Reynolds) was employed by Holborn Assets. So why is he still working there.

It can only be the case that some firms in the UAE do not look closely enough at new advisers they take on and are quite happy to turn a blind eye to past serious misconduct provided the new adviser (Reynolds in the case) can write large quantities of high commission earnings business. This is only my personal view but given that Mr Parker espouses Christian values what other answer can there be?

One final point - Holborn Assets have a UK FCA authorised firm with two offices in the UK. Isnt it interesting that the Parker family resigned as directors shortly before the Reynolds appeal was withdrawn??

UK (and other) expats in the UAE you have been warned to be on your guard.

Holborn Assets seem to have a lot of complaints on here and I have been directed to this site by my adviser who works with them. I have used him and Holborn Assets for at least ten years now and I have to say that I am very, very satisfied with them.

There was one incident where I thought that the fund advice I was given was dubious and I demanded a meeting to explain why my investment was suffering. I was met by not only my adviser but also a rep from the investment company and also one of the board members.

I have to say it was explained and dealt with efficiently and professionally. I took their advice and rode the storm, only a year later the fund recovered and I was on my way.

I have read a few reviews on here about Holborn Assets in Dubai and South Africa - where I am from - and I can tell you that there are some sad people out there that just want to destroy the competition in the most cowardly fashion possible.

My experience with Holborn Assets has been excellent, and also my friends whom I recommended would say the same.

My advice is meet with your adviser and ask him or her whatever is on your mind. Don't dismiss this company over a review on a site with a name like this. This is your livelihood you are dealing with.

Great to see Holborn staff in here trying to paint over the damp.

Today I've had four missed calls from Holborns 'London' number. I had three unsolicited calls from them last week.

Each time I requested bluntly that they stop calling, but the calls don't stop. I was duped by this ilk when I first arrived in Dubai, and now have the pleasure of letting them lose me money for the next 18 years. Here's how they work. They look at your income and assess what the maximum monthly instalment is that you can sustain.

Then they lock you into 18-36 months of making that high payment. In return you get 'preferential benefits' like being able to take a month off when you're destitute. I've got a friend that works for one of these companies, and he assures me the first 18 months you're paying straight into the reps pocket as commission. If you're incredibly lucky, the funds they sell you will break even, and you'll just lose the exorbitant fees they charge.

Take the advice of someone that has lost over $15,000 with these jokers: you're better off investing in flea market pottery.

As an Adviser who works with Holborn I sometimes read these comments and think there is no point in answering them because we all know who posts them. However, I simply cannot listen to this tripe any longer..

So, I shall answer your points in order one by one and then hopefully you; and the people you point towards this terrible site, will understand more clearly.

1. Qualified or not:

Of all the advisers within Holborn Assets ‘Most” (probably 95%) are qualified to give advice on UK investments, products etc. Those that are not qualified would not be allowed to advise you. They are most likely trainees or working within practices. They will have taken an entrance style qualification to get them on their way to full qualification such as FAIQ or a basic CISI paper. If your initial contact is with one of these trainee or practice advisers then that would be purely for information gathering and they might advise you on elements of financial services that they are qualified for. Any other advice would be given to you personally by a fully qualified adviser. Also, that adviser would put that advice in writing and put their name at the foot of that advice with their own signature.

2. Independent or not:

This is wildly inaccurate – Yes RL360 are one of the companies Holborn represent and yes, we have a white label product with RL360. Firstly, this is because RL360 value Holborn Assets and understand that we have a commitment to giving the best advice available. Ask yourself, why would a company like RL360 tie their global reputation to Holborn if they were not completely satisfied with the levels of advice, competency and compliance?

The HARP product is very successful but it makes up only a percentage of the other products recommended by Holborn.

Whether Holborn Assets gets paid more than another company on any product or services is debatable. All IFA’s will claim to have exclusive arrangements with at least one of the product providers. Some with Generalli, some with FPI and others with Zurich or OMI etc. It’s more down to the product providers than the IFA’s. Any increase in remuneration to the company would be from the providers own margins or profits and would not increase the standard charges to the client at all.

We have our own small fund range and we encourage its use however there are hundreds of other funds being recommended every year by Holborn Advisers. It is understandable that we may incentivise our funds use, just as any other company would with any other product they create. The point you are missing here is that if the fund is not suitable for a client, it will not be advised to the client. Compliance would see to that in a heartbeat.

Secondly, Holborn Assets also represents, Generalli, Zurich, Friends Provident Momentum, Brooklands and OMI; among a host of others, where they and we hold a license to do so. There is an almost equal spread across the board on the products advised from Holborn Assets.

3. Unsolicited contact or not:

Cold calling is illegal in the UAE and marketing of financial services products is always a tricky one for IFA’s globally. I cant answer where your details may have come from but I can tell you this, I personally have many clients that have praised the fact that a particular problem or challenge was brought to their attention and that we were able to satisfy that need for them. For every one that is happy there will be another that is not; clearly where you fall. However I would rather help one family by providing life assurance or other crucial products than have missed them altogether. If you have everything in order – and I seriously doubt it – then carry on and ignore us.

4. Misrepresentation:

See all the other replies I have made.

5. Business and / or Christian ethics:

Stating that we believe we are the most professional, most ethical company in the market place is not “slating the competition”, it is simply stating what we believe to be a fact. Just like any company in any industry we have a belief that we are darn good at what we do. Apple never became one of the richest companies on the planet by saying “we probably make fairly good computers”. They have belief in themselves just as we do. And, if stating to a client that they are literally paying two or three times what they need to on a certain product or service is going against business principles (never mind Christian ones), then there is something very wrong with your view of business, financial services or just the world in general.

6. Licensed and Regulated:

This one is my favourite – You obviously know where our office is so why don’t you pop over and ask to see our licenses (plural) for the UAE. Whilst you are at it, you could ask to see the UK FCA license, the Dublin European License, the South African license etal.

Finally, I highly suspect that these comments were written; like all on this site, by upset and disgruntled ex-advisers of Holborn Assets. It’s plain to see that there is at least a shallow understanding of the market place in your tone and the language used in your review.

It takes a lot to fail at Holborn Assets, there is support both emotionally, professionally and where required financially. There are training programs, we pay for the exams that you claim nobody qualifies in, and there are splendid offices around the world and lots of other support programs.

If you failed with Holborn its most likely because you could not sell what you wanted to sell such as unregulated funds or high commission paying funds, you were unethical or you just hate being professional. Or maybe, you could not keep up with the examinations and qualifications required to maintain your position at the company.

It is also possible that you interviewed with Holborn and were rejected and now you are facing stiff competition for your services.

Either way, I think any potential client should meet with an adviser, visit their offices and even ask to see the license or the adviser’s qualifications and they can make their own minds up. That goes for any financial advisory firm anywhere in the world, not just Holborn.

We have nothing to hide.

How, when and from what source or sources did you acquire my details? including my contact details?

What? regulatory body or bodies are Holborn affiliated with, or subscribe too.

What? overall jurisdiction governs the activities of Holborn as it relates to the pensions side of the business.

If and when a UK pension is transferred offshore, what element of control does the client have? If ? the client wished to have it transferred back to the UK, is this possible? and is it subject to penalties?

Finally, It would be much appreciated if you can email me copies of papers I signed at our meeting.

I received an unsolicited email from a business development manager and within the space of a few minutes a couple of follow-up calls. This person was trying to book me an appointment with a so-called UK qualified financial expert who apparently provides independent advice. This expert is apparently licensed to advise on investment and insurance products.

1. Very few if any Holborn Advisors would be qualified to advise on investments in the UK, this is a complete fallacy. Most only have the minimum level Certificate in International Wealth Management, a single module course from the CISI that anyone with half a brain, a few days study time and a calculator could pass. Many don't even have this.

2. Holborn Assets are not independent, they sell one white-label saving plan which they market under the name Holborn Assets Retirement Plan (HARP), and one lump sum investment product, which investors only get a choice of investing into 3 core holdings - their own broker funds. These products are both supplied by Royal London. Holborn receive volume override commissions on these products (they get paid more than all the other brokers) because they are tied into exclusive agreements. And they also receive a healthy commission on their own Old Broad Street broker funds of course - regardless of their appalling performance!

3. They advertise on the radio that they do not cold call. Cold calling for the solicitation of financial products is illegal in the UAE as they surely know this and yet still conduct telemarketing within the UAE and across the Global. I would like to know how they managed to obtain my private email address, my phone number and then contact me unsolicited?

4. If their financial salesperson is indeed a UK qualified expert, and intentionally making the claims above then he/she is actually deliberately mis-selling the public and also guilty of misrepresentation.

5. Holborn Assets like to slate all the competition saying they are the most professional, qualified, etc, etc, etc. They even contact clients of other brokers with misleading scare tactics, trying to disturb people to switch to them - this is hardly exemplary of the kind of "strong Christian ethic" they claim is at the foundation of their principles.

6. On the message from the CEO on their website, it clearly states that they are regulated in all the countries they do business in. This is again a total fallacy - they do not even have a license in the UAE where their head office is!