Asset finance news in focus at the Finance Connect Conference

Some of the biggest recent developments in the UK asset finance market will come under the spotlight at the Finance Connect UK Summer Conference 2026 as industry leaders discuss the strategic thinking behind headline-making transactions, partnerships and acquisitions.

The “Asset Finance News in Focus” session will take place on Thursday 4 June 2026 in London and will feature a series of rapid-fire interviews led by Christian Roelofs with senior executives from across the market.

Designed to go beyond the headlines, the session will explore what recent deals and announcements reveal about the future direction of the asset finance industry – from funding models and securitisation markets to distribution strategy, specialist lending and consolidation.

Propel’s Velocity 2026-1 securitisation

The session opens with a discussion on Propel Finance’s debut public securitisation, Velocity 2026-1, which saw the lender raise £306 million in a transaction that was approximately 2.7 times oversubscribed.

Julie Warren, marketing and partnerships director at Propel Finance, will join Michael Strevens, managing director, structured FI solutions at the British Business Bank, to discuss the significance of the transaction and the role played by the British Business Bank.

The deal marked the British Business Bank’s first participation in a public cash ABS transaction, reflecting a broader strategy to deepen the UK SME securitisation market and encourage more lenders to access institutional funding markets. The discussion is expected to examine what this means for specialist lenders seeking diversified funding sources and how the UK SME finance ecosystem may evolve.

The Lombard-Simply partnership

Attention will then turn to the recently announced partnership between Simply Asset Finance and Lombard.

Ylva Oertengren, co-founder and COO of Simply, will discuss the wholesale funding arrangement, under which Lombard will provide funding deployed through Simply’s technology platform to approved SME customers.

The partnership raises broader strategic questions for the market around distribution, technology and routes to SME customers. The session will explore why a major incumbent lender with extensive direct lending capability would choose to partner with a non-bank originator and what this could signal about future operating models in asset finance.

Compass acquires Industrial Equipment Finance

The final interview will focus on consolidation and specialisation within the independent lending market following Compass Business Finance’s acquisition of Industrial Equipment Finance.

Mark Nelson, co-founder and director of Compass Business Finance, will discuss how the acquisition strengthens Compass’s position within the engineering sector by adding machinery damage and breakdown insurance to its product offering.

The discussion will examine how specialist lenders are using targeted acquisitions to deepen sector expertise and expand customer relationships, rather than pursuing broader diversification strategies.

The session forms part of the wider Finance Connect UK Summer Conference 2026 programme, which brings together leaders from across the asset, auto, equipment and receivables finance sectors to discuss the major trends shaping specialist lending markets.

Further information and booking details for the conference are available via Finance Connect UK Summer Conference 2026.