Four in every five intermediaries say they think their confidence in the bridging market will grow over the next 12 months, according to new data from Black & White Bridging.

One hundred intermediaries actively involved in bridging were polled by Black & White, with 82% agreeing that their confidence is set to grow over the year, including 20% who agree strongly. While 14% weren’t sure, only 4% thought their confidence in the market might drop.

The bridging lender says that while the effect of the 2024 Budget and speculation around the 2025 Budget dampened investor confidence and led to hesitation, intermediaries are going into 2026 with new-found clarity on economic policy, sparking optimism in the market.

When asked what area of the market represented the biggest opportunity for the bridging sector over the next 12 months, 57% of respondents suggested re-bridging deals. Development-exit refinance and residential purchases came joint second with 11% of the vote each.

Re-bridging deals are seen as the biggest driver of growth in all regions except London, where the results were more mixed. Residential purchases came out on top in the capital with 36% of the vote, while re-bridging received 29% and commercial property acquisitions 14%.

Black & White’s research also found sentiment had improved dramatically since 2024. Nine in every ten intermediaries polled (90%) said their confidence in the market had increased over the last 12 months, while only one in fifty (2%) reported their confidence had fallen.

Brokers outside the capital, operating in the North, Midlands, and the South of England, were more positive than brokers operating in London, however. While 95% of brokers outside the capital said their confidence in the market had grown over the last year, only 64% of those operating in London said the same.

Black & White Bridging chief operating officer Damien Druce said: “Months of budget speculation around a mansion tax have dampened the London market more significantly than other areas of the UK. Wealthy people are selling up and leaving the country in their droves, leading to an oversupply at the top of London’s market and less demand for higher-value properties.

“As a result, developers and property investors have been less willing to take risks in the capital. But investor sentiment looks set to change in 2026 as the market returns to some sort of normality after the carnage of the Budget.”