Firenze signs partnership with award-winning investment platform, AJ Bell Investcentre, adding Lombard lending as a solution for advisers to provide their clients.
Advisers using the AJ Bell Investcentre platform can now offer high-net-worth clients fast, flexible, tech-enabled portfolio lending without disrupting investment strategies or triggering capital gains tax.
These clients can borrow against the value of their General Investment Account (GIA) or offshore bond, subject to meeting current conditions. This can be achieved without selling assets, disrupting their investment strategy, or triggering capital gains tax.
Lombard lending can also service as in intelligent cash flow solution, providing access to capital without sacrificing market exposure. This removes the need to transfer assets to a private bank, and enables clients to continue benefitting from investment returns while their facility is in place.
Increasing access to Lombard lending through investment platforms
With the addition of AJ Bell to our growing list of partners, we now work with firms representing a combined AUM of £200bn. As one of the UK’s largest investment platforms, AJ Bell’s decision to allow access to Lombard lending signals how it is extending beyond the realm of private banking and into the mainstream.
Previously, barriers to entry – primarily the requirement to hold assets with a private bank – prevented the majority of UK investors from capitalising on the opportunities Lombard lending presents.
By allowing clients to secure a facility against their portfolio, advisers can now offer a flexible, tax-efficient route to liquidity. This includes funding a property purchase, supporting the next generation with tuition fees or a deposit, or adding sophistication to a longer-term tax or intergenerational wealth plan.
![Quotes listed: From Mark Rendle, AJ Bell advised managing director “Advisers are increasingly looking for tax efficient ways to protect client wealth, and Lombard lending gives advisers and clients the option to flexibly manage liquidity to fund a range of financial plans. Through our link with Firenze, advisers can help high net worth clients borrow against the value of their assets without disrupting their investment strategy or, importantly, triggering capital gains tax with an asset sale.” David Newman, CEO of Firenze, adds: “The demand for Lombard lending continues to grow as advisers increasingly see the value it can have in meeting client’s liquidity needs. Whether used to meet an immediate cost or as part of a longer-term wealth strategy, clients increasingly understand how utilising both sides of their personal balance sheet can help them achieve their goals. It has been a real pleasure working with the AJ Bell team to bring this capability to assets held on AJ Bell Investcentre.” Andy McGlone, MD of adviser firm Cauvery Wealth, adds: [JF3.1] “Cauvery Wealth provides bespoke financial management to high net worth individuals, and having access to Lombard lending as part of our offering is fundamental to that. The partnership between Firenze and AJ Bell allows us to provide a valuable liquidity solution to meet our clients’ needs without selling or moving assets, focused on quality of service and speed of execution. What we have seen from Firenze and AJ Bell to-date has been impeccable.”](https://firenzegroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AJ-Bell-PR-graphic-1-1024x576.png)
How borrowing against investments works
Advisers using AJ Bell Investcentre can refer eligible clients directly to us, to establish a Lombard facility. Key terms include:
- Minimum portfolio values of £150,000 (GIA) and £500,000 (offshore bond), subject to our underwriting.
- Loans from £65,000, up to 50% of portfolio value.
- Facilities set up and live within 48 hours of approval for individual and joint borrowers.
- Open-ended loan period with maximum flexibility on repayment.
- Interest charged only on drawn balances – variable rates from Bank of England base rate plus 1.95% to 3.25%.
- Simple fee structure: a one-off arrangement fee and an annual facility fee, both scaled by facility size.
If you have a client who could benefit from access to a Lombard facility or if you just want to find out more, speak to our team here.