Withanage is a Prominent Merchant Banking family
£12
Billion
Capital
Deployed
18%
IRR
22
Countries Invested
35
Portfolio Companies
Business Interests
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.
It operates at the intersection of advisory, technology, capital, and infrastructure to address gaps between policy ambition and institutional delivery. Through its subsidiary businesses British International combines governance reform, AI-supported decision systems, digital public infrastructure, and industrial development.
“British International exports the best of Commonwealth Leadership to build a new generation of organisations applied for the digital world”
An Integrated Model
British International has two key pillars to operate holistically allowing it to align governance, investment, and implementation that successfully drive long-term impact.
-
British International Advisors (‘BIA’) partners with governments and sovereign institutions to strengthen governance, modernise decision-making, and build the institutional capacity required for lasting national development.
-
'British Merchant Banking Holdings' (BMB) is an investment firm focused on infrastructure-focused private equity and family office management. BMB Acquired aspects of the affiliates 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.
BMB draws on the sovereign-advisory capabilities of BIA, which works with governments and sovereign institutions to strengthen governance, modernise decision-making and build the institutional capacity required for lasting national development.
Rahula Withanage
Head of Withanage Family Office
Mr Rahula Withanage is an accomplished financier with over 20 years leading a commercial multi-family office. Mr Withanage was previously a senior advisor at Deloitte & Touche and Andersen Consulting working with intergovernmental institutions. During this time, he specialized in treasury, asset management, corporatization and efficiency management with state owned enterprises and multilateral institutions, including major projects funded by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
Subsequently, he had a 10-year career in Brunei where he worked with Brunei Telecom and eventually Royal Brunei Airlines, where he was a director and head of management audit. Mr Withanage continued as an advisor to the chairman and board of directors of Royal Brunei Airlines, until he co-founded the Withanage Group with operations in Bahrain and the UAE. Rahula Withanage was a co-founder and CEO of the BMB Group. He now runs the Withanage Family Office and affiliate companies.
Rayo Withanage
Head of Withanage Foundation
Rayo De Alwis Withanageis an entrepreneur, financier & technologist focused on sovereign infrastructure, financial systems, and next generation technologies for emerging markets.
Rayo Withanage is the director of the Withanage Foundation where he leads its work to advance philanthropy, responsible enterprise, cultural stewardship and long-term social impact.
His work spans large cap private equity and the creation of technology platforms. As a financier, built and led private equity platforms with over $15 billion in assets under management, including EMP Global which was a pioneer in emerging markets private equity deploying over $7Billion in infrastructure investments for GIC of Singapore and the PIF of Saudi Arabia. As an inventor, Mr Withanage has designed and developed a portfolio of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and sustainability-driven technologieswith over $1Billion in combined enterprise value.
Mr Withanage is a proponent of Virtue Capitalism, the principle that enduring economic value is created through the alignment of profit, sustainability, and societal impact. Rayo Withanage earned an LLB & BA from The University of Auckland and an MSC from the London School of Economics. He is also of the House of Alakēśvara-De Alwis, a Sri Lankan lineage with an eight-century tradition of leadership in government, finance, science, and philanthropy.
Success is not final; failure is not fatal:
It is the courage to continue that counts.
