Nester Secures £1.1m Series A to Expand Sharia-Compliant Real Estate Financing

London-based fintech platform Nester Holdings Ltd has raised £1.1m in a Series A funding round to scale its Sharia-compliant, peer-to-peer real estate financing products.

Founded in July 2018, Nester operates as a financial services holding company that connects property buyers and developers seeking capital with investors looking for ethical, property-backed returns. The platform specialises in bridging and development finance, structured entirely within an Islamic finance framework. This model strictly avoids the charging or paying of interest, instead focusing on profit and risk-sharing agreements backed by tangible real estate assets.

This approach addresses a persistent gap in the UK market. While conventional bridging and development finance is widely available, access to Sharia-compliant real estate financing and transparent, secured investments has historically been limited for the domestic market. Nester provides a marketplace solution that converts property financing into simple secured investments, catering to a growing demographic seeking ethical alternatives to conventional banking.

The Series A round injects £1.1m in new capital into the business, achieving an estimated post-money valuation of £14.1m. The allotment date for the shares was recorded as 31 December 2025, with the official filing completed on 24 March 2026. Specific investors participating in this round have not been publicly disclosed, and financial details regarding previous funding rounds are not currently available.

Headquartered in London, Nester currently employs 28 people. The company focuses on democratising access to financial products, ensuring that risk and reward are communicated with full transparency. The firm has stated its mission is to supply financial products that are available to all, breaking down the complexities often associated with ethical and Islamic finance.

Nester's successful raise comes at a nuanced time for the broader UK fintech sector. While overall UK fintech funding demonstrated a recovery in 2025, rising 10 per cent to approximately £4.2bn, this growth was heavily concentrated in late-stage mega-rounds. Conversely, early-stage funding experienced a 54 per cent decline, making Nester's Series A a notable achievement in a challenging climate for emerging companies.

Furthermore, the UK continues to cement its position as the premier Western hub for Islamic finance. With UK Islamic banking assets reaching approximately £9.1bn at the end of 2024 and the country hosting over 50 Islamic fintech firms, platforms like Nester are operating in a high-growth vertical. The demand for ethical, Sharia-compliant property investment and alternative financing remains robust, providing a strong tailwind for the company as it deploys its new capital to expand its peer-to-peer marketplace.