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Community Spotlight:  Laura Mann, Founder, Balqis Capital

By John Freund |

Community Spotlight:  Laura Mann, Founder, Balqis Capital

Company Name and Description: Balqis Capital is a B2B company specialising in deal origination and providing bespoke, insured opportunities to their network for portfolio diversification. They originate off market, litigation and private credit opportunities to their network of portfolio managers and wealth management firms. They are working on a multi billion pound, insured portfolio currently which is a fantastic addition to portfolios..

Company Website: www.balqiscapital.com   

Year Founded:  2022

Headquarters:  Cyprus, UAE

Area of Focus: We are seeing huge demand in our opportunities, given our extensive network and experience we are able to secure the best in the industry. We are always looking to enhance our proposition for investors globally.

Member Quote: We are excited to see the development of the industry in the UAE in 2025 and beyond.

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John Freund

John Freund

Commercial

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Legal Funding Market Report Frames Litigation as a Capital Allocation Strategy

A new market analysis argues that the most consequential shift in legal funding has little to do with litigation itself and everything to do with capital efficiency. Corporations that once treated major disputes as an unavoidable drain on working capital are increasingly evaluating claims the way they assess any other asset.

According to a report highlighted by openPR, published by HTF Market Insights, legal departments now weigh disputes by expected return, duration risk, probability-adjusted value, and portfolio diversification. Rather than asking whether litigation should be financed, the report contends, sophisticated organizations are asking which disputes deserve capital and which should be transferred to specialized funding partners.

The analysis attributes the trend to greater institutional participation, more rigorous underwriting, and growing executive acceptance that legal claims carry measurable economic value. As procedural complexity and extended case timelines persist, it characterizes third-party capital as evolving from an alternative financing option into a strategic balance-sheet instrument, producing structural rather than cyclical growth.

The report segments the market by type — commercial, personal injury, intellectual property, class action, and international — and by application across law firms, corporates, and small and mid-sized enterprises. Among the players it identifies are Burford Capital, Omni Bridgeway, Harbour Litigation Funding, Augusta Ventures, Longford Capital, Woodsford, Parabellum Capital, and Validity Finance. Single-case funding, it notes, remains the most recognizable segment, resembling private equity underwriting more than traditional lending.

High Rise Financial Expands Pre-Settlement Funding Into Nevada

High Rise Financial, a national consumer legal funding company, has extended its pre-settlement funding operations into Nevada, offering non-recourse advances to plaintiffs across Las Vegas, Henderson, Reno, North Las Vegas, and Sparks. The move continues a state-by-state expansion that recently reached Illinois.

According to a press release published via Newswire, the company provides cash advances to individuals awaiting settlement in personal injury, motor vehicle accident, slip-and-fall, premises liability, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability, and mass tort matters. Because the funding is structured as non-recourse, plaintiffs repay only if their case results in a recovery.

"Nevada represents an important growth opportunity and an important opportunity to serve plaintiffs who may be struggling financially while their cases move through the legal system," said co-founder Mark Berookim. The advances are designed to help claimants cover medical expenses, lost wages, and household bills during litigation delays, easing the financial pressure that can push injured parties toward premature settlements.

High Rise Financial works with attorneys nationwide and emphasizes transparent terms, streamlined reviews, and direct collaboration with counsel. Consumer legal funding of this kind continues to draw regulatory attention across several states, with lawmakers weighing disclosure and rate-cap requirements even as demand from plaintiffs grows. The Nevada launch adds another jurisdiction to a consumer-facing segment of the litigation finance market that operates alongside, but distinct from, the commercial funding used by corporations and law firms.

LITFINCON Launches Inaugural European Conference in Amsterdam

LITFINCON, the global litigation finance conference series produced by Siltstone Capital, is bringing its platform to Europe for the first time, signaling how central the region has become to the asset class. The inaugural European edition will convene at Rosewood Amsterdam on October 7–8, 2026.

According to a press release distributed via PR Newswire, the two-day event will run under the theme "The Claim Is the Asset: IP, Arbitration, Class Actions & the Investors Who Know It," with eleven panels spanning UK, EU, and US regulatory frameworks, European transaction structures, collective redress, international arbitration, portfolio and law firm financing, insurance and risk transfer, patent litigation funding, and the growing role of artificial intelligence.

The expansion reflects Europe's emergence as one of the most active litigation finance markets, propelled by cross-border collective actions, the Netherlands' WAMCA regime, and the rise of the Unified Patent Court. "Europe is where some of the most important questions in litigation finance are being worked out right now," said Jim Batson, Chief Investment Officer of Legal Finance at Siltstone Capital.

Co-founder Robert Le noted the asset class is drawing institutional capital from banks, pension funds, insurers, and family offices. Prior LITFINCON editions in Houston, Beverly Hills, and Singapore have collectively drawn more than 1,000 attendees, though organizers say the Amsterdam gathering will remain intentionally curated. LITFINCON Houston follows on February 24–25, 2027, at The Post Oak Hotel.