In 2025, wealthy buyers are increasingly structured in how they fund UK property purchases. The days of selling down investments to raise capital—particularly for high-value homes in London or large investment acquisitions—are fading. Market conditions, tax considerations and sophisticated private banking solutions have all combined to make asset-backed borrowing the preferred approach among affluent clients.

Many high-net-worth individuals now hold most of their wealth in global investment portfolios, private companies, offshore structures, trusts or long-term strategic allocations. These assets are deliberately positioned for growth, compounding and generational wealth transfer. Liquidating them to fund a property purchase can create tax exposure, interrupt performance, reduce compounding gains and cause unnecessary timing disadvantage—especially in unpredictable markets.

At Willow Private Finance, we work with clients who want to acquire UK property—often worth several million pounds—without interrupting their investment strategy or triggering taxable events. Whether the goal is a Prime Central London residence, a UK base for children studying here, a buy-to-let investment, or a portfolio expansion, wealthy buyers overwhelmingly prefer to raise liquidity in smarter, more tax-efficient ways.

This guide explains how that is achieved and why these approaches have become the standard in 2025.

Why Wealthy Buyers Avoid Selling Investments

For affluent clients, selling investments is rarely about a lack of funds; it is about efficiency. When an investor sells equities, long-term funds, corporate shares or alternative investments, several adverse consequences follow.

Firstly, they may crystallise tax liabilities—sometimes substantial—depending on jurisdiction and the asset class. Secondly, they interrupt the long-term compounding effect that investment portfolios rely upon. Thirdly, they may be forced to sell during a market dip, locking in losses unnecessarily. And finally, they may face restrictions or delays, such as lock-up periods, settlement times or portfolio-manager approval requirements, which make the process slow and cumbersome.

Meanwhile, property markets—particularly in London—rarely wait. When a desirable opportunity appears, the ability to mobilise capital quickly can make the difference between securing the property and losing it. For wealthy buyers who understand the long-term value of leverage, borrowing against assets rather than selling them is the financially superior choice.

How Private Banks Lend Without Requiring Asset Sales

Private banks form the backbone of high-value, asset-backed property finance in 2025. Unlike mainstream lenders, who rely on strict income-multiple affordability, private banks look at total wealth. They consider investment portfolios, liquidity reserves, business holdings, international structures, trust distributions and expected future liquidity events. This approach allows for bespoke lending that is not constrained by the limitations of traditional underwriting.

When working with wealthy clients, private banks typically create a lending relationship that is based on an understanding of the client’s entire financial position. They assess the quality of investable assets, the level of diversification within portfolios, the borrower’s overall liquidity profile and their long-term financial objectives. As a result, approvals for multimillion-pound borrowing can be granted even when traditional income does not appear to justify the loan size. The private bank focuses on wealth sustainability, global financial footprint and the borrower’s overall capacity to manage debt.

For many high-net-worth borrowers, this approach is both flexible and significantly quicker than liquidating assets. The bank can underwrite a large loan or credit facility within weeks, giving clients the speed required for competitive property purchases.

Portfolio-Backed Borrowing: Unlocking Liquidity While Staying Invested

One of the most frequently used strategies among wealthy buyers in 2025 is borrowing against investment portfolios, often referred to as Lombard lending or portfolio credit facilities. Instead of selling shares, funds or managed investments, the borrower pledges them as collateral. The investments remain fully intact and continue to generate returns, dividends and appreciation.

This type of lending is popular among clients whose wealth is primarily portfolio-based—such as corporate executives, entrepreneurs with vested equity awards, and families with multi-generational investment strategies. The crucial advantage is that a client does not have to disturb their long-term allocation or realise gains. The credit facility is secured against the portfolio’s value, allowing the client to release several million pounds of liquidity quickly, often within a matter of days once the facility is established.

These arrangements are typically interest-only, giving clients flexibility and keeping cash flow predictable. Repayment can be scheduled around natural liquidity events—such as the sale of a business, bonus vesting cycles, dividend payouts or the maturity of specific investments—without compromising the integrity of the broader wealth strategy.

Raising Liquidity from Business Holdings Without Extracting Profit

For many wealthy buyers, a significant portion of personal wealth sits within private companies. Extracting funds from a business—whether through dividends, salary, profit distribution or share sales—can create tax inefficiencies, disrupt corporate stability and reduce reinvestment potential.

Specialist lenders and private banks therefore offer structured solutions that allow clients to raise capital while keeping business assets intact. These facilities are arranged following an analysis of the company’s financial performance, balance-sheet strength, long-term contracts, cash flow resilience and the borrower’s ownership stake.

These arrangements are carefully tailored and may involve secured or unsecured lending, depending on the nature of the business and the strength of the financials. The borrower is able to access substantial liquidity for a property purchase without altering the business structure or diminishing future corporate growth potential. This is particularly appealing for entrepreneurs, professional services partners, private company shareholders and family-owned enterprises.

Using Offshore Wealth, Trust Structures and Multi-Jurisdictional Assets

Many high-net-worth individuals hold wealth across multiple jurisdictions. Offshore portfolios, international liquidity accounts, trust arrangements and family-office managed wealth are standard components of global wealth planning. In 2025, banks that operate in the private wealth market are fully accustomed to these structures and often welcome them when underwriting property lending.

The key requirement is clarity. A lender must be able to verify the value, ownership, and accessibility of the assets in question. When documentation is in order, overseas wealth becomes an advantage rather than a complication. Offshore assets may back borrowing directly or be used as part of a broader wealth-based underwriting approach.

This is especially relevant for clients who maintain residency in one country, investment strategy in another, and wish to acquire UK property either for relocation, education, lifestyle or investment. Wealthy buyers frequently use trust income or offshore investments as the basis for borrowing—while keeping generational wealth strategies completely undisturbed.

Interest-Only Lending for High-Net-Worth Clients

Interest-only mortgages are far more widely available at the high end of the market than many buyers realise. Private banks offer these structures routinely, and they are designed specifically for borrowers with significant assets or future liquidity triggers.

Instead of requiring a typical capital repayment plan based on income multiples, lenders take a holistic view of the borrower’s wealth and evaluate the credibility of the long-term repayment strategy. This may include the future sale of international property, a business event, maturing investment portfolios, anticipated trust distributions or the vesting of corporate share awards.

For wealthy clients, interest-only lending is not merely about affordability; it is a strategic financial decision. It preserves capital, reduces immediate monthly outlay and keeps investment assets fully invested.

Short-Term Finance to Bridge the Timing Gap

Speed often matters more than anything else in high-value property acquisitions. Wealthy buyers frequently turn to bridging finance or short-term facilities to complete a purchase quickly while waiting for liquidity from other events such as business transactions, investment redemptions or the setup of a private bank facility.

These short-term arrangements are bespoke and can be secured against UK property, international property or investment portfolios. They are commonly used to secure Prime Central London homes, pre-completion purchases, off-market transactions or opportunities requiring rapid execution.

Once longer-term funding becomes available—either through asset-backed lending, portfolio facilities or planned liquidity events—the bridging loan is refinanced or repaid.

Why These Approaches Dominate in 2025

In 2025, wealthy buyers operate in a world of fluctuating markets, evolving tax environments and increasing complexity in how wealth is structured globally. Selling investments rarely aligns with long-term strategy unless absolutely necessary. Borrowing against assets, on the other hand, is both efficient and aligned with modern wealth management principles.

Private banks have also continued to evolve. Their ability to model complex wealth, evaluate international portfolios and underwrite long-term financial structures has made asset-backed borrowing seamless. This shift has opened the door for affluent buyers to purchase multi-million-pound UK property quickly, efficiently and without compromising broader financial plans.

Hypothetical Scenario

A client with a substantial global investment portfolio recently purchased a £5m London property using a private bank credit facility secured against their holdings. Not a single investment was sold, and the transaction completed in under a month.

Another borrower—a European entrepreneur—raised liquidity using structured lending based on retained profits within a privately owned business. Extracting these funds directly would have generated significant tax exposure; borrowing instead preserved both the business and the client’s wealth strategy.

A family office buyer used internationally managed portfolios and offshore liquidity reserves to fund a Prime Central London acquisition. The lender assessed the global wealth structure comprehensively and produced a bespoke, interest-only facility tailored to long-term generational planning.

These examples reflect typical behaviour among affluent buyers in 2025.

Outlook for 2025 and Beyond

As markets diversify and global wealth becomes increasingly dynamic, lenders will continue refining asset-backed lending offerings. Wealthy buyers can expect even more sophisticated portfolio solutions, faster credit line approvals and more flexible underwriting from private banks. The use of credit facilities, structured business lending and offshore wealth in property finance will remain a dominant trend well into 2026 and beyond.

How Willow Private Finance Can Help

Willow Private Finance specialises in structuring lending for clients who want to acquire UK property without selling investments. We work with private banks, specialist lenders and international wealth platforms capable of assessing global portfolios, offshore assets, business holdings and trust structures. Our expertise lies in creating efficient, tax-sensitive funding strategies that preserve long-term wealth while enabling buyers to complete quickly on high-value acquisitions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Can I buy a UK property without selling my investments?
Yes. Wealthy buyers regularly use portfolio-backed lending, private bank credit lines and structured solutions that allow investments to remain fully intact.

Q2: Do private banks lend against investment portfolios?
Yes. Many private banks offer lending secured against diversified investment portfolios, allowing borrowers to stay invested throughout.

Q3: Can I raise funds from a business without extracting profits?
In many cases, yes. Structured lending against business financials is a common strategy among entrepreneurs and company owners.

Q4: Can offshore or trust assets be used to support lending?
Yes. Lenders familiar with international wealth structures can use offshore portfolios, trust distributions or family office assets within underwriting.

Q5: Is interest-only lending available for high-net-worth clients?
It is widely available. Private banks use wealth-based underwriting to approve interest-only structures.



Q6: Is this type of borrowing fast?
Often, it is significantly faster than selling investments. Many facilities complete within weeks.

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