GII takes control of London House Exchange with a broader investment range planned

Gulf Islamic Investments has acquired a majority stake in London House Exchange following FCA approval, with Better Home & Finance retaining a minority holding. LHX’s announcement was published on 30 September; its subsequent FAQ confirms the transaction completed that day. The purchase changes control of the platform operator.[1][2]

The strategy is to use LHX to distribute a broader range of alternative investments, including private credit and Sharia-compliant income assets, alongside opportunities originated by GII. The announcement also identifies technology investment and exploration of regulated real-world-asset tokenisation. It gives neither the purchase price nor the exact percentage acquired.[1]

What GII has bought, and what clients own

LHX’s investment-structure guide explains that an investor holds a beneficial interest in shares of a UK company established for a particular property. Each property has its own special purpose vehicle. Property Partner Nominee Limited, a wholly owned LHX subsidiary, holds the legal title to the shares on investors’ behalf.[3]

The operator’s sale changes control of the marketplace while investors retain their separate interests in property companies. Investors seeking to leave still need an exchange buyer or a completed underlying-property sale.

The product direction changes before existing contracts do

The FAQ says legacy non-Sharia-compliant products remain active, while future products will be structured to be Sharia-compliant. Existing fixed-income investments retain their maturity dates, rates and repayment arrangements. New offers are to arrive progressively over months and years, subject to regulatory and internal approvals; clients would choose whether to participate.[2]

GII-originated opportunities would introduce a related-party relationship between the platform’s controlling shareholder and some investments it distributes. LHX says those relationships would be disclosed and subject to its product-governance, due-diligence and approval standards.[2]

GII’s pipeline could broaden the platform’s range. For clients, the material question is how LHX applies its pricing, security and disclosure standards to investments supplied by its controlling shareholder.

The ownership announcement did not create new liquidity

LHX paused exchange trading for the announcement and scheduled resumption for 11:00 on 5 October. The FAQ said active orders would remain in place and deposits and withdrawals could continue during the pause.[2]

The platform’s separate risk document makes the exit constraints explicit: a shareholder can offer an investment for sale, but another buyer may be unwilling to pay the requested price or to buy at all. An exit through a property’s anniversary process depends on selling the underlying asset, which can take months and remains subject to market conditions.[4]

The same document distinguishes mortgage bonds from property shares. Mortgage bonds have no secondary market; repayment depends on the underlying property sales and can be delayed. A broader product range therefore does not imply that every investment will share the exchange’s trading arrangements.[4]

A future tokenised offer would need to define the rights being transferred and the mechanism for exit. Its liquidity would depend on buyers, repayment or asset sales, just as the existing investment structures do.

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