Leaseurope’s Richard Knubben: Resilience will define European leasing in a changing market

With geopolitical uncertainty, electrification, artificial intelligence and regulatory change reshaping European financial services, resilience is becoming increasingly important for the leasing and finance industry.

Just weeks before the Leaseurope and Eurofinas Annual Convention 2026, Finance Connect’s Head of Content (Auto), David Betteley, caught up with Richard Knubben, Director General of Leaseurope and Eurofinas, to discuss the convention and some of the biggest issues facing European auto and equipment finance.

Taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 15-16 October, this year’s convention will focus on “Achieving Resilient Growth in European Leasing, Automotive Rental and Specialised Consumer Credit” – reflecting what Knubben describes as an increasingly complex environment for businesses across Europe.

Listen to the full podcast episode with Richard Knubben, Director General of Leaseurope here.

European competitiveness under pressure

During the podcast, Knubben discusses the combination of geopolitical uncertainty, trade tensions, changing global supply chains and increasing competition facing European industry.

Automotive manufacturing is at the centre of many of these challenges, particularly as Chinese manufacturers expand their presence in Europe and established European OEMs consider how their business models need to evolve.

Knubben also discusses the tension between Europe’s ambitions to improve competitiveness and the growing regulatory demands placed on businesses, including the developing regulatory framework around AI.

Electrification and the residual value challenge

The transition to electric vehicles remains another major theme.

While leasing can play an important role in financing the move towards BEVs, Knubben highlights the importance of ensuring that the pace of transition reflects consumer demand, infrastructure availability and the ability of the used vehicle market to absorb increasing volumes of EVs.

Residual value uncertainty is also beginning to extend beyond passenger vehicles. As battery and hybrid technologies enter areas such as construction equipment and yellow goods, equipment finance providers are having to consider how emerging assets will perform in secondary markets.

AI creates opportunities – and new risks

Artificial intelligence is transforming financial services, but the podcast explores both sides of that development.

Alongside opportunities to improve onboarding, credit assessment and operational efficiency, Knubben points to the growing use of AI by fraudsters to create fake documents, identities and profiles.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” he said, with finance providers increasingly needing to consider how the same technology being used to improve their processes can also be deployed against them.

The conversation also covers the continued consolidation of Europe’s leasing sector, whether size matters when it comes to funding and innovation, the opportunities available to smaller specialist leasing businesses and Leaseurope’s discussions with the European Banking Authority around risk weights for leasing.

Resilience in an uncertain market

Asked to choose one word to describe the outlook for European leasing and finance over the next 12 months, Knubben chose “resilience” – also a central theme of this year’s Leaseurope convention.

“Our ability to weather the storm, be it macroeconomic, be it geopolitical, be it trade conflict or implementation of new technologies,” he said. “So far, I think the industry has shown that we’re pretty good at that.”

Listen to the full interview

Listen to the full podcast episode below to hear more about Richard Knubben’s views on European industrial policy, Chinese competition, EV residual values, AI and fraud, the changing equipment finance market and why resilience will be critical for Europe’s leasing industry over the coming year.

Join Leaseurope in Sofia this October

The Leaseurope and Eurofinas Annual Conventions 2026 takes place in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 15-16 October, bringing together senior leaders from across European leasing, automotive rental and specialised consumer credit to explore how the industry can achieve resilient growth amid rapid economic, regulatory and technological change.

Find out more and book your tickets for the Leaseurope and Eurofinas Annual Conventions at https://www.annual-convention.eu/