For advisers, this Budget comes at a time when clients are increasingly looking for planning tools that feel stable, strategic and defensible. With talk of potential tax rises and long-standing incentives facing scrutiny, many clients are reassessing their options. Headlines about high-net-worth migration add to the mood, with surveys suggesting nearly half would consider leaving the UK if a wealth tax were introduced and some forecasts pointing to a potential £16.5 billion outflow in 2025. Even if parts of this data are challenged*, it reflects a wider truth: clients want clarity.

In that context, SEIS and EIS offer something different. They sit within one of the few areas of tax policy that enjoys long-term stability and cross-party support. At the same time, they connect directly to the parts of the UK economy that continue to grow and attract global capital. For advisers, this combination makes SEIS and EIS not only relevant but increasingly central to confident planning conversations.

Certainty where it matters

The extension of EIS and VCT reliefs to 2035 provided the longest period of certainty these schemes have ever had. The government’s Start-Up Review then reinforced this direction, stating clearly that SEIS, EIS and R&D credits remain essential to the UK’s innovation strategy.

When so many other reliefs are subject to review, this consistency stands out. Early-stage capital is not simply permitted within the tax system. It is prioritised.

A venture market aligned with adviser goals

SEIS and EIS operate within a rapidly shifting global market. The UK now accounts for 5.8% of global venture investment and has a larger VC market than the rest of Europe combined*. More than 8,000 VC-backed businesses operate here, employing over 315,000 people. Globally, SaaS investment reached $125 billion last year, up 29%. Across Europe, 47% of VC deals are in SaaS. In the UK, SaaS companies raised £1.67 billion in Q1 2025, up 41% on the previous quarter.

These trends reflect where genuine economic momentum sits. They also mirror the types of companies that typically qualify for SEIS and EIS. Capital-efficient B2B SaaS, automation and data-driven tools form the backbone of modern innovation. This is the space Haatch invests in every day: businesses solving real operational problems for companies worldwide.

How advisers can position this right now

The current environment creates a natural opening for advisers to bring SEIS and EIS into core planning discussions.

Clients worried about potential tax rises respond well to understanding that SEIS and EIS provide the most generous tax reliefs available in the UK market, offering income tax relief, CGT deferral, tax-free returns, IHT relief and loss relief for a tax-efficient cushion. It’s the only product available where clients can access the luxury of multiple reliefs in one to access retrospective tax reliefs, and reduce their capital exposure.

Those questioning the UK’s competitiveness can be shown that the early-stage sector remains one of the country’s strongest, with significant global investment flowing into it.

Long-term planners can benefit from exposure to a part of the market with a 0.01% correlation to public markets, strengthening both diversification and resilience.

This moves the conversation away from reacting to headlines and toward building forward-looking, opportunity-driven plans.

My view

As we move into Budget week, advisers should feel confident discussing SEIS and EIS. Uncertainty across parts of the tax system may continue, but the early-stage space is on a very different trajectory. It enjoys long-term policy backing, aligns with national economic priorities and continues to draw in global capital.

With global equity markets increasingly volatile, SEIS and EIS offer an opportunity to de-risk whilst realising some of the gains generated in the bull market. These schemes are becoming a part of mainstream tax planning, helping clients build plans that are resilient, diversified and aligned with where growth is genuinely happening.

Written by Olivia Drinnan, Director of Adviser Fundraising at Haatch

Sources:

Nearly half of HNWIs would consider leaving the UK if a wealth tax were introduced

(Arton Capital Wealth Tax Survey, 2023, https://www.imidaily.com/analysis/survey-finds-wealth-tax-could-prompt-half-of-british-hnwis-to-leave/)

Forecast of £16.5 billion HNWI outflow in 2025

(Henley & Partners Millionaire Migration Report, 2024, https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/henley-private-wealth-migration-report-2024)

Millionaire migration methodology challenged

(Tax Justice Network, 2024, https://taxjustice.net/press/millionaire-exodus-did-not-occur-study-reveals/)

Extension of EIS and VCT reliefs to 2035

(HM Government, 2023, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/extension-of-the-enterprise-investment-scheme-and-venture-capital-trust-scheme)

Government Start-Up Review confirms SEIS, EIS and R&D essential to innovation

(Labour Party Start-Up Review, 2024, https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Start-Up-Breakthrough-Report.pdf)

UK accounts for 5.8% of global venture investment

(British Business Bank, 2024, https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/news-and-events/news/uk-now-third-largest-venture-capital-market-world-biggest-increase-share-global-investment)

UK VC market larger than the rest of Europe combined

(Tech Nation, 2025, https://report.technation.io/)

Over 8,000 VC-backed businesses employing 315,000 people

(BVCA Venture Capital in the UK Report, 2024, https://www.bvca.co.uk/resource/venture-capital-in-the-uk-2024.html)

Global SaaS investment reached $125 billion, up 29%

(Gartner Software Forecast Update, 2024, https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/)

47% of European VC deals are in SaaS

(Atomico State of European Tech, 2024, https://stateofeuropeantech.com/)

Early-stage venture capital shows near-zero correlation to public markets

(ONEVC, 2023, https://medium.com/onevc/is-venture-capital-uncorrelated-with-the-public-equities-market-4fe8fb310760)