Credas is now part of SmartSearch. What that means for your practice.
The acquisition completed on 7 January 2026. Nobody has said Credas is closing, and this page does not suggest it. What has changed is who owns the contract, the price and the roadmap, and that makes this a sensible moment to check what your firm is paying and what it signed.
TL;DR: Quick Summary
- •SmartSearch completed its acquisition of Credas on 7 January 2026, having announced it in October 2025. Terms were not disclosed, and the combined business says it serves more than 8,500 regulated firms.
- •Nobody has announced that Credas is closing. What has changed is who owns the roadmap, the contract and the pricing, and that is the moment to look at what you are paying and what you signed.
- •Ask your account manager four things in writing: what happens to my contract terms, what happens to my price at renewal, what happens to the product I use today, and how do I get my records out.
- •Whatever you decide, export your AML evidence now. Migrations are exactly when records go missing, and under MLR 2017 Regulation 40 the five year duty sits with your firm.
- •Certivus publishes every price: 5 free checks, then £2.49 for a full KYC and AML check, falling to £1.13 on a retainer, with monitoring at £0.99 per client a year and no contract.
Answer-first summary
What does the SmartSearch acquisition of Credas mean for my firm?
Your supplier now has a new owner, which means the contract, the price and the product roadmap are set by a different company. Nothing about your obligations changes: your firm still has to run customer due diligence and keep the evidence for five years. The practical steps are to export your records, get your renewal date and notice window in writing, ask what happens to the product you use, and compare your renewal quote against a published price before you re-sign.
- Completed 7 January 2026, announced October 2025, terms undisclosed
- Combined business says 8,500+ regulated firms
- No announcement that Credas is closing
- Contracts usually change at renewal, not on completion day
Four questions for your account manager
Ask for the answers in writing, and ask before renewal is close.
- 1
Do my current contract terms carry over, and until when?
An acquisition does not automatically change your contract, but renewal is where terms get rewritten. Ask for your end date and notice window in writing now, not at renewal.
- 2
What happens to my price at the next renewal?
Neither company publishes a rate card, so the only figure that matters is the one you are quoted. Ask for it early enough to compare it against published prices elsewhere.
- 3
What happens to the product my team uses today?
Two platforms owned by one company usually converge eventually. Ask what is supported, what is being invested in, and what the plan is for the journey your clients currently see.
- 4
How do I export my full AML evidence, and in what format?
You want the evidence itself, client by client, not a report. Ask before anything moves.
Export your records before anything moves
A platform migration is the most common moment for evidence to go missing: formats change, older files are archived, and the person who knew where things were has moved on.
MLR 2017 Regulation 40 requires your firm to keep customer due diligence records for five years after the business relationship ends. That duty belongs to the firm. Download the identity evidence, the screening results and the check history for every client now, whatever you decide about suppliers.
Five steps while the migration is happening
- 1
Export your records while everything is still where you left it
Identity evidence, screening results and check history for every client, saved into your firm's own AML file. This is your five year record under Regulation 40 and it belongs to the firm, not the supplier.
- 2
Get your renewal date and notice window in writing
The date decides your options. A firm that finds out three weeks before renewal has fewer choices than one that knew six months out.
- 3
Run a real check somewhere else before you re-sign
Use 5 free Certivus checks on live clients. No card, no sales call. Compare the evidence file with the one you get today, on your own clients rather than a demo account.
- 4
Compare the quote against a published price
Ask for your renewal quote in writing, then set it beside our rate card: £2.49 a full check, £1.13 on a retainer, £0.99 per client a year for monitoring. If theirs is better, stay.
- 5
Move your list when you are ready, not when the migration says so
Client list in by CSV with existing risk ratings preserved. Run both for a cycle so nothing lapses, then close the old account once your notice period is served.
What carries over if you move to Certivus
Your client list
Imported by CSV, with names, entity type and identifiers.
Your risk ratings
Mapped across with the reason recorded, so your file does not look like it began the day you switched.
Your historical evidence
You export it and keep it. No supplier needs to hold it for your firm to stay compliant.
Your monitoring
Re-established at £0.99 per client a year once the list is in.
When to stay where you are
- You want the scale the combined business now has, across property, legal, financial services and accountancy in one supplier.
- The biometric and identity journey your clients already use is the thing you value most, and it is staying.
- Your renewal quote comes back competitive against published prices, and the contract terms suit you.
We wrote this page and we make Certivus, so weigh it accordingly. The acquisition facts come from the companies' own announcements. Neither Credas nor SmartSearch publishes prices, so nothing here states what you pay or will pay. Ask them, in writing, and compare it with our published rates.
Common questions
Answer-first summary
Has SmartSearch bought Credas?
Yes. SmartSearch announced the acquisition in October 2025 and completed it on 7 January 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed. The combined business says it serves more than 8,500 regulated firms across financial services, legal, accountancy, property and insurance.
Answer-first summary
Is Credas closing down?
No such announcement has been made, and this page does not claim one. What has changed is ownership of the product, the contract and the pricing. Ask your account manager what is happening to the product your team uses, and ask for the answer in writing.
Answer-first summary
Will my Credas price or contract change?
Neither Credas nor SmartSearch publishes a rate card, so nobody outside those companies can tell you. Contracts usually change at renewal rather than on the day of an acquisition, which is why the useful step is to get your renewal date, notice window and quote in writing early.
Answer-first summary
What should I do with my AML records during a migration?
Export them now, before anything moves. Under MLR 2017 Regulation 40 your firm keeps customer due diligence records for five years after the business relationship ends, and that duty stays with the firm whichever software you use. Download the identity evidence, screening results and check history for every client and store them in your own AML file.
Answer-first summary
Why would an accountancy practice look at Certivus now?
Because a migration reopens the supplier decision, and the two things practices tell us they want at that moment are a price they can see and the freedom to leave. Certivus publishes every price, has no contract and no seat fees, and is built inside a working UK accountancy practice that runs its own AML on it every day. If you need multi sector coverage at scale, the combined SmartSearch business is the better fit and we will say so.