Simply wins AFC Excellence in Technology Award 2025

“Since the beginning of Simply, our tech team set out to build a platform to transform the borrowing experience in the asset finance sector,” said Ylva Oertengren, Chief Operating Officer at Simply. “Receiving this accolade is important for the team and the wider business, as it’s recognition for the hard work that goes into ensuring we’re delivering the service our customers deserve.”

A platform built for simplicity, powered by innovation

Simply’s Tech Team is the engine behind its market-leading platform, Simply Connect, an end-to-end digital journey that allows customers and brokers to manage finance applications seamlessly from submission to final payment.

Key features include automated onboarding, KYC, and credit checks; AI-powered customer service tools and real-time settlement figures; sales and broker apps for pipeline management and opportunity tracking; asset value analytics and a marketplace for asset sales; and integrated internal workflows and systematic quality assurance.

The results are powerful, including streamlined service, faster decisions, fewer errors, and more time for customer conversations not admin.

Human-led, tech-enabled

Simply’s success lies not just in its technology stack, but in how the team designs with people in mind. The tech team works closely with every department to remove friction and enable smarter decisions, from customer service to credit underwriting.

Sales teams use AI-powered insights to manage relationships in real time. Underwriters see a single, consolidated customer view to focus their attention on risk and opportunity. And change happens fast thanks to a culture of iteration and collaboration where ideas don’t sit on a three-year roadmap but often go live ‘next Tuesday’.

“The AFC Summer Awards is a highlight in the calendar for Simply,” added Oertengren. “Celebrating the successes of the industry is inspiring and allows us to reflect and plan for the next phase of progression.”

Driving growth and industry impact

Simply’s tech-first model has been key to its commercial momentum. In 2024 alone, the company surpassed a £0.5bn loan book; lent £314m to UK businesses, bringing its lifetime lending to £1.75bn+; increased new agreements by 19%; and reported profits of over £8.5 million.

Its platform underpinned successful partnerships, including an expanded relationship with Lendscape, The British Business Bank, and Bank of America. Simply’s technology is now powering Asset Finance-as-a-Service partnerships across the UK, helping other funders deliver similar customer experiences.

“One of the biggest challenges you can face as a lender is to re-platform the loan administration,” said Oertengren. “We did that on time, on budget, and with zero business downtime.”

A team that leads the industry forward

Led by Andy Trimmer, Head of Technology at Simply, the team doesn’t just innovate internally, they lead the sector forward. From speaking at industry events to contributing to conversations around data, AI, and accessibility, Simply’s tech team shares openly to help lift the whole industry.

As Steve Taplin, Managing Director at Lendscape, put it: “Simply are innovators in their use of technology in our industry, operating alongside their excellent staff, to deliver outstanding customer service. Simply have been a partnership where our relationship has gone from strength to strength. From day one our collaboration was based on transparency and openness, and from a technology point of view we are very much aligned in our attitude and approach. We’re looking forward to seeing how our relationship evolves and progresses in the future.”

Looking ahead: AI, automation and customer focus

In the next 6–12 months, Simply’s technology roadmap will continue to focus on delivering more for customers, faster, smarter, and at scale.

“Our roadmap is all about deploying new tools to drive value and efficiency, including Ai and automation,” said Oertengren.

The AFC Excellence in Technology Award 2025 is a fitting recognition of a team that has made innovation personal, practical, and purposeful, and has raised the bar for what great technology in asset finance can look like.