A major investigation by The Londoner has linked the late Access Bank CEO Herbert Wigwe to 106 properties across London, following UK legal reforms that forced overseas entities to disclose their ultimate beneficial owners.
The late Herbert Wigwe, former Group CEO of Access Holdings, has been identified as the owner of 106 properties across London, according to a landmark investigation titled “Revealed: The Billionaires Who Really Own London.” The report, published by The Londoner on Thursday, March 26, 2026, analyzed 32,611 properties owned by overseas entities, tracing assets through complex shell companies and offshore structures. Wigwe, who tragically died in a helicopter crash in February 2024, was ranked seventh on the list of billionaire homeowners, highlighting a real estate portfolio far more extensive than the singular luxury addresses previously associated with his name in UK company records.
The revelation was made possible by recent UK legal reforms, specifically the Register of Overseas Entities, which now mandates that foreign-held companies declare their true beneficial owners to the government. While earlier records had only publicly linked Wigwe to an exclusive address at 44 The Bishops Avenue in North London through a 2012 directorship of Carmel Gate Ltd, the new data shows his interests spanned thousands of miles and numerous high-value districts. The investigation noted that these properties were often held through entities registered in notorious tax havens such as Jersey, Guernsey, and the British Virgin Islands—a common practice among global elites seeking to manage assets discreetly.
While the report emphasizes that the ownership documentation does not allege any legal wrongdoing, the scale of the findings has added a new dimension to the ongoing legal disputes surrounding Wigwe’s multi-billion naira estate. Since his passing, his family members, including his father Shyngle Wigwe, have been embroiled in litigation over the administration of his assets. This new transparency into his international holdings underscores Wigwe’s status as a global financial heavyweight whose influence and wealth were deeply embedded in the world’s most expensive real estate markets, reaching well beyond the Nigerian banking sector he helped transform.
Top Billionaire Property Owners in London (2026 Report)
| Rank | Owner | Number of Properties |
| 1 | John Corless | 235 |
| 2 | Sarah Bard | 198 |
| 3 | Simon Reuben | 174 |
| … | … | … |
| 7 | Herbert Wigwe (Late) | 106 |
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