Introducer agreements: what UK and international partners should know

What is an introducer agreement?

An introducer agreement is a written contract in which one party (the introducer) agrees to bring a business opportunity to another and the other agrees to pay a fee if the introduction leads to a deal. "Introducer" is mostly UK and Commonwealth usage; in the US the same arrangement is usually called a referral or finder agreement.

The label matters less than the content. What a regulator or court looks at is what you actually do, what you are paid for, and whether the activity falls inside a regulated field. For a partner outside the US introducing a US operating company to SourceX for data licensing, the practical questions are narrower than a generic introducer template assumes.

This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm with your own counsel, tax adviser or professional body before acting.

Introducer, referrer, finder and agent: how do they differ?

SourceX uses the referral partner model. A partner makes an introduction and gives basic fit information. A partner does not negotiate, describe confidential records, or handle data. The what is a referral partner page sets out the role.

When do UK-style introducer rules apply?

They apply when what you introduce is a regulated product or service, not because you are called an introducer. In the UK, introducer arrangements most often come up where the introduction relates to financial products or services, which are regulated activities. Whether any financial-services rule touches you depends on facts about your own activity, and the UK regulator's published guidance and a UK adviser are the places to confirm it.

Introducing a company so it can license its operational records to AI developers is not, on its face, an introduction to a financial product. That is a general statement about the subject matter, not a clearance for your situation. If you are a regulated person, such as an authorized adviser, accountant or lawyer, your own regulator's rules on referral fees, conflicts and disclosure apply separately and are often stricter than the program's.

Do US securities rules matter to an overseas introducer?

Only if the activity is really about securities. US federal law requires brokers to register, and the SEC's guide to broker-dealer registration explains how it defines a broker, including the relevance of transaction-based compensation. A data-licensing introduction is not a securities sale, but a fee tied to a deal outcome is the pattern regulators watch, so do not stretch the role into negotiating or advising on an equity transaction.

Do not rely on a finder exemption. The SEC's October 2020 proposed finder exemption was proposed, not adopted, and no exemption or safe harbor should be assumed to cover SourceX partners. If your activity edges toward financing, equity or an M&A mandate, get advice before you act.

What should an international introducer agreement cover?

For a cross-border introducer, the clauses that carry most weight are listed below. Compare them with the signed SourceX partner agreement and the published program terms.

1. Scope: what counts as an introduction, and that it is limited to US companies.
2. Attribution: how credit is decided and for how long, which the attribution window explainer covers.
3. Payment trigger: when money becomes payable. In this program, only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee.
4. Currency, tax forms and withholding: who is responsible, and which forms the payer needs from a non-US person.
5. Disclosure: that you will tell the company you may be paid if it proceeds.
6. Data protection: that you share only business contact details the person agreed to share.
7. Governing law and disputes: which country's law and which forum.
8. Records and audit: what you can see, see audit and reporting rights.
9. Exclusivity: whether you may refer elsewhere, see exclusive vs non-exclusive agreements.

Tax paperwork for a non-US partner

A non-US individual or company normally gives the payer a Form W-8 rather than a Form W-9. The IRS describes individuals' certificates at About Form W-8 BEN and entities' at About Form W-8 BEN-E. Which form fits, and whether treaty relief or withholding applies, depends on your residence and structure. Ask your tax adviser; do not infer it from this page.

Situations and what to check

What the SourceX program says

Partners can join from any supported country, and licensed professionals should check their own rules on referral fees and disclosure. Rewards are 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects, capped at $100,000 cumulative per referred company, and they become payable only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee. No reward is guaranteed. The reward is a share of SourceX's fee and is never deducted from what the company receives. Tiers and any economics beyond those facts are set by the signed agreement and the terms.

Next step

Read the program terms, take them to your own adviser, and then register as a partner. The guide for international partners covers the practical side, and the employee count guide helps you check a company against the size baseline. The partner portal explainer shows what you can track after the introduction, and the introduction email builder drafts the owner-approved message.