Jonathan Samuels, CEO of specialist lender, Octane Capital, believes that the UK bridging sector surpassing £10bn in annual completions, following a substantial year-on-year increase, reflects a fundamental shift in the property market, where increased complexity is making speed and certainty of funding more important than ever.
Octane Capital analysed bridging sector completion data across the last three years, including quarterly performance, in order to assess how demand for short-term finance has evolved in response to changing market conditions.
The latest analysis by Octane Capital shows that total bridging completions reached an estimated £10.03bn in 2025, up from £7.34bn in 2024 and £5.76bn in 2023, highlighting a significant expansion in the role of specialist finance within the wider lending landscape.
Despite this strong annual growth, the final quarter of 2025 saw a modest slowdown, with completions totalling just under £2.5bn, a -2.1% reduction on the previous quarter. However, this minor dip does little to detract from what has been a record year for the sector overall.
The sustained growth seen across the bridging market comes at a time when the wider property landscape has become increasingly difficult to navigate. Stubborn inflation, higher interest rates, shifting expectations around the Bank of England base rate, and ongoing geopolitical instability have all contributed to a more uncertain environment for borrowers.
As a result, transactions are becoming more complex, timelines are becoming less predictable, and borrowers are increasingly required to adapt to changing conditions mid-process.
In this environment, bridging finance is playing an increasingly central role, providing the speed and flexibility required to keep transactions moving when traditional lending routes are slower to respond or unable to accommodate shifting circumstances.
This is reflected not just in the growth of the market, but in how bridging is being used. From managing chain breaks and facilitating time-sensitive purchases, through to enabling refinancing and funding refurbishment works, bridging is increasingly being utilised as a practical solution to real-time challenges within the property market.
Jonathan Samuels, CEO of Octane Capital, commented:
“What we’re seeing isn’t just growth in the bridging sector, it’s a reflection of how the wider property market has evolved.
Transactions are taking longer, conditions are shifting more frequently, and borrowers are having to navigate a far more complex environment than they were even a few years ago.
Bridging finance has stepped up and into that gap, providing the speed and flexibility required to keep deals moving when more traditional routes can’t keep pace.
While there will always be short-term fluctuations, particularly in response to wider economic or geopolitical events, the role of bridging within the market has become far more fundamental.
It’s no longer simply a niche or alternative option, it’s increasingly becoming a core part of how property transactions are structured and delivered in today’s market.”
