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Leeds payments firm Iliad lands NatWest IP-backed loan to fund global push

What's the deal? Iliad SolutionsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Leeds-based payments technology firm, has secured a six-figure IP-backed loan from NatWestDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to fund international expansion.

The debt, announced in July 2026, will support new contract wins — including work with an international card issuer — and give the company room to strengthen its market position.

Iliad's software helps banks, processors, fintechs, and financial institutions test, certify, and launch payment products. Its t3 platform builds a virtual testing environment for functions such as card system validation and real-time payments before they go live.

Why now? NatWest structured the loan around Iliad's intellectual property, a lending model aimed at high-growth, innovation-led businesses.

"NatWest understands our business and the value of our intellectual property," said Anthony Walton, Iliad's founder and chief executive. "This allows them to back our ambition, leaving us to focus on growth and execution towards our aim to be the number one payment testing company in the world."

The signal: Iliad's raise reflects a wider shift towards debt financing backed by intangible assets, letting founders fund growth without giving up equity — a route particularly suited to early-stage software firms like Iliad, whose t3 testing platform is its core asset. For NatWest, the deal is a chance to deepen its corporate lending ties with innovation-led businesses whose value sits in intellectual property rather than physical collateral.

Read more: Bdaily

Image credit: SME Loans

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