 Boutique real estate lender, Mera Investment Management (“Mera IM”), has secured significant equity backing from a private family office to accelerate its growth plans and future lending ambitions. With the additional fire power, Mera IM is now seeking to deploy some £100m of lending this year. As part of its ongoing growth strategy, Mera IM will be developing its existing team and investing in technology to service increased demand from borrowers. The deal reflects the unprecedented appetite from high-net-worth investors to pursue opportunities in the direct lending space, as highlighted in the new UBS Global Family Office Report. Goldman Sachs provided further commentary in this space, reporting that 30% of family offices intend to increase their exposure to private credit.
Ed Matthews, Chief Executive of Mera IM said: “Having built our lending business organically over the past 15 months, this latest equity injection is a significant accelerator to our plans as we seek to grow our team and our lending pipeline. Given the current interest rate climate and continued lack of activity from high street lenders, the demand from investors for private credit has skyrocketed. Securing this growth funding enables us to progress opportunities with other HNWI’s and family offices who want to invest in our lending activities.” Jan Fletcher OBE, chairman of Mera IM said “we have been partnering with Mera IM for a number of years, and are excited to now provide the financial firepower for the company to be one of the UK’s leading providers of real estate finance.” Mera focuses on senior, mezzanine and joint venture equity opportunities in UK real estate, predominantly within the prime Central London residential arena, but will also operate nationwide. Earlier this year, Mera IM provided an £11m loan to a pan-European institutional investor secured against the Red Lion collection of renovated pubs and inns located across the south-east of England, and is closing a new £22m loan secured against a trophy residential estate. Mera IM is a specialist real estate lender founded in late 2019 by ex-Topland financier, Ed Matthews, and backed by private client capital. Having concluded its first loan in 2020 and delivered £30m of new lending in 2022, the specialist lender is targeting ambitious growth for 2023 as it seeks to build up the team with a number of new hires and deploy significant capital into senior and mezzanine loans. Mera IM was advised by Tom Bussy and James Taylor of Osborne Clarke. Comments are closed.
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