NEWS
Revealed: Late Banking Titan, Herbert Wigwe, Linked to 106 London Properties, Ranks Among Top Foreign Real-Estate Owners in UK Capital Amid Sweeping Ownership Transparency Probe
Late Nigerian banking icon, Herbert Wigwe, has been posthumously linked to the ownership of 106 properties in London, positioning him as the seventh-largest billionaire real-estate holder in the British capital. This revelation emerged from an extensive investigative report by The Londoner, shedding new light on the scale of foreign property ownership in one of the world’s most valuable real-estate markets.
The investigation titled Revealed: The billionaires who really own London, uncovered a staggering 32,611 properties across the city owned by overseas entities. This breakthrough follows a significant shift in United Kingdom law mandating foreign companies to disclose their beneficial owners, effectively lifting the veil on previously hidden property holdings.
The report found that these disclosures enabled researchers to trace ownership of prime real estate across London, including some of its most prestigious streets and commercial hubs, exposing a network of global wealth embedded within the city.
“But now, The Londoner can reveal that some 32,611 properties in London are owned by overseas entities. We can do this because a recent change in the law is forcing these foreign companies to register their real owners.
“We’ve spent the last week, using data compiled and shared with us by Dan Neidle of Tax Policy Associates, to go through thousands of those overseas entities to see who has bought up properties in the capital,” the report stated.
According to the findings, the identified 32,611 properties span some of London’s most iconic locations, including Oxford Street, Canary Wharf, and Greenwich Peninsula—areas synonymous with luxury, commerce, and global investment appeal.
Wigwe, who tragically died in a helicopter crash in the United States in February 2024 alongside his wife, son, and former NGX Group chairman Abimbola Ogunbanjo, was revealed as one of the most prominent African figures in the report. His inclusion among the top property holders underscores the global financial footprint he built during his lifetime.
Before his passing, Wigwe served as the Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings Plc, one of Nigeria’s leading financial services groups, where he played a pivotal role in expanding the bank’s international presence and influence.
In the aftermath of his death, his estate has been at the center of legal disputes, adding another layer of complexity to the revelations surrounding his global assets.
The Londoner’s findings further indicate that many of London’s most valuable properties are held through offshore companies, particularly in jurisdictions such as Jersey, where ownership transparency had historically been limited. The newly accessible database, compiled from fresh disclosures by overseas entities, has now made it possible to map these intricate ownership structures.
Beyond Wigwe, the report also highlights a wide array of global billionaires and corporate entities whose London property portfolios are structured through foreign companies, reflecting the immense scale and international nature of investment in the city’s real-estate sector.
Crucially, the investigation brings to light ownership arrangements that were previously shielded from public scrutiny, marking a significant shift toward transparency in one of the world’s most competitive and secretive property markets.