BLME acquires Renaissance Asset Finance

Bank of London and The Middle East  one of Britain's five full-fledged Islamic banks, is set to acquire Renaissance Asset Finance as part of efforts to grow its leasing business.

Dubai-listed BLME said in a statement the acquisition would be finalised in early April, without disclosing a deal size.

The Islamic lender helped launch Renaissance in 2014 when it provided a financing line of £35m, with both firms seeking to fill a funding gap for mid-sized companies.

"Our two businesses share the joint objective of filling this funding gap, with BLME focusing on the mid-market and Renaissance targeting the smaller ticket end," said Fred Yue, head of leasing at BLME.

Renaissance offers financing solutions including sale and leaseback transactions, with a maximum advance of £2m.

Rental-based contracts are commonly used in Islamic finance, which follows religious principles such as a ban on interest and pure monetary speculation.