Apex Resolution Partners acquires non-performing loan portfolios from African financial institutions secured by developed-market collateral, and enforces exclusively through English courts and established UK/EU legal mechanisms.
Sub-Saharan African banks hold non-performing loan ratios averaging 10 - 15% of total loans, three to five times the European equivalent. Three structural barriers prevent resolution.
Most international NPL buyers cannot enforce against African borrowers in African courts reliably or at reasonable cost. Cross-border enforcement is complex, slow, and expensive, so buyers stay away.
Local-currency recoveries are eroded by devaluation. Proceeds that look adequate in naira, cedis, or shillings shrink in hard-currency terms by the time enforcement is complete, deterring international capital.
NPLs consume risk-weighted capital. Banks holding distressed assets cannot originate new loans, constraining credit supply to businesses and households across the continent. Cleaning the balance sheet is a precondition for resumed lending.
A specific subset of African bank NPLs is secured, in whole or in part, by assets located in developed markets: London commercial real estate, UK residential property, frozen hard-currency bank accounts in Switzerland or the EU. For these loans, the enforcement problem is solved. The collateral is accessible through English courts.
| Factor | Standard African NPL Buyer | Apex Resolution Partners |
|---|---|---|
| Enforcement | African courts (slow and uncertain) | English courts (reliable and fast) |
| Recovery currency | Local currency (subject to devaluation) | GBP, EUR, or USD (hard currency) |
| Political and judicial risk | Full exposure | UK rule of law governs |
| Typical recovery timeline | 5 - 15 years | 18 - 36 months |
| Collateral accessibility | Depends on in-country systems | Physically accessible; UK-registered |
| International capital competition | Increasing | Minimal buyers bridge this gap |
The African origination risk sits with the seller. The enforcement risk is ours, and it is governed by English law.
We are a serious, well-resourced buyer with a fast, structured process. We can close from NDA to completion in 60 - 90 days for straightforward portfolios.
Apex provides institutional investors with exposure to African financial system development through a strategy that avoids the enforcement uncertainty that has historically made this asset class inaccessible.
We focus on markets where the combination of NPL pressure, regulatory environment, and borrower profiles with developed-market collateral creates the most attractive acquisition opportunities.
We acquire NPLs where the enforcement risk is UK-governed. Collateral must be located in, or enforceable in, England and Wales, the EU, or Switzerland.
First-charge mortgages over London and European commercial property. Enforced via LPA receivership or possession proceedings. Most liquid collateral type.
First or second charge mortgages over UK residential property. Enforced via mortgage possession claim. Often combined with a personal guarantee from the borrower.
USD, GBP, or CHF accounts under pledge or subject to freezing injunction. Swiss or EU enforcement. Fastest realisation timeline, typically 3 - 12 months from completion.
High-net-worth guarantors with UK and EU assets. Enforced via judgment and charging order or third-party debt order. Assessed on guarantor asset verification.
Apex has invested in the operational infrastructure before acquiring a single portfolio. Every component (underwriting, diligence, modelling) is operational and available for review by prospective investors and bank counterparties under NDA.
A 101-column Excel model scoring each loan across six weighted sub-factors, computing Expected Recovery Values across four recovery pathways (Foreclosure, Workout, DPO, Cure) with probability weightings, and cross-checking the bottom-up bid against a top-down yield valuation before any offer is submitted.
A structured checklist with eight Go/No-Go hard gates, including a mandatory Regulatory Readiness pre-screen that specifically tests assignment legality, litigation continuity rights, and foreign ownership restrictions in the originating jurisdiction before any capital is committed.
A 10-year fund model with three revenue streams (NPL margin, Private Credit Fund fees, Infrastructure Bond fees) and a 50,000-trial Monte Carlo simulation providing a full distribution of outcomes rather than a single-point projection.
An EBA NPL template adapted with African-market-specific fields (GPS coordinates of immovable collateral, property registration status, local enforcement mechanics, and regulatory environment assessment), provided to originating banks at the outset of each engagement.
A structured process designed to give originating banks certainty of execution. We do not waste your workout team's time. Every step is time-bounded.
We sign a mutual NDA promptly, usually within 24 - 48 hours of agreement on terms. We use a standard Apex NDA (English law) to avoid weeks of redline negotiation.
We provide our Loan Data Tape Template. This is a standardised format aligned with the EBA NPL template. Your team completes it once; we do not come back with endless ad hoc requests.
We confirm existence and approximate value of the key collateral items independently (UK Land Registry, bank account confirmations). We do not bid on collateral we cannot verify.
We submit a written NBO within an agreed timeframe. The bid price comes from our Underwriting Model, not a preliminary number subject to extensive downward revision at binding offer stage.
Full diligence runs in parallel with LSPA negotiation (UK Panel Counsel on our side). Binding offer is submitted and LSPA signed within the agreed validity period.
Purchase price settled in hard currency. Our Mauritius SPV takes title; UK Panel Counsel confirms completion in writing. We then manage recovery without further burden to your team.
We have pre-engaged specialist advisors across each discipline required to execute this strategy. Our panel is not aspirational, it is instructed.
LSPA drafting, UK and EU enforcement, cross-border coordination, and regulatory and fund structure advice. We are engaging a specialist UK firm with an established Africa desk and restructuring practice.
In-country AML/KYC, UBO screening, loan data tape forensic verification, and source-of-funds analysis.
Per-deal Mauritius GBC incorporation, regulatory compliance, and LSPA Mauritius-law aspects.
The anchor DFI's distressed asset recovery programme (primary target). The UK bilateral DFI, the Norwegian bilateral DFI, the Swedish bilateral DFI, and the French bilateral DFI are in the pipeline from Year 2.
Have an NPL portfolio with UK, EU, or Swiss collateral? Tell us about it. We will respond within two Business Days.
Request our Information Memorandum and Financial Model under NDA. We will send you the NDA for signature and the documentation pack within three Business Days.