enn Capital is scaling fast by bringing a fresh perspective to global finance
When Matt Watson launched Tenn Capital in the middle of Guernsey’s second Covid lockdown, the odds were hardly stacked in his favour. Four years on, the Channel Islands firm is on track to surpass half a billion pounds in loans. For Matt and the team, the vision was clear from the start: build a lender that spoke to the needs of modern wealth, fast, flexible, and borderless.
“The modern, wealthy, private client is a citizen of the world,” he explains. “They might have a villa in Spain but live and work in London while their kids go to school in America. The banking system traditionally wasn’t set up for these people.”
It was that gap in the market Tenn set out to fill. Matt began by meeting 500 people in his first 100 days, laying the foundations of a network that would prove invaluable.
“Having an idea is easy; the execution is the hard bit,” he says. “If you believe in what you’re doing, and in the potential of the business you could build, then it is exciting rather than scary.”
From those early conversations, Tenn has grown into a specialist lender that is known for high-value, short-term loans secured against prime residential property. Already responsible for more than £450 million in deals, Tenn is supported by world-class funding partners and counts Guernsey, Jersey, and Gibraltar as its home bases.
Yet Tenn’s story is as much about people as it is about numbers. Matt insists recruitment is his most important responsibility and is notably candid with would-be hires.
“This isn’t really a job, it’s all in,” he says. “Every employee receives shares and are encouraged to develop an owner mindset. You have to think like an owner, and that’s not for everyone. But for those who embrace it, the rewards are great.”
That ownership ethos is one reason Jordan Cameron, Tenn’s Head of Structured Credit, came on board earlier this year. A former investment banker, he had been one of the 500 names on Matt’s original list.
“What’s unique about Tenn is that Matt and the team future-proofed the business from the start, giving it unlimited room to grow,” Jordan says. “Most companies build reactively. Tenn laid the groundwork early, and that’s a huge advantage.”
That groundwork is now enabling Tenn to stretch its ambitions. While real estate remains the backbone of its lending, the firm is expanding into solutions secured against financial assets like listed securities and private investments. The aim is not to dilute Tenn’s focus but to offer more to the globally mobile clients who need liquidity across a range of asset classes.
Technology is also central to what comes next. Matt describes it as a “natural step” in the scale-up journey.
“We know there’s going to be a huge change in the next five years,” he says. “We don’t know exactly how, but we’re building a platform that can cope with a wide variety of outcomes. That’s what we’re super focused on.”
A consistent theme in Tenn’s story is its focus on clarity and pace. Decisions are made promptly, strong foundations are established early, and growth is approached with both ambition and discipline.
“We will be staying laser focused on what we do and how we do it,” Matt says, “while improving our technology and identifying more great people to welcome to the team.”
For a company born in the uncertainty of lockdown, Tenn’s trajectory is proof that with conviction, the right partners, and a willingness to rethink old models, it is possible not only to survive but to scale at speed. The next chapter, it seems, is only just beginning.