Bridging and development lender, Pallas Capital, has announced its launch in the UK.
Pallas Capital is part of Pallas Group — operational in Australia, New Zealand and the UK with over 230 employees globally — which manages a loan book of £1.8 billion and has completed more than 1,100 loans and other investment types worth close to £2.75 billion since 2016.
The Group has secured over £1bn of institutional capital, including major funding lines currently with Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, National Australia Bank and Westpac.
Pallas Capital’s product range in the UK spans residential, mixed-use and commercial bridging, development exit, light and heavy refurbishment, vacant land and development finance.
The offering is designed to support borrowers at every stage of the property lifecycle, including acquisition, development, refinancing and transitional assets - with an emphasis on speed, certainty of execution and tailored structuring.
The lender's executive director, Ben Keenan — who brings 24 years of legal and commercial experience across real estate and structured finance — returns to London where he previously spent 18 years living and working in the city. During that time, he served as general counsel and an executive board member of a global tier one contractor, giving him local insight into the UK development landscape.
Ben has relocated from Pallas Capital’s Australian headquarters to lead the establishment of the company’s UK presence.
Ben Keenan (pictured) said: “The UK mid-market may be crowded, but too many developers and brokers still face slow processes, shifting credit appetite and inconsistent service. Pallas is built to change that.
“We’re a well-funded and execution driven lender, with a reputation for focussing on customer experience, and a commitment to being best in class wherever we operate.
“Our platform has delivered on this commitment in Australia and New Zealand; we see a major opportunity to bring that standard to the UK.”
Uliana Kuzmis (pictured) joins as chief credit officer and brings over 20 years of expertise in underwriting, credit risk, and transformational leadership.
As former deputy managing director at Hampshire Trust Bank, she spearheaded a division-wide restructuring that doubled credit approvals and earned multiple industry awards.
Uliana commented: “There is a clear need for platforms that can balance rigorous credit assessment with commercial agility. Pallas Capital’s track record demonstrates exactly that. I’m looking forward to shaping a credit framework that supports responsible lending while enabling developers and investors to progress high-quality projects with confidence.”
