Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

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.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
×