Withanage is a Prominent Commonwealth 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. British International is a sovereign-focused platform that partners with governments to strengthen decision-making, governance, and long-term economic execution. 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 builds and implements systems that enable governments to execute effectively. Anchored in Commonwealth principles, it focuses on creating durable institutions, investor confidence, and sustainable national growth.

“British International exports the best of Commonwealth Leadership to build a new generation of organisations applied for the digital world”

British International deploys new businesses that are at the forefront of tokenisation, fintech and Artificial intelligence. British International will harness opportunities offered by the fourth industrial revolution.

An Integrated Model

British International has three key pillars to operate holistically allowing it to align governance, investment, and implementation that successfully drive long-term impact.

  • BIG Systems establishes the institutional and governance foundations that enable sustainable economic development. It focuses on designing decision-making frameworks, legal structures, and policy systems that strengthen governments and organisations. By creating robust and scalable institutional architecture, BIG Systems provides the backbone upon which all other activities are built.

  • BIG Financial serves as the capital and financial infrastructure platform of BIG Holdings. It is designed to mobilise and deploy large-scale investment into strategic initiatives, supported by innovative financial structures and digital frameworks. Through mechanisms such as investment corporations, digital jurisdictions, and global exchanges, BIG Financial connects capital to opportunity in a compliant and efficient manner across borders.

  • BIG Ventures is the execution and development arm, responsible for building and scaling real-world assets, industries, and companies. Its focus spans sustainable infrastructure, conservation initiatives, and impact-driven technologies. With a long-term ownership approach, BIG Ventures translates strategy and capital into tangible outcomes that generate lasting economic and social value.

BIG deploys new businesses that are at the forefront of tokenisation, fintech and Artificial intelligence. We will harness opportunities offered by the fourth industrial revolution.

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Rahula Withanage

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 and is chairman of the Withanage Foundation.

Rayo Withanage

Rayo Withanage is an entrepreneur, financier & technologist focused on sovereign infrastructure, financial systems, and next generation technologies for emerging markets. 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. 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.

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”

— Winston S. Churchill