AF Broker 40 expands to showcase UK’s leading asset finance brokers

A major update to one of the UK’s most important market intelligence publications has arrived with the launch of the Asset Finance (AF) Broker 40 Report 2026, now available to download.

Asset finance brokers originate an estimated £8 billion of SME asset finance each year – around 30% of the UK’s business leasing market. Yet despite the scale and importance of the intermediary channel, there has historically been relatively little publicly available information about the firms responsible for arranging this funding. The AF Broker 40 aims to address that gap by providing greater transparency into a sector that plays a vital role in helping businesses invest, grow and access specialist finance.

Like its sister publications – the AFUK50 and AF Europe 50 – the AF Broker 40 is compiled using publicly available information together with transparent estimates and consistent methodology. Expanding the ranking to 40 firms this year reflects both the continued growth of the market and the increasing significance of larger broker businesses within the UK asset finance sector.

“Last year’s survey was based mainly on estimates, so this year it’s been great to engage with most of the firms listed to sense-check the numbers, or in some cases for them to provide their own figures.  Although the estimates were generally confirmed as being about right, we are always happy to adjust estimates based on brokers’ input.

“The Broker 40 ranking survey helps to show that there are many different operating models for asset finance broking, serving different parts of the market and involving different cost models and skill sets. Whether it is for the hundreds of smaller asset finance brokers, or the 40 largest firms in this report, success depends on consistently supporting businesses to obtain suitable asset finance at a competitive rate, and that’s less dependent on the structure of the firm and far more on its people and systems.”

More than simply a ranking of the UK’s leading brokers, the publication explores many of the issues currently shaping the future of the intermediary sector.

One feature examines how brokers are helping to bridge the UK’s SME funding gap, highlighting the increasingly important role they play in securing funding for businesses whose borrowing requirements fall outside standard lending criteria.

The report also contains an extensive analysis of the proposed reforms to the Appointed Representative (AR) regime. Featuring contributions from AFS Compliance and the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB), the article explores how the Government’s proposals could reshape the regulatory framework for Principal firms and appointed representatives, while considering the implications for brokers, lenders and customers.

Elsewhere, the report explores how independent assurance is becoming an increasingly valuable commercial differentiator for brokers, examines what lenders look for when assessing broker submissions through an exclusive look inside Propel Finance’s credit team, and profiles the UK’s largest asset finance broker, exploring the strategy behind its continued success in a highly competitive market.

As with last year’s inaugural edition, the AF Broker 40 is designed not only to recognise the achievements of the UK’s leading intermediary businesses, but also to improve understanding of the wider broker market and the critical role it plays within the UK’s specialist finance ecosystem.

Whether you’re a lender looking to strengthen your broker panel, a broker benchmarking your business, or a supplier seeking a deeper understanding of the intermediary market, the AF Broker 40 Report provides valuable market intelligence, expert commentary and exclusive insight into one of the fastest-evolving areas of UK commercial finance.