Odile de Saivre: equipment finance enables Europe’s next transitions

Equipment finance has an important role in helping European businesses respond to technological change and the green transition, writes Odile de Saivre, CEO of BPCE Equipment Solutions, in the AFE50 Report 2026.

Her feature, “Navigating uncertainty: why equipment finance is the silent engine of the technological and green transitions”, examines how financing can help companies modernise while protecting liquidity.

Businesses face overlapping investment pressures: improving efficiency, adopting new technology, reducing energy consumption and strengthening the resilience of their operations.

Odile de Saivre explores how these demands are changing the role of finance providers. Understanding an asset’s technical characteristics and the customer’s operating environment becomes essential to designing an appropriate financing solution.

Collaboration between manufacturers, financial institutions and end users is another central theme. Stronger partnerships can help align finance with the equipment and capabilities businesses need.

The feature also considers leasing’s contribution to the circular economy through lifecycle management, refurbishment and second-life use.

Published by Finance Connect in association with Asset Finance Policy and sponsored by Alfa, the tenth edition of the AFE50 combines its provider rankings with perspectives on the investment challenges facing European businesses.