HREF expands into Ireland with launch of new Dublin office

The new Irish office will initially offer both residential and commercial bridge loans, with plans to introduce a suite of new lending products in 2026.

A highly experienced team has been especially recruited to serve the Irish lending market, led by managing director Stephen Lillis (pictured above, centre), head of origination Eamonn O’Rourke (pictured above, left) and origination consultant Colm O’Sullivan (pictured above, right), operating out of the firm’s Dublin office in Fitzwilliam Square and supported by a wider underwriting and back-office team based in London.

The firm has already completed transactions in the Irish short-term real estate lending market, having lent on the Kogreg portfolio of 14 residential properties across southern Ireland in February this year.

Brad Altberger, CEO at HREF, said: “Our entry into the Irish market signals our continued European growth.

“Ireland’s robust commercial property sector and strong investment fundamentals make it a natural next step for HREF.

“Our goal is to bring a responsive, relationship-driven lending solution to Irish borrowers looking for flexible funding to support their property ambitions.”

Stephen added: “This is an exciting moment for HREF as we expand further into the Irish market.

“We’re bringing a proven lending model that combines speed of execution and clarity of decision-making with highly competitive rates.

“We look forward to working closely with investors and intermediaries to deliver tailored finance solutions that support growth and unlock opportunity across the commercial property sector”.

Max Lewis, HREF chief investment officer, said: “By combining the institutional levels of reliability that we have from our committed funding base with a truly entrepreneurial and unconstrained approach to lending, we genuinely believe we are adding something exciting and different to the Irish real estate lending market.”