Gulf Islamic Investments has acquired a majority stake in London House Exchange from Better Home & Finance Holding Company following approval from the UK Financial Conduct Authority. Better will remain invested in London House Exchange as a strategic minority shareholder.
GII is a UAE-headquartered Shari’ah-compliant alternative investment group with more than $3 billion in assets under management. The transaction represents the group’s second strategic investment in the UK financial services sector following its investment in Offa, a Shari’ah-compliant mortgage lender.
London House Exchange operates a regulated digital marketplace for fractional UK property investments, enabling investors to access real estate through a platform authorized and regulated by the FCA. Its regulatory permissions also provide the ability to structure, fractionalize, trade, and distribute investment products beyond real estate.
GII plans to use LHX as part of a broader expansion of its international financial services platform. The group intends to develop the business beyond its existing UK property offering into additional alternative investments, with an emphasis on Shari’ah-compliant income-generating investments, private credit opportunities, and equity-linked products through an originate-to-distribute model.
The company also plans to expand LHX geographically and explore regulated tokenization capabilities. GII believes tokenization could support digital ownership of real-world assets while improving operational efficiency, expanding accessibility, and potentially increasing participation in private markets within an established regulatory framework.
The acquisition complements GII’s other financial services operations, including Offa in the UK, Vision Bank, its wholly owned Category 1 licensed digital Islamic bank regulated by Abu Dhabi Global Market, and its expanding private credit platform across the GCC. GII plans to connect these businesses as it develops a more globally integrated, technology-enabled financial services ecosystem.
Founded in 2014, GII invests across private equity, real estate, private credit, and financial services and serves institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, banks, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals across the GCC, Asia, and other international markets.
KEY QUOTES:
“With LHX, GII is making its second strategic investment in the UK financial services sector, building on our investment in Offa, the FCA-regulated Sharia-compliant home finance provider. Alongside Vision Bank, our wholly owned licensed digital Islamic bank in Abu Dhabi, and our expanding private credit platform across the GCC, LHX further advances our ambition to build a globally connected financial services platform. LHX’s compelling proposition and highly experienced team are a strong strategic fit for GII. We look forward to supporting the platform’s growth, broadening access to alternative investment opportunities and creating greater value for clients.”
Utpal Shah, Group CFO At GII
“LHX represents an important addition to GII’s growing financial services ecosystem. We look forward to building on the strong foundations established by the LHX team and leveraging GII’s investment expertise, global network and financial resources to support the platform’s growth. Together, we aim to broaden the range of investment opportunities available to clients and further strengthen LHX’s position as a leading regulated marketplace for alternative investments.”
Anand Periwal, Chief Operating Officer, Financial Services At GII