Octopus Property passes £3bn lending milestone

Having passed the £2bn lending mark in July 2016, the past 18 months have seen Octopus Property transacting record volumes on a monthly basis.

Octopus Property passes £3bn lending milestone

Specialist property lender Octopus Property, part of the Octopus Group has passed the £3bn lending mark, following a period of record growth.

Having passed the £2bn lending mark in July 2016, the past 18 months have seen Octopus Property transacting record volumes on a monthly basis.

Mario Berti, chief executive of Octopus Property, said: “£3bn of lending is a fantastic achievement by everyone at Octopus Property.

“Whilst the real estate debt market has evolved almost beyond recognition since 2009, with the sector seeing many new entrants and departures, our mantra of simplicity, transparency and speed of execution has been the bedrock of our growth.

“Through the breadth of experience of the Octopus Property team and our unparalleled intermediary relationships, we have consistently been able to innovate to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse range of customers.”

Deals have included its largest ever investment facility, £31.3m for a West London Permitted Development scheme, and its largest development loan, more than £2m for a Brighton residential scheme.

Simon Rogerson, chief executive and co-founder of Octopus Group, added:“Octopus Property is fast becoming one of the largest players in the UK specialist lending market.

“The fact it has now hit £3bn of lending is testament to the strength of the team and their focus on delivering exceptional customer service by providing flexible and innovative financing solutions.

“Over the last year or so the business has grown rapidly by creating new products to meet an increasingly diverse range of borrowing requirements.

“It has also raised more institutional funds to support its lending activity as it looks to deliver compelling returns to investors who want exposure to the UK real estate market. We expect this growth to continue. It’s a fantastic business and I’m proud it’s part of the Octopus Group.”

Octopus Property’s growth has been supported by the £7bn AUM Octopus Group, one of a number of sources of capital. Alongside Octopus Group, Octopus Property has raised £400m from institutional investors via two successive commercial real estate debt funds, whilst Octopus Choice, a peer-to-peer platform for retail investors, provides another funding avenue.