Commercial real estate lending platform launches in U.K. with $540m of institutional funding

Waypark Capital, a new commercial real estate lending platform in the United Kingdom, has launched with £450 million ($540 million) of institutional funding.

The London-based platform will seek to originate small and middle-market commercial real estate loans in the United Kingdom, providing borrowers with tailored loans and financial solutions of between £2 million ($2.4 million) and £20 million ($24 million).

The lender’s current pipeline already exceeds £150 million ($180 million) of loans, and it is on track to close a number of transactions next month.

“Banks’ dominance of the U.K. real estate credit market has decreased considerably over the last decade,” said Nicolas Vocos, CEO of Waypark Capital. “We expect this trend to continue as the pandemic disruption contributes to tighter regulation and lowers risk tolerance from traditional providers of real estate finance. Our lending platform is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this opportunit