‘Bridging was always on our roadmap’: Afin Bank reflects on regulated bridging product launch

A few months on from the new division’s launch, John Smith, Afin Bank’s new head of bridging (pictured above), explained why bridging was a natural next step.

It has only been a year since Afin Bank launched in the residential property market with the aim of serving a niche of helping underserved borrowers, and it has already expanded into a new product range: regulated bridging.

The lender currently focuses on residential and BTL lending for borrowers often ignored by mainstream lenders, such as foreign nationals and the self-employed.

Regulated bridging was always part of the lender’s long-term plan, but John said broker feedback showed there was a pressing need to enter the market sooner rather than later.

“Bridging was always on our roadmap of products we would be looking at,” John told B&C.

“When we got into this year it was one of the areas where we felt there was a bigger need than we had originally thought. It definitely came on board sooner than initially planned.”

John says there was a recognition that the bank’s model — helping borrowers that don’t fit the strict criteria of mainstream banks — could be applied to bridging.

“We had made really good progress with residential and BTL and were getting our name out among brokers,” he said.

“It was a case of “the rest of it is going so well, let's look at other opportunities”, and bridging seemed to be the most obvious area we can step into without too many changes to how we operate.”

Bridging is an area where John has plenty of experience, from his time at West One Loans and Octane Capital.

He joined Afin as senior BDM in January 2026, moving over from Molo, and admits he has always found bridging to be a more exciting product to work with.

“You feel like more of a grownup — you’re actually putting together the deal and structuring it,” he explained.

“Residential and BTL can feel more transactional but with bridging you get to know the broker and it is easier to build up relationships. You keep control of the whole process until it goes out the door.”

Afin aims to stand out from its competitors with a few key features, including the ability to lend up to 80% LTV using AVMs and individual underwriting for each loan, with valuations based on open market value.

In addition, applicants are offered dual representation to help deals get completed more quickly.

Title insurance and personal borrower status can also be considered for customers with UK visas and limited credit footprint in this country.

Loans are available from £50,000 up to £3m with a 2% arrangement fee on the net loan size, not the gross loan. Additionally, interest is rolled up and paid at the end of a loan; it is calculated on a daily basis and is not compounded, so customers pay exactly what is due when they exit.

“If you go through a mainstream lender the process will be automated. With us it is not just about box ticking,” John said.

“We will chat about the client and our underwriters will see what supporting materials we need to make sure we are comfortable with the affordability.

“‘We trust our valuations, but will factor in risk if we have to.”

John was unable to provide any figures on how the range is doing so far, but he insists the brand is “really busy” and points out that plans are in place to expand the sales team.

Afin already has an established customer base and broker network from its existing product range, and John is confident that demand will continue to grow.

John said the loan book is a “real mix” so far, with deals coming from all over the country, but remained coy about targets.

“We have already exceeded what we thought we would achieve in terms of the entire business.

“There are targets but we’re not making them public.

“We are doing well; we knew the demand was there for bridging.

“Ultimately, our main aim is to be the fastest-growing specialist lender across all products and bridging will make a strong contribution to that.”