Simply Asset Finance posts FY 2025 pre-tax profits of £3.4m

Simply Asset Finance has reported pre-tax profits of £3.4 million for the year ended 31 December 2025 after delivering strong revenue growth and investing heavily in artificial intelligence, technology and its sales capabilities to support the next phase of expansion.

The specialist SME lender increased revenues by 9% to £66 million, while its gross loan book grew to £532 million as cumulative lending surpassed the £2 billion milestone.

The results reflect a year in which the lender prioritised long-term growth over short-term profitability, significantly expanding its workforce, accelerating its technology roadmap and strengthening its distribution network to support higher future lending volumes.

During 2025, cumulative loan origination increased by 25% to £2.05 billion, while annual originations exceeded £400 million, representing growth of 31% compared with the previous year.

A key part of Simply’s strategy was a 45% increase in front-office headcount, taking its total workforce to 196 employees. The business said the investment has enhanced its multi-channel distribution model, enabling it to support a growing customer base while maintaining its relationship-led approach to lending.

The lender now supports more than 13,000 customers, with total agreements exceeding 23,000 during the year, up 23% year-on-year.

Technology continued to play a central role in Simply’s growth strategy, with the launch of its AI agent, Kara, representing one of the business’ most significant developments.

The AI platform has been designed to improve operational efficiency across payments, customer communications and proposal processing, helping support annual growth of between 30% and 40% across those functions.

Kara also powers Simply’s new end-to-end payout capability, enabling approved vendor partners with pre-approved credit facilities to draw down funding in as little as eight minutes, significantly reducing the time from approval to funding.

Rather than limiting AI to operational processes, Simply has embedded Kara across the organisation as a productivity tool for employees, with the business describing AI adoption as a core enabler of its future growth strategy.

The lender believes these investments have created a scalable technology platform capable of supporting continued expansion while improving both customer and partner experience.

The enhanced proposition has already helped secure a strategic partnership with Lombard, part of NatWest Group, under which Simply will support Lombard’s presence in the UK scale-up market using its technology-enabled lending platform.

Alongside its technology investment, Simply continued to strengthen its regional footprint throughout the year.

The business opened a new office in Glasgow city centre after surpassing £150 million of funding provided to Scottish SMEs since 2022. It also celebrated a significant milestone in the North West, with its Liverpool office reaching £50 million of cumulative loan originations.

Mike Randall, CEO of Simply Asset Finance, said 2025 had laid the foundations for the company’s next stage of growth.

“2025 was a landmark year for Simply. The progress we’ve made is a testament to the dedication of our team, the strength of our partnerships, and the trust of our customers. We’ve invested heavily in our platform, our people, and our capabilities, and that puts us in a fantastic position to lead the way in supporting UK businesses.

“Our investment in our front office is also proof of the scalability we’re continually building into the business – reinforcing our commitment to meeting customers where they operate and maintaining the face-to-face relationships that remain so important to us.

“As we look ahead to 2026, we’re excited about the opportunities in front of us and confident that the foundations we’ve built will drive even greater success.”

Stefan Wolvaardt, Chief Financial Officer of Simply Asset Finance, said the business had entered its next phase of sustainable growth.

“These results reflect a business that has grown strongly and sustainably over the last year. With revenues increasing and cumulative origination surpassing £2 billion, we are now entering our next phase of growth.

“After having increased origination in 2025 by 31% to more than £400 million, our ambition is to continue this trajectory and thanks to the investments we’ve made, we have full confidence in our ability to achieve this.”