FLA members provide £98.2bn of new finance in first seven months of 2026

Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) members provided £98.2 billion of new finance to UK businesses and households during the first seven months of 2026, up 4% compared with the same period last year.

Of the total, £24.5 billion was provided to businesses to fund investment in machinery, equipment and vehicles, including £15.3 billion provided to SMEs.

A further £73.6 billion was provided to households, including £26.0 billion to finance new and used car purchases. Non-bank lenders accounted for £40.2 billion of the overall lending during the period.

The latest figures also show FLA members provided £13.9 billion of new business in July, broadly unchanged compared with the same month in 2025.

Asset finance new business reached £3.56 billion during July, up 2% year-on-year, while consumer finance fell 1% to £10.32 billion. Within the consumer finance total, motor finance grew by 1% to £4.58 billion.

	Jul 2026	% change on prev. year	3 months to Jul 2026	% change on prev. year	12 months to Jul 2026	% change on prev. year
Total FLA new business (£m)	13,884	0%	41,979	3%	167,406	5%

By customer:
Business (asset) finance (£m)	3,560	2%	10,578	6%	41,669	6%
Consumer finance (£m)	10,324	-1%	31,401	2%	125,737	5%
Within the above:
Motor finance (£m)	4,580	1%	14,256	6%	56,781	7%

Over the three months to July, total FLA new business increased by 3% year-on-year to £42.0 billion. Asset finance recorded growth of 6% to £10.6 billion, while motor finance also increased by 6% to £14.3 billion.

Across the 12 months to July 2026, FLA members provided £167.4 billion of new finance, representing growth of 5%. This comprised £41.7 billion of business asset finance and £125.7 billion of consumer finance. Motor finance accounted for £56.8 billion, up 7% compared with the previous 12-month period.

Shanika Amarasekara, CEO of the FLA, said: “The latest figures tell a clear story: when finance is available, businesses invest, consumers spend and the economy grows.

“FLA members provided more than £167 billion of finance over the last 12 months, supporting investment in productive assets, helping households make essential purchases and driving economic activity across the UK.”

Looking ahead to the Autumn Budget, Amarasekara called for policies to improve access to finance, encourage business investment and provide greater regulatory certainty.