Growing the market together: Paul Stokes on brokers, lenders and the invoice finance opportunity

In the latest episode of Advances: The Receivables Finance Connect Podcast, Mike Symes speaks to Paul Stokes, founding director of FlexABL, about how closer collaboration between brokers and lenders can help more businesses access invoice finance.

How can invoice finance reach more growing businesses – and become easier for intermediaries to introduce?

For Paul Stokes, founding director of FlexABL and leader of the Receivables Finance Connect Intermediary Council, clearer communication and better ways of working must go hand in hand.

Speaking to host Mike Symes, Stokes draws on his experience as both a broker and a lender to explore the opportunities ahead, while previewing the Receivables Finance Connect Conference on Tuesday 24 November 2026 at Kings Place, London, headline sponsored by Dancerace.

Listen to the latest episode of Advances: The Receivables Finance Connect Podcast.

Making invoice finance easier to access

The conversation examines the competitive challenge posed by the speed and simplicity of online loans, and why invoice finance needs to communicate its role in supporting growth more effectively.

But raising awareness is only part of the answer. Stokes also discusses the practical changes needed to improve introductions, share information and shorten the journey from enquiry to funding.

“We need to become easier to deal with and we need to become quicker again at onboarding clients,” he says.

The episode also explores the opportunity for asset finance brokers to identify working capital needs among their existing customers, opening the door to closer collaboration across the specialist finance community.

Turning discussion into action

That collaborative approach will underpin the Intermediary Council’s messaging lab at November’s conference.

Stokes previews an interactive session designed to draw on delegates’ ideas and develop two messages: one for intermediaries and one for business owners, intended for use on social media the following week.

The aim is to give the community a direct role in shaping how the sector promotes itself – and a clear connection between conference discussion and practical action.

“It’s all about that collective activity for the greater good of the invoice finance sector,” he says.

Listen to the full podcast episode below to hear Mike and Paul discuss broker–lender relationships, the opportunities for invoice finance and what delegates can expect from the messaging lab.

Explore all episodes of Advances: The Receivables Finance Connect Podcast.

Join the conversation at the Receivables Finance Connect Conference, part of the Finance Connect UK Autumn Conference, on Tuesday 24 November 2026 at Kings Place, London. Headline sponsored by Dancerace.