Private equity form Inflexion has acquired Ascend Broking Group, which is based in Essex and has around 30 employees. Inflexion said the deal also marked the launch of a new insurance broker platform that would support independent brokers in managing everything from regulatory compliance and IT systems to corporate infrastructure and back-office finance.

The investment is being made by Inflexion’s Enterprise Fund VI, which it said closed at £975m in 2024 and had significant capacity to make future acquisitions to build the new platform proposition.

Dominic Clark, investment director at Inflexion, said: “We are focused on value creation in the insurance broker market and want to work with intermediaries seeking an independent and entrepreneurial home.

“We are designing the platform to attract hub firms, facilitate bolt-on M&A and build a group with a coherent backbone across strategy, talent and services. Founders joining us now will help to shape the development of the business and be culture-makers.”

Matthew Collins, managing director of Ascend Broking Group, added: “We wanted to accelerate our growth and Inflexion stood out as a partner because they aim to build a group that takes the operational burden off brokers’ shoulders empowering us to focus on what we do best.”