Paragon boosts Zeti partnership
11/02/2026
Paragon Bank’s SME Lending division has expanded its partnership with fintech Zeti, strengthening their shared mission to help UK SMEs accelerate their transition to Net Zero.
The expanded agreement formally appoints Zeti, whose software, ZetiOS, enables the financing and management of transportation and energy assets through a single, cloud-based platform, as Paragon’s fintech partner.
Paragon will now be able to gain access to real‑time asset data through ZetiOS, including emissions tracking and asset health monitoring, which will provide enhanced automation, financial and sustainability reporting and richer ESG intelligence across its financed assets. This will ultimately lead to more informed lending decisions and faster decision‑making, leading to a smoother customer experience.
The two organisations have collaborated since 2023 through Paragon’s relationship with Otto Car, Europe’s largest private hire fleet provider, using the ZetiOS platform to enable innovative pay‑per‑use financing for Otto's portfolio of low‑emission vehicles.
The partnership will support the financing of a wider range of renewable energy assets such as rooftop solar, combined heat and power systems and small‑scale wind, enabling SMEs to fund equipment in a way that reflects actual energy production and usage. By building on established Power Purchase Agreement (“PPA”) models, the partnership aims to help SMEs lower energy costs while supporting the UK’s broader ambitions for decarbonisation and energy resilience.
Matt Bass, Head of Specialist Finance in Paragon’s SME Lending division, said, “As a FTSE 250 lender working with more than 16,000 UK SMEs, Paragon is committed to funding a greener future for SMEs and the UK economy.
“We want to make a meaningful difference by providing simple and modern finance solutions which enable SMEs to have assets that reduce emissions and provide energy certainty. Zeti’s team is entirely aligned with these goals and their tech expertise enables us to do exactly that.”
The Zeti collaboration aligns with Paragon’s growing footprint in the clean‑energy finance space and builds on the bank’s rooftop solar scheme with HDM Energies – an initiative which removes upfront costs for participants and is so far expected to save customers a collective £24.9 million in energy savings and reduce emissions by 900,000 tonnes, equivalent to taking 200,000 cars off the road for a year.
Pictured: Dan Saunders, Zeti Founder & CEO, Matt Bass, Head of Specialist Sales at Paragon SME Lending, and Dave Kennon, Zeti Commercial Director.
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