The world’s first litigation funding company to be publicly listed will open for business in the UK this month.

Bentham Europe, whose parent was founded in Australia in 2002, will arrive in this country after expanding into the US.

The European venture comes with no cap on the amount of funds deployed to fund suitable cases.

Bentham will seek out high-value commercial cases and arbitrations in the UK and across Europe, initially focusing on multi-party investor claims of at least £30m and claims valued at more than £5m in single party matters.

‘This new venture positions the company to become a leading litigation funder globally,’ said investment manager Simon Dluzniak. ‘London is one of the most important centres for commercial litigation in the world – particularly for the high-value commercial claims we are interested in – and a main hub for the rest of Europe. It is strategically important that we have our feet on the ground here.’

Dluzniak said the business will be ‘flexible’ in its pricing, seeking either a fixed multiple return on its investment or a percentage of the damages – with returns of between 20% to 35%.

The company has funded 150 cases since its foundation. It is currently funding more than 30 claims in various international jurisdictions, with estimated damages exceeding £1.12bn. The company has recouped almost £800m since its foundation.