Cardiff-based car rental technology company Final Rentals is the only Welsh company in the 2026 Sifted 250, a ranking of Europe’s fastest-growing startups and scaleups.
The company is ranked 137th in Europe, with two-year revenue growth of 177.17% based on verified financial data.
The ranking selects 250 businesses from thousands of European startups and scaleups and measures revenue growth across the last three financial years. Only three companies headquartered in the UK outside England are on this year’s list.
Companies must support their reported revenue with signed financial documentation rather than forecasts or projected revenue, and must generate the majority of their revenue from proprietary technology. Final Rentals qualified through its technology platform, including BLADE, its AI-powered booking engine.
Founder and CEO Ammar Akhtar said: “I searched the report for ‘Cardiff’ and got one result. Us. I’m proud of that dot on the map, but I don’t want it to be lonely. Wales has the talent to fill that map, and next year I want to search the list and lose count.
“To every founder building in Wales with growing revenue, I encourage you to apply when the 2027 entries open in January. My inbox is open, and I’ll help you through it.”
He added: “Sifted doesn’t count promises. You put your signed accounts on the table and compete with the best companies in Europe on real revenue. That’s exactly the test we wanted.”
Final Rentals was founded in 2019 by Ammar Akhtar and moved its global headquarters to Wales in 2022. It operates a franchise model connecting independent local car rental operators with international customers and online travel platforms.
The company operates in more than 65 countries and has a team of around 30 people across 12 countries. It is a Welsh Government Export Champion, and Ammar Akhtar was named FinTech Leader of the Year at the 2026 FinTech Awards Wales.
