Cardiff’s Final Rentals is first Welsh company to get IP-backed loan from NatWest

Image: Fine Rentals

Cardiff-based car rental platform Final Rentals has secured a six-figure loan from NatWest, using its proprietary software and related intellectual property as collateral  

Ammar Akhtar, Founder and CEO of Final Rentals, says:

“What started as an idea in Cardiff has grown into a global business, and NatWest has been part of that journey from an early stage.” Ammar adds: “The support we've received has helped us invest in innovation, expand into new markets, and continue developing technology here in Wales that will support our future growth.” 

Final Rentals is an award-winning travel technology company that has grown from a Welsh start-up into an international business operating in more than 65 countries. Ammar joined the NatWest Accelerator in Cardiff early in his company’s growth. 

Intellectual property valuation specialist Inngot, which helped NatWest develop the IP loan offering, is also based in Wales. The bank uses Inngot’s online IP identification, valuation, and collateral-checking platform to assess applicants’ IP. (Click here for Inngot’s Final Rentals case study). 

Siwan Rees, Manager for NatWest Cymru Accelerator, says: 

"Businesses like Final Rentals show what can happen when innovative Welsh companies are given access to the right support and funding at the right time. As the first business in Wales to secure a NatWest IP-backed loan, Final Rentals demonstrates how innovative businesses can access growth capital without necessarily diluting ownership, helping them invest, recruit, and expand more quickly.” 

Martin Brassell, CEO of Inngot, observes: 

“I think the important thing is to be able to spot companies, like Final Rentals, that have growth potential and that’s where the relationship network that a large bank like NatWest has is really important. Making those connections, finding that potential, and then being able to fund it.” 

The Final Rentals loan deal is featured in NatWest’s announcement of a new report covering the UK’s innovative companies and funding. The report, ‘From Innovation to Impact,’ was conducted in partnership with Beauhurst, and shows that the UK is rich in research, ideas, and entrepreneurial talent, but lacking in the support needed for innovative businesses to grow. 

Analysis by Beauhurst of over 12,000 grant-backed businesses reveals a significant untapped innovation cohort: firms that are still trading and innovating, but have yet to secure follow-on equity, achieve an exit or demonstrate clear signs of commercial scale. 

NatWest says that “helping more of these firms succeed could create skilled jobs, attract private investment and allow communities across the UK to retain more of the economic value generated by innovation.”