Simply Asset Finance and Lombard expand integrated lending partnership

Simply Asset Finance and Lombard have expanded their funding partnership following an initial phase that has deployed £25 million to SMEs across the UK since April 2026.

Under the next phase of the partnership, Simply will originate loans on behalf of Lombard through a fully integrated lending model, creating a unified customer journey designed to improve efficiency and broaden access to funding.

The initial five-month phase saw Lombard, part of NatWest Group, provide a wholesale facility through which Simply delivered £25 million of funding to SMEs using hire purchase and finance lease products.

Around 90% of the funding was deployed to businesses outside London and the South East, including 20% to SMEs in the North West, with strong demand also recorded across Scotland, Yorkshire and the South West.

The expanded model will combine Simply’s vendor relationships, technology and regional presence with Lombard’s lending expertise, scale and funding capabilities.

Simply’s technology includes its AI agent Kara, while the lender recorded a customer experience score of 88.3 in the 2026 UKCSI Business Benchmarking Survey, compared with an all-sector average of 79.4 and a Banks & Building Societies sector score of 82.7.

Ylva Oertengren, COO at Simply Asset Finance, said:

“The first five months have given us a strong start and shown what is possible when the right funding structure is matched with the right customer experience. But this is only the beginning.

“Getting access to the right funding is the key to unlocking the UKs growth potential, and our focus is on doing everything we can to back the entrepreneurs and business builders who are investing, innovating and creating jobs.

“This next phase gives us more scope to do just that, and we want to keep pushing the boundaries of what good SME finance can look like.”

The two businesses also plan to explore further opportunities to extend their joint capabilities and increase the distribution of funding solutions to SMEs across the UK.

Andrew Kilheeney, Managing Director, Wholesale and Specialist Businesses at Lombard, said:

“From the outset, we saw in Simply a business that shares our belief in backing ambitious SMEs through a technology-led approach to finance.

“Its strong understanding of the market, customer-first mindset and ability to combine technology with specialist expertise made it a natural partner for us, complementing our own market-leading proposition.

“The progress we’ve made together so far reinforces that shared vision, and we’re delighted to be taking the relationship to the next level. I’d also like to thank the teams across both organisations whose hard work and collaboration made this complex project possible.”