Buyers from the Gulf Cooperation Council states, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait among them, form one of the two largest international purchaser groups in prime central London, alongside American buyers, with particularly strong concentration in Knightsbridge, where GCC families have anchored a presence for decades around addresses like One Hyde Park.
Speak to GMG about releasing equity from your UK property. Donald Klip, Co-Founder and CIO, Global Mortgage Group.
[email protected] | +65 9773 0273 | www.gmg.asia
For many GCC families, a London property is not a standalone purchase but one component of a wider global portfolio spanning real estate, private equity and public market investments across several jurisdictions, typically managed through a family office structure rather than held in an individual's personal name.
Structuring Around Family Office and Sharia-Compliant Considerations
GCC buyers frequently hold UK property through a combination of trusts, offshore companies and family office investment vehicles, reflecting both succession planning priorities and, for some families, a preference for Sharia-compliant financing structures that avoid conventional interest-bearing debt in favour of alternative structures such as Ijara or Murabaha-based arrangements. Lenders serving this segment need genuine familiarity with both conventional and Islamic finance structuring to serve the full range of GCC client preferences.
"Gulf families think about a London property the way they think about every other asset in the portfolio: what role does it play, what structure holds it, and does the financing align with the family's broader approach, which for some families includes a genuine preference for Sharia-compliant structures rather than conventional lending."
- Donald Klip, Co-Founder and CIO, Global Mortgage Group
Currency and the Dollar Peg Advantage
Most GCC currencies, including the UAE dirham and Saudi riyal, are pegged to the US dollar, meaning GCC buyers benefit from broadly the same currency dynamics against sterling as American buyers, and have similarly found periods of favourable purchasing power in prime central London given the market's discount from its 2014 peak.
Given the scale of some GCC family transactions, facilities are frequently structured with reference to the family's total global asset base rather than the London property alone, allowing larger facilities and more flexible terms than a standalone assessment of the UK asset would support.
Financing Considerations Specific to GCC Buyers
- Strong preference among some families for Sharia-compliant financing structures
- Heavy use of family office and trust structures requiring structure-aware underwriting
- Dollar-pegged Gulf currencies broadly track USD movements against sterling
- Facilities often sized against total family wealth rather than the London property alone
About Global Mortgage Group
Global Mortgage Group (GMG) is a Singapore-headquartered cross-border real estate finance firm operating across 23+ jurisdictions, specialising in equity release, bridging loans and structured property finance for international property owners. GMG works with private clients, family offices and their advisers to unlock capital held in prime residential real estate.
Donald Klip, Co-Founder and CIO
[email protected] | +65 9773 0273 | www.gmg.asia
This is part of GMG's Unlocked in the UK nationality guide series. The next guide covers Hong Kong buyers.
