In a fusion of two ubiquitous organometallic reagents, triphenylphosphine (PPh3) and tetraphenylborate (BPh4-), the 9-phosphatriptycene-10-phenylborate (PTB) anion has been prepared for the first time. This borato species has been fully characterized by a suite of spectroscopic methods, and initial reactivity studies introduce it as a competent ligand for transition metals, including Co(ii) and Fe(ii).