Arbuthnot Banking Group Raises Profit Forecast on Wealth Asset Surge

The group’s trading update for the quarter ending September 30 reveals a broad-based expansion, with customer loans and leased assets climbing 12 percent to £2.5 billion. Deposits followed a similar trajectory, growing 10 percent to reach £4.9 billion. Notably, the wealth management division shifted to a net profit during the period, driven largely by the firm's planning arm, which secured two-thirds of the year’s total inflows.

Specialist lending subsidiaries acted as a primary engine for this growth, expanding by 26 percent over the last twelve months. Both Arbuthnot Commercial Asset Based Lending and Renaissance Asset Finance reported gains exceeding 40 percent. The commercial lending unit specifically saw its loan book reach £305.6 million, bolstered by a influx of new clients and an uptick in private equity-sponsored transactions. These results stand in contrast to rivals like Brooks Macdonald and Close Brothers, which have recently faced flatter asset growth or stagnant lending figures.