Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Rishi Sunak's Billionaire Wife Akshata Murty Builds Ties To World's Super-Rich

Rishi Sunak's Billionaire Wife Akshata Murty Builds Ties To World's Super-Rich

Akshata Murty describes Catamaran Ventures on LinkedIn as a family office based in London and Bangalore that focuses in the UK on local brands

Akshata Murty, the wife of UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak, has developed links to some of the world's richest families through her private investment firm, Catamaran Ventures UK.

Previously unreported filings show that Murty's family office was an early backer of dara5, a private investment community for "the next generation of global leaders," co-founded in 2019 by a member of Qatar's ruling dynasty, the Al-Thani family. Catamaran has also acquired a stake in The New Craftsmen, a luxury British furniture marketplace whose shareholders include Rupert Murdoch's oldest daughter, Prudence, and the Al Tajir family, the Emirati owners of the Park Tower hotel in London's Knightsbridge district.

Murty, 42, who was born in India and is still an Indian citizen, has a net worth of about $1.2 billion thanks to her stake in Infosys Ltd., the software giant founded by her father Narayana Murty, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The Bangalore-based company's shares have surged more than 2,000% since Murty was first publicly disclosed as a shareholder in 2001, though they have struggled this year in the face of a broad tech selloff.

Catamaran Ventures is the name of the Murty family's main investment entity based in Bangalore. Narayana Murty is chairman of the firm, which employs about 15 staff in India overseeing holdings worth more than $1 billion spanning e-sports, insurance and Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Akshata Murty describes Catamaran Ventures on LinkedIn as a family office based in London and Bangalore that focuses in the UK on local brands that need capital, management expertise and network partners. She is the British branch's only director and shareholder.

Murty has helped to run some of her UK investments. She became a director in 2017 of New & Lingwood, an outfitter for students of England's prestigious Eton College - Prime Minister Boris Johnson's alma mater - which charges tuition fees of about £45,000 a year. She stepped down from the role in February. A spokeswoman for New & Lingwood declined to comment.

In 2017 Murty also became a director at Digme, a London-based fitness company that went into administration in February. Murty, who is still a director, owned a 4.4% stake as of February. Catamaran's other investments include a holding alongside British hedge fund manager Hugh Sloane in the company that launched Wendy's restaurants in India.

Murty's Wealth Hits Sunak Popularity


The revelation in April that Murty enjoyed "non-domiciled" tax status in the UK, meaning she paid no local taxes on overseas income, has pushed her wealth - as well as her husband's - into the news just as a cost-of-living crisis began to bite across Britain. The furore prompted her to relinquish that status in April, and contributed to a significant decline in Sunak's approval ratings.

Murty didn't provide a response to a request for comment, while a spokesperson for Sunak declined to comment.

The chancellor, a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker and hedge fund manager with the Children's Investment Fund and Theleme Partners, was previously seen as the front-runner to succeed Johnson as prime minister, but disclosures about his family wealth fueled concerns that he is out of touch with ordinary Britons.

Sunak on Thursday announced a 25% windfall tax on the profits of oil and gas firms and pledged cash handouts to millions of Britons facing sharp increases in energy bills and other outgoings.

Murty and Sunak met while studying for MBAs at Stanford University in mid-2000s. They married in 2009, and still own a property in California, a penthouse overlooking the ocean. In April, Sunak referred himself to the independent adviser on ministers' interests over his wife's tax status and his past ownership of a US green card. He was cleared of breaching the ministerial code.

Sunak previously declared in the official parliamentary register that Murty owns Catamaran Ventures, but has not given details of its investments. He transferred his 50% stake in the company to Murty when he became a member of Parliament in 2015.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
×