The members present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023.
The limited liability partnership currently does not make sales. It has been developing relationships with potential clients to allow the instigation of trade as a investment broker once it has the appropriate regulatory permissions.
The members' drawing policy allows each member to draw a proportion of their profit share, subject to the cash requirements of the business.
A member's capital requirement is linked to their share of profit and the financing requirement of the limited liability partnership. There is no opportunity for appreciation of the capital subscribed. Just as incoming members introduce their capital at "par", so the retiring members are repaid their capital at "par".
The designated members who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:
As the LLP has not consumed more than 40,000 kWh of energy in this reporting period, it qualifies as a low energy user under these regulations and is not required to report on its emissions, energy consumption or energy efficiency activities.
The members are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
Company law (as applied by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008) requires the members to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the members have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. Under company law (as applied by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008) the members must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the limited liability partnership and of the profit or loss of the limited liability partnership for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the members are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the limited liability partnership will continue in business.
The members are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the limited liability partnership’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the limited liability partnership and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006 (as applied by The Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008). They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the limited liability partnership and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
We have audited the financial statements of DBG Markets (UK) LLP (the 'limited liability partnership') for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the statement of comprehensive income, the balance sheet, the reconciliation of members' interests, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the limited liability partnership in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the members' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the limited liability partnership’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the members with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The members are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 as applied to limited liability partnerships requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
As explained more fully in the members' responsibilities statement, the members are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the members determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the members are responsible for assessing the limited liability partnership's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the members either intend to liquidate the limited liability partnership or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
The engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
We identified the laws and regulations applicable to the LLP through discussions with partners and other management, and from our commercial knowledge and experience of the industry;
We focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the LLP, including the Companies Act 2006, taxation legislation, Employment Law and Data Protection.
We assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal correspondence. These were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit.
We made enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud; and
We considered the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.
We identified the greatest potential for fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations in the following areas, and our specific procedures performed to address them are described below:
The LLP currently earns no fees so the greatest risk of fraud or error arises in the making of payments and expenses. There is the risk that expenses are inappropriately included for items which are not for business use or valid expenses are not included in the financial statements.
We have assessed that there is a significant risk of material misstatement relating to expense recognition which is pinpointed to the cut off assertion specifically around the year end. To address this risk:
• We obtained an understanding of the expense process and the flow of financial information into the general ledger;
• Performed a proof in total on the rent and a payroll expense by reference to the original contracts in place, calculating the expected expense and comparing to the income recorded in the financial statements.
In common with all audits under ISAs (UK), we are also required to perform specific procedures to respond to the risk of management override. In addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, we tested the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments.
In addition to the above, our procedures to respond to the risks identified included the following:
• reviewing financial statement disclosures by testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with provisions of relevant laws and regulations described as having a direct effect on the financial statements;
• performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud;
• enquiring of management concerning actual and potential litigation and claims, and instances of non-compliance in the year.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Other matters which we are required to address
The financial statement of the LLP for the year ended 31 March 2022, forming the comparative figures in these financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 were not audited because the LLP took advantage of S477 (as applied by The Limited Liability Partnerships (accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008) audit exemption related to small LLPs in the prior period.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the limited liability partnership's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 as applied by the Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the limited liability partnership's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the limited liability partnership and the limited liability partnership's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
The profit and loss account has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.
DBG Markets (UK) LLP is a limited liability partnership incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 110 Bishopsgate, London, EC2N 4AY.
The limited liability partnership's principal activities are disclosed in the Members' Report.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting by Limited Liability Partnerships" issued in December 2021, together with FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the limited liability partnership. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the members have a reasonable expectation that the limited liability partnership has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the members continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Members' participation rights are the rights of a member against the LLP that arise under the members' agreement (for example, in respect of amounts subscribed or otherwise contributed remuneration and profits).
Members' participation rights in the earnings or assets of the LLP are analysed between those that are, from the LLP's perspective, either a financial liability or equity, in accordance with section 22 of FRS 102. A member's participation rights including amounts subscribed or otherwise contributed by members, for example members' capital, are classed as liabilities unless the LLP has an unconditional right to refuse payment to members, in which case they are classified as equity.
All amounts due to members that are classified as liabilities are presented within 'Loans and other debts due to members' and, where such an amount relates to current year profits, they are recognised within ‘Members' remuneration charged as an expense’ in arriving at the relevant year’s result. Undivided amounts that are classified as equity are shown within ‘Members' other interests’. Amounts recoverable from members are presented as debtors and shown as amounts due from members within members’ interests.
Where there exists an asset and liability component in respect of an individual member’s participation rights, they are presented on a gross basis unless the LLP has both a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts, and it intends either to settle on a net basis or to settle and realise these amounts simultaneously, in which case they are presented net.
Profits are divided only after a decision by the LLP or its representative, so the LLP has an unconditional right to refuse payment. Such profits are classed as equity rather than as liabilities. They are therefore shown as a residual amount available for discretionary division among members in arriving at the result for the year and are shown as appropriations of equity when they are allocated.
Losses are divided only after a decision by the LLP or its representative and therefore remain in equity until such a decision is made.
Once an unavoidable obligation has been created in favour of members through allocation of profits or other means, any undrawn profits remaining at the reporting date are shown as ‘Loans and other debts due to members’ to the extent they exceed debts due from a specific member.
Amounts payable to members under employment contracts and unavoidable interest on members capital are charged to “members remuneration charged as an expense” in the relevant year.
The limited liability partnership has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at amortised cost. Financial assets comprise cash at bank and in hand, together with trade and other debtors. A specific provision is made for debts for which recoverability is in doubt.
Cash at bank and in hand is defined as all cash held in instant access bank accounts and used as working capital.
Financial liabilities held at amortised cost comprise all creditors except social security and other taxes, deferred income and provisions.
Assets and liabilities held in foreign currencies are translated to GBP at the balance sheet date at an appropriate year end exchange rate.
The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense, unless those costs are required to be recognised as part of the cost of stock or fixed assets.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the limited liability partnership is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged to profit or loss on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease except where another more systematic basis is more representative of the time pattern in which economic benefits from the leased asset are consumed.
In the application of the limited liability partnership’s accounting policies, the members are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
It is considered that there are no key judgements or sources of estimation uncertainty which affect the accounts of the LLP.
An analysis of the limited liability partnership's turnover is as follows:
The average number of persons (excluding members) employed by the partnership during the year was:
Their aggregate remuneration comprised:
The limited liability partnership operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the limited liability partnership in an independently administered fund.
In the event of a winding up the amounts included in "Loans and other debts due to members" will rank equally with unsecured creditors.
At the reporting end date the limited liability partnership had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows: