Pluto Finance secures £30m debt investment from Wales Pension Partnership

By Bridging Loan Directory 6th March 2025

Pluto Finance, the specialist development and bridge lender, announces a major expansion into Wales, targeting an initial £30m of lending in 2025.

Pluto is working with the Wales Pension Partnership (WPP), a collaboration of the eight LGPS funds serving Wales, to provide capital ringfenced for deployment in Wales, with a focus on funding housebuilders and developers to deliver much needed local, affordable housing.

WPP will invest through Pluto Finance’s innovative local impact programme.

This allows LGPS Funds and Pools to deliver meaningful placed-based investment and local impact, whilst maintaining their diversification to a national loan portfolio.

The commitment particularly supports SME housebuilders, a sector which is struggling to access bank funding after recent regulatory changes.

With inherently local supply chains, and a focus on building sustainable communities, SME housebuilders are also three times more likely to deliver the most energy efficient homes compared to the national housebuilders.

Private Debt is a critical component in the government’s plan to build 1.5m new homes, with the ability to recycle investments having a compounding effect on the number of new homes built.

WPP can support tangible impact to Welsh communities through the delivery of much needed affordable homes, directly driving regional economic growth, local regeneration and SME job creation.

Cllr Elwyn Williams (Chair of the Joint Governance Committee), on behalf of the Wales Pension Partnership, said:

“The Wales Pension Partnership is committed to providing productive capital into Wales and we are delighted to have found a solution that delivers both in financial and local impact terms.

This investment made through our private debt allocator, Russell Investments, will look to support both the Welsh economy and the affordable housing needs of our local community.”

Ashley Manning-Brown, Head of UK Investor Solutions at Pluto Finance, said:

“We are thrilled to be working with the Wales Pensions Partnership, to help them deliver a step change in local, affordable housing.

By utilising our innovative approach to place-based investment, the WPP will be supporting local communities and their housing needs, while delivering investment and SME job creation into the region.”