Specialist real estate lender and investor MERA Investment Management, backed by a US credit fund, is planning to deploy £100m into real estate development and investment equity opportunities in the UK.
The cash will be used to launch and expand MERA’s new dedicated joint ventures department, which aims to unlock commercial and residential projects that may otherwise stall due to a lack of equity capital.
MERA will now look to partner with experienced developers and firms to provide equity investments of £5m to £15m per project. It will also target projects that have a two- to three-year delivery timeframe with a spread of liquidity and exit strategies.
The new department will selectively pursue opportunities including the repositioning or repurposing of existing assets, such as office conversions.
The firm has already financed two joint venture projects, signing its largest deal to date by partnering with Winslade Park to support the development of the £100m mixed-use scheme in Exeter.
The firm said the new lending stream reflected a growing wave of interest from US institutional capital wanting to grow their UK real estate exposure, with transatlantic investment flows into UK property on the rise. North American investors represented 42% of all overseas investment in UK commercial real estate in the first half of 2025, deploying £8bn.
This comes after the firm launched plans to lend or invest a between £150m and £250m of private capital in prime UK real estate in November 2024. MERA has already deployed around £125m into secure loans and has a further pipeline of potential joint venture deals.
Antony Iannaccone, chief investment officer at MERA, said: “Deal flow across the market is strong but many operators are struggling to find the preferred equity required to bring projects forward.
“At the same time, we are seeing growing appetite from US investors looking to increase their exposure to UK real estate. With its stable legal and regulatory framework and depth of liquidity, the UK remains one of the most attractive destinations for global property capital, particularly at a time when pricing adjustments have created compelling entry points.”
