How Allica Bank is redefining broker-centric lending

Insights from Finance Connect’s conversation with Brandon Hall

In a year when the asset finance market has struggled to gain traction, Allica Bank stands out for its resilience, agility and unwavering dedication to brokers. Despite a sector that has grown only marginally – just 2% according to the Finance & Leasing Association – Allica has continued to strengthen its position, expand its offering, and double down on its broker-first philosophy.

His reflections reveal a lender that is not only growing in scale, but one that is shaping its future hand-in-hand with the brokers it serves.

Thriving in a flat market

Although much of the market has been quiet and unpredictable, Allica has continued to deliver growth. Hall attributes this to the strength of the team and its culture.

“Culture is an easy thing to maintain when you’ve got 100 employees. But we’ve got 750 now, and there’s not one person in the bank that doesn’t want to deliver, which is pretty unique.”

“I think it’s been a difficult year,” he explains. “But the continued year-on-year growth we’ve delivered – despite a largely flat market – while still providing what I consider to be the best service in the market – is what I’m most proud of.”

Even as the bank has grown to more than 750 people, maintaining that service standard has remained central to its success.

“Culture is an easy thing to maintain when you’ve got 100 employees,” Hall reflects. “But we’ve got 750 now, and there’s not one person in the bank that doesn’t want to deliver, which is pretty unique.”

SMEs, meanwhile, have faced continued pressures. Rising costs – including what Hall notes are among the highest commercial electricity rates in the world – have made investment decisions more cautious. Traditional seasonal patterns have fractured, leaving many brokers dealing with unpredictable peaks and troughs.

“One minute they’ve been inundated with enquiries, the next it’s as quiet as the grave,” Hall says. “This year’s trends just haven’t behaved like they typically do.”

A broker relationship model that genuinely listens

At the heart of Allica’s strategy is an unusually open and disciplined approach to broker feedback. The bank conducts a comprehensive broker survey twice a year – and the responses directly influence its roadmap.

“It’s easy for me to say we need a particular product, but I’d rather get it from brokers. They’re at the coalface.”

Hall personally reads every comment. “I look at every single piece of feedback, not just the top four or five themes,” he says. “We take it all really seriously.”

This process isn’t symbolic; it results in tangible change. In 2025 alone, broker feedback directly drove or accelerated improvements including expanded soft asset finance, enhanced refinance options, adjustments to KYC and KYB processes, auto-approval limit introduction and refinement, and appetite updates in specific sectors.

Many of Allica’s 2026 product enhancements are also emerging directly from this feedback loop.

“It’s easy for me to say we need a particular product,” Hall explains, “but I’d rather get it from brokers. They’re at the coalface.”

Building a true one-stop asset finance provider

Allica’s proposition has grown significantly over the past year, positioning the bank to support brokers across a broader range of client needs.

“We’re always reacting to demand and to the needs of the market.”

This year saw the introduction of long-term sub-hire, an expansion of soft asset finance, and the bank’s entry into the luxury car market. These developments were not speculative – they were requested.

“We usually go out with a list and ask brokers to prioritise what they want to see us do next,” Hall notes. “We’re always reacting to demand and to the needs of the market.”

With the acquisition of fintech Kriya and the introduction of the Growth Guarantee Scheme, Allica is already preparing to diversify further – potentially into areas such as flexible commercial lending and renewable assets.

For brokers, this means a growing ability to place multiple types of deals with one trusted lender.

Technology that amplifies service, not replaces it

One of the clearest themes from our conversation was the crucial role of technology in supporting Allica’s growth. But unlike some lenders, Allica sees tech as an enabler – not a substitute – for human expertise.

“AI will be a game-changer for some of the processes we carry out.”

This year, the bank migrated to the Lendscape platform, giving it enhanced capabilities around automation, data handling and broker connectivity. The results are already significant.

“Our release this week means 70% of qualifying auto-approvals will now be dealt with automatically,” Hall shared. “Without this tech, our service standards just wouldn’t be where they are.”

As lower-value, lower-risk cases are automated, specialist underwriters and BDMs are freed up to focus on more complex lending needs.

“People worry tech will replace them,” he says. “But for a growing business like ours, it allows us to diversify and lets our great people be used where they add the most value.”

Looking ahead, the technology roadmap is ambitious. Broker APIs, AI-driven application verification, and more sophisticated automation across the lending journey are all underway.

“AI will be a game-changer for some of the processes we carry out,” Hall says, noting the speed and accuracy gains Allica expects to see in the months ahead.

“People worry tech will replace them. But for a growing business like ours, it actually allows us to diversify and lets our great people be used where they add the most value.”

Looking toward 2026: a broader, faster, smarter proposition

Allica is set to cross the £1 billion asset finance lending milestone early next year – a remarkable achievement for a bank closing out its fifth year of trading. But for Hall, this is just a marker, not the destination.

Success in 2026 will mean:

• A broader and more diverse asset finance offering
• A more intelligent automated service layer
• A larger BDM team to support growing broker relationships
• More flexible payment terms and product structures
• Continued top-tier satisfaction ratings from brokers

But perhaps the most important theme he emphasised was the growing importance of broker–client relationships themselves.

“Broker relationships with their customers are more important than ever,” Hall remarks. “Our job is to support that – not replace it.”

In an environment where some lenders are exploring more direct-to-consumer strategies, Allica’s position is refreshingly clear: the broker remains central to its future.

“Broker relationships with their customers are more important than ever.”

 A partnership model for the next era of asset finance

From our discussion with Brandon Hall, it’s evident that Allica Bank’s strength lies not only in its technology or its expanding product set, but in its ability to stay aligned with the brokers who rely on it.

Its approach is deliberate, collaborative and continuously evolving, shaped by real feedback, real challenges and real opportunities in the market.

As 2026 approaches, Allica is poised to offer brokers something increasingly rare: a lender large enough to invest, innovate and diversify, yet nimble and human enough to remain deeply responsive to their needs.