Economy
Why Should You Invest in UK Property? [2023]
Buy-to-let property investment has been a top choice for many investors over the years.
Providing regular income and considerable capital appreciation, investors will often cite real estate as being able to bring some of the best returns over the last decade.
However, is property still a good investment in 2023?
What are Investment Properties?
Firstly, what is an investment property?
An investment property is a piece of real estate purchased with the intention of generating a return. This return could be through rental income, capital appreciation from future resale, or a combination of the two.
However, as with all ventures, investing in property can get quite intensive.
So, why should you invest in UK property?
Huge Tenant Demand With Housing In Short Supply
In the wake of the pandemic, the influx of lockdowns and other mandates have led to an unprecedented change in the UK property market – making right now potentially one of the best times to invest.
More people than ever are looking to rent instead of buying a property outright, and the population in the UK is continually on the rise.
Alongside this, there’s a severe lack of supply to meet the growing demand for housing.
According to Zoopla, demand for rental property is 46% above average – with total supply 38% below average.
As the market remains so volatile, more people will likely rent instead of buying a house outright.
For example, according to the latest Housing Census data, the number of renters in the UK has increased by 28% over the last ten years.
Massive Property Price Growth for Rental Property
The most significant appeal behind investing in property is the potential for long-term capital growth.
With demand for housing on the rise, prices continue to grow – offering some of the highest returns possible in the UK.
In 2021, for example, the average value of UK property surpassed £250,000 for the first time, increasing at the fastest rate since the early 2000s. As of December 2022, the average property price in the UK is now valued at £294,329 – 17.7% higher than in 2021.
Depending on where you invest, you could see even higher values.
For example, Liverpool, one of the best UK investment hotspots this year, has seen property prices skyrocket by 18.1% in the last year, with other areas in the North West seeing similar growth.
Factoring in additional growth predictions from Savills, which anticipate up to an 11.7% price growth in the North West region and 6.2% in the UK overall by 2027, it’s clear that long-term investors could be set for a fantastic cash pay-out in the coming years.
Property Is Lower Risk Than Other Strategies
Compared to other investment strategies (such as stocks and cryptocurrency), buying property is often considered a relatively lower risk.
This is because the property market, particularly in the UK, has proven to be highly resilient during economic turmoil, making this an excellent opportunity for those seeking a more stable investment.
This is another of the significant advantages of investing in real estate and a big reason many people invest in properties.
Conclusion
As long as you have the means and know-how, you should consider getting involved with UK property investment.
The market is most likely one of the most potentially profitable (and growing) ventures to get involved with at the moment – for both UK and foreign investors alike.
If the growth rate stays healthy for the foreseeable future, barring any surprise market collapses, this period is the best point to get involved.
It is, however, essential to remember that this guide serves as just an introductory welcome to the investment process.
You will need to research and perhaps consult an expert property company to get all you can from an investment!
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate has passed a bill to repeal and re-enact the law establishing the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), paving the way for the regulatory agency to be renamed the Insurance Regulatory Commission (IRC).
The legislation, titled the Insurance Regulatory Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2026, was passed after the Senate considered and adopted the report of its committee on banking, insurance and other financial institutions.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr Adetokunbo Abiru, the senator representing Lagos East, who presented the report, stated that the proposed legislation was necessary because the existing National Insurance Commission Act of 1997 had become outdated and no longer reflected the realities of Nigeria’s evolving insurance industry or global regulatory standards.
According to the Senate, the decision to change the Commission’s name was informed by the need to eliminate confusion associated with the existing designation and to better reflect the institution’s regulatory mandate within Nigeria’s insurance industry.
The bill also provides legal protection for the commission and its officers against adverse claims arising from the lawful execution of their statutory duties.
However, he noted that the commission’s enabling law had become obsolete, exposing significant regulatory gaps that required urgent legislative intervention.
‘The current National Insurance Commission Act 1997 is outdated and does not adequately address the emerging economic growth, needs and development of the insurance business,” the lawmaker said.
He explained that the new legislation seeks to strengthen the independence of the commission by empowering it to make regulatory decisions without undue influence in the country’s insurance sector.
According to him, the bill also enhances the commission’s authority to exchange information and collaborate with domestic and international regulatory bodies, issue regulations, guidelines, standards and directives on insurance-related matters, and intervene more effectively in financially distressed insurance companies to protect policyholders and preserve financial stability.
This marks yet another move to strengthen the country’s insurance sector following the enactment of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) of 2025 and the industry-wide recapitalisation exercise, which will wrap up by July 31.
By Adedapo Adesanya
About 143 companies that successfully passed the technical and prequalification stages of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) 2025 Licensing Round will, today, compete for 50 oil and gas blocks at the commercial bid conference in Abuja, the final stage in the allocation process for the assets.
The commission said only the prequalified companies have been invited to attend the event, which will hold at the Conference Centre of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, stressing that participation is strictly by invitation.
The commercial bid conference will determine the successful bidders for oil and gas assets located across Nigeria’s producing and frontier basins.
The 50 blocks comprise 16 onshore blocks and 18 shallow water blocks in the Niger Delta, one deep offshore block, three onshore blocks in the Benin Basin, four in the Anambra Basin, four in the Chad Basin, and four in the Benue Trough.
According to the commission, the winning bids will be determined through a transparent evaluation process based on clearly defined commercial parameters. These include the signature bonus offered by bidders, the proposed work programme commitment and the level of performance security provided. The final selection will be based on a weighted technical and commercial score.
The licensing round is being conducted under the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which requires a transparent and competitive process for the award of petroleum assets.
NUPRC had announced the commencement of the 2025 Licensing Round on November 11, 2025, before opening the online bid portal on December 1, 2025, to enable interested companies to register and participate in the exercise.
To ensure prospective investors fully understood the requirements, the commission organised a pre-bid conference on January 14, 2026, at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos. The event provided detailed explanations on the licensing guidelines and bidding procedures to registered participants and other stakeholders.
Registration and submission of prequalification documents closed on February 27, 2026, while the prequalification evaluation was completed on March 16, 2026.
NUPRC disclosed that 286 companies initially submitted applications for prequalification.
Following the evaluation process, 196 companies were cleared to participate in the technical and commercial bid stages.
The prequalified 143 companies eventually submitted a total of 200 bids for the available oil and gas blocks. These companies are now set to compete at the commercial bid conference, where the financial offers will be opened and evaluated to determine the eventual winners.
The licensing round is expected to attract fresh investment into Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector, boost exploration activities across both producing and frontier basins, increase crude oil and gas reserves, and support the country’s drive to grow production and government revenue.
It also underscores the regulator’s commitment to implementing a transparent, competitive and investor-friendly licensing regime under the Petroleum Industry Act.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has retained all key monetary policy parameters following the conclusion of its two-day meeting on July 21, 2026, on Tuesday, maintaining its tight monetary policy stance to curb inflation and support macroeconomic stability.
According to the Governor of the apex bank, Mr Yemi Cardoso, who chaired the committee, the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), which serves as the benchmark interest rate, remains at 26.50 per cent. The MPC also retained the asymmetric corridor around the MPR at +50 basis points and -450 basis points.
In addition, the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) for commercial banks was left unchanged at 45.00 per cent, while the CRR for merchant banks remains at 16.00 per cent. The committee also retained the CRR on non-Treasury Single Account (Non-TSA) public sector deposits at 75.00 per cent, with the liquidity ratio at 30.00 per cent.
The decision reflects the apex bank’s continued commitment to containing inflationary pressures through a restrictive monetary policy while safeguarding the resilience of Nigeria’s financial system amid ongoing macroeconomic adjustments.
By keeping all policy tools unchanged, the MPC signalled its intention to continue managing excess liquidity in the banking sector and maintain stability in financial markets.
The move is also expected to provide greater policy certainty for investors and businesses monitoring the country’s monetary policy direction.
The latest decision also means borrowing costs are likely to remain elevated in the near term as the central bank continues to prioritise price stability over monetary easing.
Analysts had expected the CBN committee to retain the rate after Nigeria’s headline inflation came in at 15.91 per cent as of June 2026, marking a slight decline from 15.93 per cent in May.
However, even as overall price growth has moderated significantly compared to previous periods, food inflation remains a persistent challenge, accelerating to 17.52 per cent in June.
