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Announcements Commercial

Omni Bridgeway Releases Market Update

Omni Bridgeway Limited (Omni Bridgeway, OBL) (ASX:OBL) announces an update on income and income yet to be recognised (IYTBR) from matter completions as well as provisional impairments of certain investments.

Positive developments[1]

  • Following the 31 December 2023 period end, approximately A$48.9 million investment income has been generated, with A$18.4 million provisionally attributable to OBL (excluding performance fees on these completions):
  • Completion of three investments generating approximately A$28.1 million of income recognised (MOIC of 2.02x; IRR of 125%).
  • In principle settlement of three investments resulting in approximately A$20.8 million IYTBR.
  • This is incremental to the 2Q24 Investment Portfolio Report disclosures of A$187 million investment income generated in 1H24 from A$147.9 million income recognised and A$39.1 million IYTBR, with A$32.0 million provisionally attributable to OBL (excluding performance fees on these completions).
  • The A$289.7 million cash and receivables balance at 31 December 2023 does not include any cash proceeds from the additional matters stated above.

Negative developments

  • Case developments during the financial year to date (FYTD24) in OBL’s investments in associates have resulted in a A$14.9 million reduction of the carrying value of the OBL residual share. This mainly relates to a positive judgment for a Fund 1 investment, but at a significantly lower than expected amount. The judgment is subject to various appeal proceedings.
  • Case developments during FYTD24 in litigation investments classified as intangible assets have resulted in a A$33.2 million (A$12.9 million attributable to OBL) reduction of the carrying value. This mainly relates to adverse milestones associated with a funded law firm portfolio for which returns are cross collateralised. While OBL’s investment in this portfolio has achieved a positive return on invested capital overall, the remaining carrying amount is considered impaired under OBL’s accounting policies. Appeals are being pursued and may result in a reversal of the full impairment due to the cross collateralisation.
  • Case developments during FYTD24 in litigation investments classified as purchased claims have resulted in a A$6.3million (A$1.1million attributable to OBL) reduction of the carrying value. This mainly relates to two litigation investments for which the anticipated income is lower than expected or the anticipated duration has extended.
  • The above reductions in the carrying value of the investments are non-cash items.

The amounts stated above are subject to completion of the audit process and will be confirmed in the 1H24 Group Consolidated Financial Statements which will be released on 29 February 2024.  

  1. Fund 5 is not consolidated within the Group Consolidated Financial Statements, but the aggregate income figures in this section include 100% of any Fund 5 income recognised/IYTBR.

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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.

Announcements Commercial

NorthWall Capital Hits €2.9 B AUM on Private Credit Momentum

By John Freund |

NorthWall Capital has rocketed past €2.9 billion in assets under management after pulling in an additional €1.6 billion of institutional capital in 2025 alone. The London-based alternative credit manager says the surge reflects allocators’ intensifying hunt for scaled, multi-strategy platforms as Europe’s banks retrench and borrowers seek bespoke sources of credit.

A press release from NorthWall Capital details first-close totals across four distinct strategies. The flagship Credit Opportunities fund secured €731 million—already eclipsing its prior vintage—while the newly launched Senior Lending vehicle raised $503 million, translating to roughly $750 million of deployable firepower once leverage is applied. Asset-Backed Opportunities collected €252 million for collateral-rich loans in sectors underserved by traditional lenders, and the specialist Legal Assets platform locked down $169 million to extend the firm’s law-firm lending programme.

Founder and CIO Fabian Chrobog said the fundraising validates “the consistency of our approach” and NorthWall’s ability to craft solutions that resonate with investors and counterparties alike. With headcount slated to hit 40 by year-end, the firm plans to lean further into complex, situational credit born of bank deleveraging, regulatory shifts and sponsors’ need for certainty of execution.