The Finance & Leasing Association’s March 2026 statistics point to a market in strong growth. £4.5 billion in new lending, a single-month record. Plant and machinery up 16%. SME lending up 11%. By the numbers, UK equipment finance is in good health.
Lenders are managing rising insolvency risk, a shifting regulatory landscape, and an uncertain economic backdrop, all while trying to scale. For brokers, that combination creates both opportunity and complexity in 2026. Here are the three trends that matter most.
1. Volume is surging, and lender capacity is being tested
£4.5bn new UK asset finance lending in March 2026, the highest single month on record
(FLA)
Record volumes put pressure on the infrastructure behind every deal. Lenders whose origination and servicing workflows aren’t built for this throughput slow down, and brokers feel that friction first, in delayed decisions and inconsistent turnaround times.
The brokers capturing the most of this market aren’t necessarily the fastest. They’re the most precise. A clean package with a clear credit story moves through a lender’s system faster than one that requires rounds of follow-up, particularly when that lender is processing more volume than their platform was originally designed for. Understanding which of your lender partners has the operational infrastructure to handle current volumes and structuring submissions accordingly is one of the most practical advantages a broker can hold in 2026. It’s something we see directly in how our customers are managing their pipelines, the ones running connected originations and portfolio management on a single platform tend to give brokers far cleaner and more predictable feedback loops than those still working across disconnected systems
2. Green assets are going mainstream, and the complexity is coming with them
69% of FLA member firms expected new business growth over the next 12 months, with green asset investment a leading driver
(FLA Outlook Survey, 2025)
Green equipment deals are no longer a niche in 2026. Electric commercial vehicles, energy-efficient plant, and solar infrastructure, the FLA’s outlook data identifies sustainable asset investment as one of the primary growth drivers for UK equipment finance this year, and the pipeline is building fast.
For brokers, this territory requires a different kind of conversation. Green assets carry higher values, longer economic lives, and end-of-term scenarios shaped by usage data, battery condition, and secondary market dynamics that traditional hire purchase and leasing structures weren’t designed around. The brokers placing the most green business in 2026 are those who can engage lenders on residual value assumptions and lifecycle structure, not just the monthly payment. That shift also reflects something we’re seeing on the lender side: the equipment finance businesses managing green asset portfolios most effectively are those with genuine asset-level visibility baked into their platform, tracking condition and disposition across the portfolio life. For brokers, that makes the choice of lender partner increasingly consequential on green deals
3. Economic uncertainty is rising, and so is the compliance bar
44% of industry executives expected economic conditions to worsen over the next 12 months
(FLA Outlook Survey, 2025)
The FLA’s outlook survey captures a market balancing growth expectations against real caution. 74% of respondents expected business insolvencies to increase. 57% anticipated a rise in customers falling into arrears. Credit appetites are shifting, sometimes quickly, and brokers who stay genuinely close to their lender panel will be better placed when one door closes faster than expected.
The regulatory picture adds another layer. The FCA’s Consumer Duty framework continues to raise expectations around client outcomes and documentation quality across the broker market. And as lenders deploy AI-supported credit decisioning tools, scrutiny over explainability and governance is increasing, something that will shape how quickly certain deals move through automated workflows in 2026. Brokers who understand not just what their lender partners will fund, but how their systems make those decisions, will be more effective advocates for their clients. From where we sit, the lenders best placed to move decisively in this environment are those running compliance and risk oversight through a single connected platform, where controls and audit trails are built into the workflow, not bolted on after the fact.
The broker edge in 2026
Volume, green assets, compliance pressure, these three trends are reshaping UK equipment finance this year, and they interact. They reward brokers who invest in deeper lender relationships, cleaner processes, and genuine asset knowledge. The firms that navigate all three well will capture a disproportionate share of what is shaping up to be a genuinely strong market cycle.
Solifi works with equipment finance businesses across the UK to provide the unified platform that gives lenders, and through them, their broker partners, the visibility and guidance to act with confidence. If you’d like to understand more, we’d welcome the conversation.
Sources: Finance & Leasing Association: Asset Finance Statistics, March 2026 · FLA Industry Outlook Survey, Q1 2025