Arbuthnot raises its 2026 profit outlook as wealth assets climb 21%
In a trading update on 22 October 2026, Arbuthnot Banking Group said full-year pre-tax profit will beat prior expectations. Funds under management and administration reached £3.1 billion and the wealth business moved into profit for the quarter.
On 22 October 2026, Arbuthnot Banking Group, the London-listed parent of the private bank Arbuthnot Latham, published a trading update for the third quarter to 30 September. The board said it now expects 2026 full-year profit before tax to be “ahead of prior expectations”. It gave three reasons: loan book growth over the first nine months, continued momentum in wealth management, and a Bank Rate that has held steady through 2026. The update does not put a number on the new profit expectation.
All figures below come from the group’s own update, as published on the regulatory news service and reported by WealthBriefing and DirectorsTalk. They have not been audited.
The wealth numbers
Funds under management and administration (FuMA) stood at £3.1 billion at 30 September, up 21% from £2.5 billion a year earlier and up 15% since the start of 2026. The group attributes the rise to new money and investment performance. Gross inflows were £458 million, which the group says equates to annualised growth of 23%.
The wealth management business turned to a net profit in the quarter, WealthBriefing reported. Two-thirds of this year’s inflows came through the group’s wealth planning arm, which earns fees and commission for advising clients.
The banking side
Customer loans and leased assets rose 12% year on year to £2.5 billion, and customer deposits grew 10% to £4.9 billion. The specialist lending subsidiaries grew 26% over twelve months. Two of them, Arbuthnot Commercial Asset Based Lending (ACABL) and Renaissance Asset Finance, each grew by more than 40%. ACABL’s loan book reached £305.6 million, up 39% since January after a small decline in 2025; new clients accounted for 82% of that growth, and the number of private equity-sponsored deals rose.
Against its peers
WealthBriefing set the update against recent figures from other UK firms. Brooks Macdonald reported FuMA of £21.8 billion at 30 September, against £21.7 billion at 30 June, with annualised net flows of 1.1% in its first quarter. Rathbones reported FuMA of £120.7 billion at 30 June, up 10.7% on the year. Arbuthnot is far smaller than either, so its percentage growth starts from a lower base.
What it means for family offices
Most of Arbuthnot’s new money this year came through its planning advisers, and the same group is growing its lending faster than its deposits. Families who borrow from and invest with one private bank should know which part of the relationship is driving the bank’s growth, because it shapes what the adviser is incentivised to offer. The profit upgrade is qualitative for now; the full-year results will show whether the wealth arm’s move into profit holds beyond one quarter.
Sources: Arbuthnot Banking Group, Third Quarter 2026 Trading Update (via ADVFN), 22 October 2026; WealthBriefing, 23 October 2026; DirectorsTalk.