Total bridging completions surpassed £10bn in 2025, almost double the 2023 level of £5.76bn, marking a fundamental shift in the property market, according to Jonathan Samuels, CEO of specialist lender Octane Capital.

The company analysed bridging sector completion data across the last three years, including quarterly performance, to assess the changing demand for short-term finance.

Its analysis shows that bridging completions hit £7.34bn in 2024 and £10.03bn last year, despite a modest slowdown in the final quarter with completions totalling just under £2.5bn, a -2.1% reduction on the previous quarter.

Solving uncertainty for borrowers

Samuels said that a combination of factors, such as stubborn inflation, higher interest rates, shifting expectations around the Bank of England base rate, and ongoing geopolitical instability, have contributed to an uncertainty for borrowers that bridging finance can help solve.

He claimed this was reflected not just in the market’s growth but also in the fact that bridging finance is used in a wider range of scenarios, from managing chain breaks and facilitating time-sensitive purchases to enabling refinancing and funding refurbishment works.

“What we’re seeing isn’t just growth in the bridging sector; it’s a reflection of how the wider property market has evolved,” he said.

“Transactions are taking longer, conditions are shifting more frequently, and borrowers are having to navigate a far more complex environment than they were even a few years ago.

Stepping into the gap

“Bridging finance has stepped up and into that gap, providing the speed and flexibility required to keep deals moving when more traditional routes can’t keep pace.”

Samuels said bridging finance had moved beyond a niche or alternative option to become more fundamental than ever.

“It’s increasingly becoming a core part of how property transactions are structured and delivered in today’s market,” he said.