As part of the funding growth strategy, the company intends to continue to substantially increase its lending support for the development and long-term finance of all forms of care and supported living accommodation, as well as greatly boost its funding of commercial mortgages for trading businesses across the UK.

The group will also continue to increase its lending to SMEs to support the UK’s post-Covid economic recovery, building on its role in the government’s CBILS and RLS schemes.

Assetz Capital’s increased loan portfolio aims to offer more specialist support to SME housebuilders which may struggle to secure financial support from big banks, as well as further provide investment opportunities for retail and institutional real estate investors.

In addition to its lending target, Assetz also looks to increase its ability to promote decarbonisation of the built environment by committing to ensuring at least 95% of all new homes it funds are EPC B-rated or above by the end of the year.  

Moreover, it plans to play an increasingly active role in the UK supported living and care property sector via Assetz Exchange.

The group’s 2022 strategy is set out in its ‘Investing in a Fairer Future’ report, which also highlights the need for a recovery in SME housebuilding in order to help meet national housing targets, address the housing crisis and satisfy the demand for new energy efficient homes.

•   Property investors face 'huge risk' of stranded assets if they fail to decarbonise
•   Alternative lenders hold the key to unlocking housebuilder potential this year
•   Assetz Capital provides CBILS loan for residential scheme in Essex

Stuart Law, CEO of the Assetz Group (pictured above), said: "Since launching the Assetz group of companies over 20 years ago, our purpose has been consistent — to provide investors who understand risk with an innovative platform which offers healthy returns backed by property security, while putting their capital to work to tackle big social challenges and support undersupplied areas of the market.     

“Through our development, commercial and bridging finance, we have pioneered fractional investment and social impact investing in real estate to meet the needs of modern investors who increasingly want to diversify risk, drive potential returns, avoid the headache of direct asset management and make a positive impact on the world around them.

“At the same time, we have harnessed this appetite to make a meaningful contribution to some of the monumental challenges we are facing in the UK, from decarbonising the built environment and helping people save for the future in a world of low interest rates, to supporting SME developers facing difficult market conditions and increasing the supply of much-needed assisted living accommodation.

“This year, we will go further than ever to support SMEs, catalyse the delivery of low-carbon housing and take a leadership role in boosting the provision of much-needed supported living accommodation to help address the growing crisis in the care sector.

“We have always believed that financial success and making a positive social impact are closely linked, a view we share with an increasing majority of investors who understand that using their capital for the benefit of wider society is the best way to generate sustainable returns long-term.

“In this context, we are laser-focused on growing the group this year to provide even more attractive opportunities for investors, support the growth of UK trading businesses and job creation, and provide increasing numbers of energy efficient homes to those that need them most.”

To date, Assetz Group has funded approximately £2.5bn worth of new housing since 1999 and has helped 1,110 SMEs across the country gain access to alternative finance to fund projects and support business growth.