Portfolio

The British International Group

The Withanage family is a major shareholder in The British International Group. The British International Group is a sovereign advisory and asset management firm established to sponsor a new generation of organizations anchored in the values, governance traditions, and leadership excellence of Britain and the Commonwealth. British International Advisors (BIA), its sovereign advisory division, and The BMB Corporation (BMB), its principal investment and asset management platform.

British International Advisors

Sovereign Advisory

British International Advisors (BIA) is built on a single, enduring belief: nations succeed when their institutions are designed to last. Short-term programs may deliver momentary gains, but it is strong, adaptive systems that secure sovereignty, stability, and prosperity across generations.

We partner with governments to build institutional capacity that endures—modernizing policy design, strengthening legal and governance frameworks, and elevating decision-making in a rapidly changing world. By uniting human-inspired artificial intelligence with the experience of globally recognized leaders, BIA enables public institutions to operate with clarity, resilience, and confidence—matching and often exceeding developed-market performance standards. At its core, BIA exists to help nations inherit not just solutions, but capability.

BIA enable governments to:

Improve policy formulation and execution
Strengthen legal and governance frameworks
Enhance human-AI collaboration in decision-making
Match or exceed developed-market performance standards

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The BMB Corporation

Principal Investments

The British Merchant Banking Corporation (BMB) is an investment firm focused on infrastructure-focused private equity and family office management. BMB Acquired elements from ‘The BMB Group’ in 2026 to form a new asset management company. BMB leverages off legacy businesses that have managed more than £12 billion in assets to develop new investment platforms representing more than £25 billion in value.

EMP Global

Private Equity

EMP Global brings more than 30 years of infrastructure and private equity investment experience to BMB. Established in 1994 by Moeen Qureshi, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and Chief Operating Officer of the World Bank, and Donald C. Roth, former Treasurer of the World Bank, EMP became one of the early institutional private equity firms dedicated to infrastructure in emerging markets.

EMP historically managed more than $8 billion in cumulative commitments across more than ten investment funds, including the global infrastructure private equity franchise established with AIG.

AIG Asian Infrastructure Fund I
AIG Asian Infrastructure Fund II
AIG African Infrastructure Fund
AIG Latin American Infrastructure Fund

Selected Funds

EMP also managed infrastructure investment programmes across Central and Eastern Europe. Its institutional investor base included leading global and sovereign investors, including the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC).

Investment Experience

EMP invested in essential infrastructure supporting economic growth across energy, telecommunications, digital infrastructure, transportation, ports and industrial assets.

Selected Investments Include:

Satellite and digital communications infrastructure. Subsequently acquired by SES.
Polish cable television and broadband infrastructure.
Hydroelectric power generation in Guatemala.
Building materials and industrial infrastructure across Asia.
Marine transportation and logistics infrastructure across South America.
Marine transportation and logistics infrastructure across South America.

BMB Partners

Family Office Management

BMB Partners was established in 2006 by the Withanage family alongside Asian and Gulf-based royal families as a private merchant banking and investment platform. Since inception, the business has managed and advised on approximately $7 billion, investing across private equity, natural resources, real estate, hospitality, media and technology.

BMB Partners is focused on direct and proprietary investment opportunities, deploying patient capital alongside families and long-term investment partners.Its approach is built on alignment, discretion and a willingness to invest across market cycles.

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Legacy Businesses

BMB ISLAMIC

BMB acquired Deutsche Bank’s subsidiary business in Islamic finance, which advised on over $20 Billion in transactions. BMB Islamic was an early pioneer in Islamic finance. BMB advised the Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and the Organization of Islamic Countries on the setup of a global  Zakat fund to manage Islamic philanthropic money. BMB Islamic was founded by Dr Humayon Dar.
Status: Acquired
SCEPTER PARTNERS

In 2015, BMB invested in the creation of Scepter Partners, a standing syndicate of sovereign investors and ultra-high-net-worth families. It was setup in partnership with Blackstone Asia Advisory Partners. The formation of Scepter’s merchant banking division created one of the most experienced merchant banking specialists, focused on family offices and sovereign wealth.
Status: Spun Out