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IMF Bentham upsizes Funds in response to market demand for investment funding

January 30, 2019

IMF Bentham upsizes Funds in response to market demand for investment funding

SYDNEY (31 January 2019):  Leading global litigation and dispute financier IMF Bentham Limited (ASX: IMF) (IMF) announced today it is approaching investment targets for two of its funding vehicles ahead of schedule and has successfully increased the capacity of these vehicles to meet strong market demand for investment funding. IMF launched Funds 2 & 3 (known as ‘RoW’ Funds) in October 2017 with A$150 million to fund cases across Australia, Asia, Canada and Europe. In the coming months, IMF aims to launch the additional RoW Fund (Fund 5) to fund future cases in these regions. IMF has committed all of the ‘RoW’ Funds capital and has now upsized the ‘RoW’ Funds to A$180 million to meet demand prior to the launch of Fund 5. Investors (Partners Capital, Amitell Capital and IMF) have committed the additional A$30 million. Demand for funding is evident across all of the jurisdictions in which IMF operates, particularly in Canada and Asia, where contemporary third-party finance is relatively new and IMF is rapidly establishing a market and a leading presence. This upsizing brings IMF’s total Funds under Management to approximately A$1.1 billion. By the end of FY19 we anticipate IMF’s total global Funds under Management will exceed A$1.5 billion – cementing IMF’s position as one of the largest litigation and dispute financiers in the world. IMF Managing Director and CEO, Andrew Saker said: “These developments reflect investor confidence in litigation finance as an asset class and confidence in IMF in particular.  They also confirm the increasing appetite for dispute finance across the legal and other industry sectors. Dispute finance is increasingly becoming a mainstream option for organisations wishing to defray the cost and risk of litigation.” More: See ASX announcement here. ABOUT IMF BENTHAM LTD  IMF is one of the leading global litigation & dispute financiers, headquartered in Australia and with offices in the US, Singapore, Canada, Hong Kong and London.  IMF has built its reputation as a trusted provider of innovative litigation funding solutions and has established an increasingly diverse portfolio of litigation & dispute financing assets. IMF has been a leading pioneer of litigation financing in Australia since 2001, playing a significant role in the initial steps towards a globalised industry via its international expansion in the US, Canada, Asia and Europe. IMF has a highly experienced litigation funding team overseeing its investments delivering, as at 30 June 2018, a 90% success rate across 179 completed cases. For further information regarding IMF and its activities, please visit www.imf.com.au.
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Announcements Commercial

Burford’s Q2 Profits Surge on New Capital

By John Freund |

Burford Capital has delivered its strongest quarterly performance in two years, buoyed by a swelling pipeline of high-value disputes and a fresh infusion of investor cash.

A press release in PR Newswire reveals that the New York- and London-listed funder more than doubled revenue and profitability in the three months to 30 June 2025. CEO Christopher Bogart credited “very substantial levels of new business” for the uptick, noting that demand for non-recourse financing remains “as strong as we’ve ever seen.”

The stellar quarter follows a lightning-quick, two-day debt offering in July that raised $500 million—capital Burford says will be deployed across a growing roster of commercial litigations, international arbitrations, and asset-recovery campaigns. Management also highlighted significant progress in portfolio rotations, underscoring the firm’s ability to monetise older positions while writing new ones at scale. Investors will get a deeper dive when Burford hosts its earnings call today at 9 a.m. EDT.

Burford’s results arrive amid heightened regulatory chatter in Washington and Westminster, yet the numbers suggest the industry’s largest player is unfazed—for now—by talk of disclosure mandates and tax levies. The firm emphasised that its legal-finance, risk-management and asset-recovery businesses remain uncorrelated to broader markets, a pitch that continues to resonate with pension funds and endowments hunting for alternative yield.

For litigation-finance insiders, Burford’s capital-raising prowess and improving margins could have ripple effects: rival funders may face stiffer competition for marquee cases, while law-firm partners might leverage the firm’s deeper pockets to negotiate richer portfolio deals.

Announcements Commercial

International Legal Finance Association (ILFA) Announces End of Year Gala and Inaugural Legal Finance Awards

By John Freund |

 The International Legal Finance Association is pleased to announce its annual End-of-Year Gala Dinner on November 13, 2025.  The event will take place at The Law Society in London, bringing together leading figures from across the legal finance industry for an evening of celebration and reflection on the year’s achievements.  

The dinner will be accompanied by the inaugural Legal Finance Awards.  The awards are designed to recognize and honor excellence across the legal finance ecosystem. They will spotlight the achievements of funders, law firms, brokers, advisors, and other key contributors to the continued growth and innovation of the industry. Nominations for the awards are now open, with the nomination form available here. 

“The Gala Dinner is a chance for our members and guests to gather in person and celebrate the progress we've made over the year,” said Rupert Cunningham, Global Director of Growth and Membership Engagement at ILFA. “We are especially excited to launch the Legal Finance Awards, which will shine a light on the outstanding work and impact of professionals across our field.”

Tickets for the Gala are on sale now, with discounted pricing available for ILFA members.  More information can be found here.

Announcements Commercial Legal Innovation

Sentry Expands Free Funding Market Search for Litigators

By John Freund |

Sentry Funding’s free tool enabling litigators to instantly search the funding market on behalf of clients has been expanded.

Sentry’s free ‘decision in principle’ feature enables lawyers to evidence to clients that they have conducted a broad market search, even if funding is not ultimately taken out.

Having deployed £125m in funding across a range of case types, Sentry now has access to an even broader funding marketplace, covering 34 global jurisdictions. Finance is provided by 13 funders, five of which are members of the Association of Litigation Funders.

With the recent addition of Sentry’s first US-based funder, the US offering will now be expanding over the next few months. 

A faster process

Sentry has deployed the latest technology to make the search for funding even easier. 

  • The intuitive application process now only asks questions relevant to previous answers, saving lawyers time.
  • The commercial marketplace has been redeveloped with 63 new data points added to the funder criteria matrix - improving the accuracy of case / funder matching
  • Sentry has also begun building out its AI capabilities, starting with an automated auditing tool for live case progression audits. 

Tom Webster, chief executive officer at Sentry Funding, said:

‘By broadening our reach and speeding up the process, we’re making it even easier for lawyers to raise funding. We’re also giving litigators an easy way to show clients they have fully researched the market, rather than just approaching one or two funders. 

‘The service is free to use, so even if clients decide they do not ultimately want funding or if none is available for that case, for the lawyer, it makes sense to use our “decision in principle” feature, so they can put evidence on file that they did check the market.’

Sentry Funding is an SaaS (software as a service) technology provider that gives solicitors access to a diverse marketplace of litigation funders. It works with solicitors, funders and third-party providers to ensure claimants are getting the most efficient service for their funding needs. 

The Sentry Portal also acts as a case management system that runs a transparent digital case file for solicitors, funders, after-the-event insurance providers, barristers, cost lawyers and other relevant third parties.