As SAF Solutions celebrates its 20th birthday, it’s a chance to pause and appreciate the journey that’s got us to this point.
It’s hard to believe it all began back in 2006 when Justin Timberlake was bringing SexyBack, Woolworths was still on every high street, and a Friday night trip to Blockbuster was highlight of the week.
As we mark this milestone, it feels like the perfect opportunity to reflect on where it all began, how far we’ve come, and what the plan for the future is.
How It All Started
Back in 2006, SAF Solutions, then known as Solutions Asset Finance, was founded on a simple ambition: to provide innovative finance solutions to help its suppliers close more sales.
Driven by tenacity and a belief that the service SAF provided would be beyond anything seen to date in the market, SAF aimed to offer a more creative and competitive form of funding to the rigid finance models of the time. That early spirit of drive, innovation and doing things the right way remains a fundamental part of the business today.
“From the very beginning, we’ve always believed that finance should help close sales, whilst working with suppliers and meeting the specific needs of their customers: not boxing them into a standard model that doesn’t fit. We started as a small team with a different drive from the rest of the market, and over the years, that approach has shaped who we’ve become. Twenty years on, I’m proud of how far we’ve come, but even more excited about what lies ahead as SAF continues to develop as the most customer-focused and creative funding partner in the UK.”
Growing, Learning, and Adapting Along the Way
Over the years, our Supplier Partners’ needs have continued to evolve, and as the industry shifted, SAF grew and adapted with it. Suppliers and their Customers began looking for greater flexibility, clearer processes, and support that genuinely understood their day-to-day challenges, and we made sure to listen and respond.
Alongside this, accountancy changes such as IFRS16 and new compliance requirements reshaped how things needed to be structured and delivered. This pushed us to refine our approach, rethink our workflows, and make sure our solutions remained practical, accurate, and aligned with what Suppliers and their Customers really needed, whilst always remaining fully compliant.
Every shift in landscape, from Customer expectations to regulatory updates, has taught us something valuable. That continuous willingness to learn, improve, and adapt has played a huge role in shaping the SAF you see today.
I have known Steve and his team at SAF for nearly the entire 20 years that they have
been arranging and funding transactions across both the public and private sectors. Throughout that time, they have consistently demonstrated a collaborative and innovative approach, successfully navigating complex transactions in a way that
meets and often exceeds the expectations of all parties involved.
Moving Forward
Looking back at the milestones, challenges, and lessons of the past 20 years reminds us why adaptability and curiosity have always been at the heart of SAF. The industry will continue to evolve, and so will we. Refining our processes, embracing change, and staying committed to delivering solutions that meet the realities of a fast-moving finance landscape.
As we celebrate this anniversary, we’re not just reflecting on where we’ve been, but setting our sights firmly on what comes next.
