Announcing the first close of the Corniche Sharia fund

New Sharia-compliant alternative investment fund targets institutional and family office investors across the GCC and UK

Channel Capital Advisors LLP, a specialist asset-backed private credit firm with more than five years’ experience in Sharia-compliant products, today announced the first close of its Corniche Sharia investment fund.

The milestone marks a significant step in Channel Capital’s mission to broaden institutional access to ethical, Sharia-compliant strategies.

This marks the first time an FCA-regulated alternatives asset manager has launched and announced a Sharia-compliant fund linked to the performance of an ABF strategy. It is a structural milestone for the asset class and a signal of what is possible when Islamic finance principles meet institutional-grade credit infrastructure.

With global Islamic finance markets set to double by 2030i, the Corniche Sharia investment vehicle is designed to provide investors with access to the returns of asset-backed and receivables finance opportunities. It targets risk-adjusted returns linked to the performance of a diversified portfolio of asset-backed instruments and international assets. Importantly, the fund’s bespoke structure is in compliance with AAOFI standards and generally accepted Sharia guidelines, meeting the growing demand for ethical and values-aligned alternative investments.

The first close reflects strong early-stage conviction from a select group of institutional investors, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals across the GCC region.

“The first close of the Corniche Sharia investment fund represents a defining moment for Channel Capital.”

— Walter Gontarek, Chief Executive Officer, Channel Capital Advisors LLP

Sharia-compliant asset-backed financing has attracted growing interest from a broad spectrum of investors seeking alternatives to conventional fixed income, with the global Islamic finance industry estimated to exceed $4 trillion in assetsii.

Channel Capital’s focus on receivables finance and asset-backed finance within this framework positions the Corniche fund at the intersection of two structural growth trends: the shift towards real economy asset-backed financing and the mainstreaming of Islamic finance.

“We have spent considerable time building the right operational infrastructure and origination engine to serve both UK and GCC investors within a single, coherent Sharia-compliant framework. The Corniche fund reflects that work. We are grateful to our partner Khalij Islamic for their advice and support.”

— Johan Nisser, Chief Investment Officer, Channel Capital Advisors LLP

Channel Capital will continue its fundraising efforts in the coming months, with a further close expected later in 2026. The firm’s Emerging Professionals Programme, which connects early-career finance professionals across the GCC and the UK, will also support the publication of thought leadership content around the Corniche fund’s investment thesis.