Offa acquires Bank of Ireland’s Alburaq Islamic home finance portfolio

By Gloria Methri

Offa, the UK’s Islamic property finance FinTech, has acquired Bank of Ireland’s Alburaq Sharia-compliant home finance portfolio, which includes more than 350 home purchase plans.

The deal means that the customers transferred over to Offa will now have access to a broader range of Sharia-compliant property finance products.

The Alburaq portfolio is one of the oldest Sharia-compliant home finance products to have launched in the UK. The Offa team, based in Birmingham, constructed a unique Sharia-compliant funding structure to minimise legal and tax issues – and became the first financial institution to buy an Islamic home finance book in the UK.

Amir Firdaus, Chief Financial Officer at Offa, said, “It is a testament to Offa’s abilities that Bank of Ireland has agreed to sell their Islamic home finance portfolio to us. This marks another chapter in Offa’s ambitious growth plans. Members of the Offa executive team are already very much familiar with Alburaq’s clients, having helped distribute this book almost two decades ago, and we are delighted that these customers are now coming home to us.”

“Those who have been transferred as part of this purchase and are eligible will now have access to a wider range of Sharia-compliant property re-financing options. We are now focused on ensuring a seamless migration for customers to our servicing platform.”

Offa recently launched a new buy-to-let (BTL) service – with fast funding decisions delivered via a modern paperless process – aiming to disrupt and transform the traditionally old-fashioned and cumbersome world of Islamic finance. Instead of using interest, Offa’s BTL product involves the Islamic finance principles of co-ownership-with-leasing. Customers acquire the property in partnership with Offa and make monthly payments to increase their share, over time owning it.

The company provides an ethical finance model designed in accordance with Islamic finance principles. This means not charging interest and investing in sectors deemed harmful to society, such as alcohol, tobacco, and the arms trade.