NatWest’s Neil Bellamy to speak at WIPO’s Banking on Intangibles: From Valuation to Financing global event next month

WIPO HQ image copyright WIPO. Photo: Emmanuel Berrod.

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has announced that the theme for its IP Finance Dialogue high-level discussion event, taking place 24 November 2026, will be ‘Banking on intangibles: from valuation to financing.’

The IP Finance Dialogue will take place in a hybrid format in the WIPO Conference Hall at WIPO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and online.

Neil Bellamy, Head of Technology, Media and Telecoms Sector at UK bank NatWest, will deliver a thematic keynote address to introduce the meeting’s first session, a panel discussion focused on Banking on IP.

The panel has been titled ‘From Pilot Projects to Market Practice’ and will explore how initiatives are shaping IP-backed finance, showcasing practical experiences, business models and institutional approaches that recognize IP as a bankable asset.

Panellists will include Mr. Mustafa Azizi, CEO, Malaysia Industrial Development Finance Berhad (MIDF); Ms. Srividya Gopal, MD and Head of Middle East Valuations and Opinions, Lincoln International and Chair, Business Valuation Board, International Valuation Standards Council, United Arab Emirates; Mr. Roland Emmans, Head of UK Technology Sector and Growth Lending, HSBC, United Kingdom; and Ms. Karimi Ngeera, Finance Director, HEVA Fund, Kenya.

NatWest launched its IP-backed loan proposition in January 2024, and has since lent around £34m to UK companies using their IP as collateral. The NatWest IP backed loan, which is now also available from NatWest’s sister bank Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), was developed in partnership with Inngot, whose IP identification and valuation tools facilitate the ongoing delivery of the loan proposition.

Inngot also works with HSBC on its IP-backed lending facility, and, along with its Asia partner, Adastra IP, is delivering IP valuations for the WIPO and MIDF joint IP Finance Pilot Programme in Malaysia.

The second session of the day is on ‘IP Finance and Economic Growth’ and will explore how IP finance can unlock capital for intangible-intensive enterprises, particularly SMEs, and support innovation, competitiveness and sustainable economic growth.

Before a lunch break, there will be a presentation on WIPO’s ongoing Action Plan for bringing IP finance into the mainstream by raising awareness, highlighting practices and providing stakeholders with practical knowledge and tools.

The afternoon will feature two more session, the first on ‘Building Transparency: Advancing Financial Reporting and Disclosure on Intangibles’ which will discuss how improved reporting and disclosure on intangibles can enhance transparency, strengthen investor confidence and inform financing decisions.

The final session of the day will be on ‘Assessing Intangible Assets for Financial Decision-Making, which will review how IP valuation, due diligence and risk assessment can support financing decisions involving intangible assets, drawing on practical methodologies and market experiences.

Full details of speakers can be found on the program for the IP Finance Dialogue 2026.