Thought leaders

ESG Unconference Workshop Summary: What do we need to do to enable the transition from dirty to green assets?

May 30, 2023: Following the Asset Finance Connect ESG senior leadership interview with Odile de Saivre, CEO of Societe Generale Equipment Finance, and Sacha Balachandran, head of equipment finance at HSBC, sustainability representatives from the equipment financ...

How to raise funds for a finance portfolio

May 18, 2023: Conclusion from Stephen Bassett, head of the Asset Finance Connect UK asset finance community. We have just published the summary and analysis of the Asset Finance Connect conference session focusing on how to raise funds for a finance portfolio, ...

Managing the broker-funder relationship

May 02, 2023: We have just published the summary and analysis of the Asset Finance Connect conference session discussing the asset finance broker-funder relationship, which took place at our December conference. You can read the conference review here. Analysis...

Credit Risk Apathy Could Squash Your Chances of Fleet Financing

Mar 29, 2023: When you see a construction crew paving a road, laying cement onto a highway, or demolishing a building, it’s not just a one-man job. It requires multiple people and heavy-duty equipment like bulldozers, cranes, pavers, excavators and tractors. And...

Who will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 at the Asset Finance Connect Summer Awards?

Mar 23, 2023: Recognising a lifelong commitment and contribution to the industry, the Lifetime Achievement Award 2023, sponsored by Alfa, will honour an individual who has had a career working in the auto or equipment finance industry and has made a lasting cont...

Place your nominations for the AFC Lifetime Achievement Award

Mar 09, 2023: Perhaps one of the most emotional and heartfelt awards at Asset Finance Connect’s Summer Awards is the Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Alfa, recognising the recipient’s lifelong commitment and contribution to the industry. At the 2022 Sum...

Carlo Van Kemenade, CEO, DLL to be interviewed live on 15th March 2023

Mar 01, 2023: Asset Finance Connect have announced the next guest in their digital series of webcastplus and unconferences which they are running throughout 2023 in association with Leaseurope and Eurofinas. Carlo Van Kemenade, CEO, DLL will be interviewed live...

Asset Finance Connect, Eurofinas and Leaseurope announce a monthly series of jointly run digital events for 2023

Feb 07, 2023: Leaseurope, Eurofinas and Asset Finance Connect will be running a series of digital events for 2023 which will focus on celebrating innovation and excellence in the auto and equipment finance industry throughout Europe. "We are looking forward to ...

Net Zero Review: UK could do more to reap economic benefits of green growth

Jan 23, 2023: Former Energy Minister Chris Skidmore has published his Net Zero Review, outlining the opportunities offered by net zero. The UK’s leadership on tackling climate change has delivered real change at home and led to a global transformation – but more...

Asset finance: reflecting on 2022 and looking ahead to 2023

Dec 22, 2022: Despite a challenging outlook for 2023, there are many reasons for optimism from lenders. The latest figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that from January to October 2022, new business was 5% higher than in the sam...

COP27 Finance Day and its impact on the path to net zero

Nov 14, 2022: By Ross Schloeffel, Energy & Infrastructure partner, and Jessica Hargreaves, Energy & Infrastructure managing associate, Linklaters LLP. Ross Schloeffel, Energy & Infrastructure partner, and Jessica Hargreaves, Energy & Infrastruct...

FCA commits to more agile and efficient regulatory processes

Oct 11, 2022: Last week, Emily Sheppard, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), made a speech at the CISI/Financial Planning Conference 2022, where she committed to improving the agility and efficiency of regula...

Servitization: Right place, right time

Oct 11, 2022: After retiring from the asset finance industry after over 40 years, most recently as the Managing Director of JCB Finance, and as a key ambassador for servitization and advanced services in the finance industry, Paul Jennings has been appointed a V...

Platinum Sponsor FIS leads a panel of experts to debate readiness of auto OEMs to grow profits from services

Oct 03, 2022: David Woodroffe, FIS Senior Vice President, auto and asset finance will join a line-up of auto finance experts to assess the readiness of auto OEMS as they seek to build profitability from the provision of non-financial services through agency, lev...

Capitas Finance Founder raises £13,000 for Wings for Life with Swiss Epic challenge

Sep 20, 2022: The founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Capitas Finance, a specialist in financing energy solutions, has completed a gruelling five-day mountain bike cross-country endurance stage race through the Alps, smashing his fundraising target for spina...

Alice Altemaire, CEO Mobilize Financial Services UK to be Asset Finance Connect Conference auto keynote

Sep 16, 2022: Asset Finance Connect (AFC) is delighted to announce that this year’s opening auto finance keynote address for its November 3rd event will be delivered by Alice Altemaire, CEO of Mobilize Financial Services UK. Alice Altemaire will focus on sustai...

Richard Jones leaves Lloyds Banking Group to join Motonovo

Sep 14, 2022: In a surprise move for the auto finance industry, it has been announced that Managing Director Richard Jones will be leaving Lloyds Banking Group to join Motonovo. He will be replaced by Nick Williams who is currently Group Transformation Officer a...

Approaching the Arena anniversary: fixing the gap in UK asset finance fraud data

Sep 08, 2022: Asset Finance Connect to host a panel discussion with Nick Leader, CEO of Acquis Data Services, live online. In an exclusive Asset Finance Connect panel discussion webcast on 20 September, Nick Leader, CEO of Acquis Data Services will be joined by...

Automotive and mobility industry faces skills shortage

Aug 04, 2022: An acute skills shortage across the automotive and mobility industry is leaving businesses ill-equipped to take advantage of technological advances in electrification and digitalisation and leading to spiralling wage inflation as competition for ta...

CBC Resourcing Solutions celebrates 30 year anniversary

Jul 20, 2022: One of the asset finance sector’s longest established recruitment consultancies is gearing up to celebrate 30 years in business on 20 July. CBC Resourcing Solutions made its debut, initially as CBC Associates, in July 1992, and its directors, Graem...

Removal of Plug-in Car Grant jeopardises uptake of EVs

Jun 15, 2022: Journalist Jonathan Manning analyses the impact of the recent policy change. The government’s decision to withdraw the Plug-In Car Grant (PICG), a £1,500 subsidy towards the acquisition cost of a new electric car, has been met with consternation i...

Asset Finance Connect Summer conference – going green and growing

Jun 10, 2022: The sun shone and the conversation flowed at the Asset Finance Connect UK Conference, held in London on 9 June. Over 400 senior executives heard presentations from a broad range of international speakers from the auto, equipment and asset finance s...

DLL outlines expectations for post-Covid office environment

Jun 07, 2022: DLL has published The New Office Blueprint, a whitepaper examining the historical significance of the office, the impact of pandemic-induced work and how businesses can best leverage a physical office moving forward. The global financial solutions ...

Subscription D2C, Hybrid D2C and agency models in US auto market

Jun 01, 2022: Eva Kellershof, a board advisor in FinTech, mobility, auto finance, digital, strategy; former senior director of strategy for Fair.com; and client partner at Otoz shares her experience of the changing US auto market with David Betteley, head of con...

Keynotes to assess the opportunities for auto and equipment finance from IOT connectivity

May 31, 2022: Headline sponsor Alfa’s CEO Andrew Denton joins our keynote panel to consider the opportunities to leverage asset connectivity to deliver value to customers, to provide profit growth, and to be kind to the planet. Where are the opportunities to de...

Industry specialists unite to launch Finativ

May 26, 2022: Three niche firms – GrowCap, CDR Advisory and Visper– are merging to create a new organisation called Finativ, with the goal of providing a distinct combination of advisory services, financial and business consulting for firms in the asset, motor a...

More Storm Clouds Approaching or Just Blue Skies Ahead?

May 11, 2022: We’re now quite familiar with the challenges around global supply chains and the knock on effect on used equipment markets. On the face of it, all great news for remarketing teams and asset managers, with strong renewals performance and record equi...

Grosvenor Group announces death of CEO Shaun Barritt

Feb 11, 2022: Shaun Barritt, the Grosvenor Group’s CEO, has died aged 64 after battling late stage sarcomatoid mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer. He joined the business in 1984, and worked his way through to becoming managing director, and more recently Group ...

UK asset finance industry needs to get serious about fraud prevention

Jan 19, 2022: It seems like every five years or so that the asset finance community in the UK revisits often-discussed plans to establish an asset register to protect themselves against fraud. Now is just such a time, with an estimated 55 industry lenders facing...

Receivables finance 2.0: How blockchain can deliver enhanced security, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness

Jan 12, 2022: The invoice and trade finance industry is ideally suited to the benefits of blockchain technology, which could improve data accuracy, increase security and improve transaction efficiency, according to Adi Ben-Ari, founder and CEO of Applied Blockch...

Positive equipment trends for US, especially construction, despite 'headwinds'

Nov 19, 2021: Managers responsible for assets in the US are tracking positive equipment trends as the economy rebounds from the pandemic but also pressures affecting valuations and outlooks for certain types of equipment. How are different equipment types faring...

Why manufacturers must invest in digital transformation to capitalise on the semiconductor shortage

Nov 04, 2021: With the global semiconductor shortage impacting the automotive sector, vehicle makers and their suppliers across the globe have had to significantly reduce production or temporarily close down factories due to the impact of the shortage. They need...

Maintaining client relationships in a digitalised environment

Oct 22, 2021: Matt Conner, Chief Growth Officer at Paragon DCX, explores the barriers hindering digital transformation and how firms can break them down for an enhanced customer experience (CX). ...

Improving representation of women at C-suite level in the asset finance industry

Oct 04, 2021: Diverse boards are commercially important and having an equal number of women in senior roles is not merely a good and right thing to do, as a watershed report from McKinsey has demonstrated that gender- and racially-diverse boards are more profita...

Invigors builds up network with five new executive recruits

Sep 29, 2021: Invigors has added five consultants to its network, as it bolsters its reach and capability. The new recruits include the former managing director of Volvo Financial Services France, as well as other senior executives from captive, bank-owned and i...

MotoNovo Finance MD Joins the Automotive 30% Club

Sep 17, 2021: MotoNovo Finance managing director Karl Werner has become the latest business leader to join the Automotive 30% Club, the voluntary network of managing directors and CEOs from UK based automotive manufacturing, retailing and supplier companies. In ...

DLL begins search for new CEO as Bill Stephenson announces retirement

Aug 26, 2021: The chief executive officer and chairman of global vendor finance provider DLL, Bill Stephenson, has announced he will be retiring at the end of this year. His departure will bring to a close a 35-year career with DLL and its predecessor companies...

Connected but not infected – why more education is needed in the new digital world

Aug 20, 2021: Businesses and consumers are battling a new wave of global ‘scamdemic’ that is targeting the digital economic recovery from COVID-19. As more trade and business has moved online, with reduced social interaction to limit COVID-19, criminals looking ...

The switch from Car-as-a-Service to Battery-as-a-Service

Aug 05, 2021: Sales of electric vehicles reached record levels last year, but as governments around the world set targets to ban petrol and diesel altogether over the coming decades, innovation will be key to winning hearts and minds. Although 3.1 million elect...

Why feature, function and flexibility are key to success in the finance sector

Jun 18, 2021: In an ever-changing finance marketplace, three Fs can help better support finance leases, as well as hire and lease purchases. Darren Greeyner, lending division chief commercial officer of Aryza explains. ...

Global finance companies representing $18 trillion in assets back the circular economy

Jun 17, 2021: The authors of a major report on financing the circular economy are calling on finance companies to increase collaboration with businesses and governments to scale the sector. There are major opportunities for the finance industry to deliver on en...

CLFP Foundation’s Reid Raykovich is primed to take the equipment finance certification worldwide

Jun 01, 2021: In a recent interview with Leasing Avenues, Reid Raykovich, executive director of the CLFP Foundation, spoke about the Certified Lease & Finance Professional Foundation. Based in the US, the certification is a key credential for equipment leas...

How to ‘build back better’ after the pandemic

May 26, 2021: Ian Isaac, managing director of Lombard, the largest AF50 bank subsidiary, explains how the focus for the year ahead will be on supporting customers to help them recover from the pandemic and ‘build back better’. ...

Why we need Barclays back in the Asset Finance 50

May 24, 2021: The sale of Barclays’ remaining UK asset finance business means far more than the loss of a top 10 AF50 company; it must also raise questions about the future of leasing for UK banks, according to industry consultant Julian Rose. ...

FCA endorses whistleblowing in focus on diversity and inclusion

May 17, 2021: Following the news that the FCA is considering adding a sixth question on diversity and inclusion (D&I) to its five conduct questions (5CQs), legal professionals at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP have concluded that this marks a shift in the F...

Digital icebergs and the future of asset finance

May 04, 2021: The asset finance industry has undergone some of the most fundamental changes in its history over the past year and new risks are now emerging as finance providers focus on growth in a post-pandemic era, as Adam Kobeissi, innovation director i...

Brian Rogerson steps down from Asset Finance International

Apr 12, 2021: Having enjoyed a 50-year-long career in the asset finance industry, Brian Rogerson has stepped down from his role as consulting editor and co-founder of Asset Finance International. Brian (pictured above) co-founded the magazine in September 2009 ...

Brokers to be indispensable to the UK's economic recovery – banks need to be ready

Apr 07, 2021: With the nature of the UK’s economic recovery from the pandemic evolving on an almost daily basis, many small business owners are concerned over access to finance. On this topic, Allica Bank’s head of asset finance, Richard Cameron (pictured above...

Why demand for asset finance could rise as CBILS comes to an end

Mar 31, 2021: Of all the milestones chalked up in the 12 months since the first wave of the pandemic hit the UK, it is one of the less heralded, but no less remarkable; 100,000 British firms have applied for, and received, a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loa...

Why client communications is critical in a new era for asset finance

Mar 26, 2021: It is both a turbulent and exciting time in the asset finance services industry. Though companies face heightened competition from digitally-native disruptors, the shifting attitudes of consumers and the continual emergence of new fintech technolog...