Richard Knubben to deliver keynote at Leaders’ Summit Europe 2026

Richard Knubben’s keynote interview will focus on Europe’s policy reset and what it means for auto and equipment finance lenders at a moment when the region’s regulatory, industrial and geopolitical priorities are being redefined. Policymakers across Europe have signalled a growing recognition that the existing regulatory and economic model needs to change if the EU is to restore competitiveness and growth.

At Davos in January 2026, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz captured the mood starkly, warning that Europe has become the “world champion of over-regulation”, is “losing ground economically”, and risks being sidelined unless it restores competitiveness and growth. More recently, French President Emmanuel Macron has said he supports efforts to simplify EU regulations, break down barriers to intra-bloc trade and reduce dependencies on foreign suppliers for critical inputs and technologies.

Against this backdrop, Richard Knubben will address the policy and geopolitical forces now reshaping Europe’s operating environment, including the EU’s Competitiveness Compass, progress towards deeper Capital Markets Union, the expected simplification of the AI Act, and an anticipated new timeline for the 2035 ban on internal combustion engine vehicles. He will share insight into what is coming next, where uncertainty is highest, and what this means in practice for auto and equipment finance lenders navigating a rapidly changing policy landscape. The keynote interview will be conducted by David Betteley, Head of Content at Finance Connect.

Finance Connect’s Leaders’ Summit Europe, in association with Invigors, explores how the EU’s response to heightened geopolitical risk is reshaping priorities around competitiveness, industrial policy and regulation, and the direct consequences for auto and equipment finance.

The agenda spans both equipment finance and automotive, with sessions examining the ICE to BEV transition as a live financing challenge, investment in AI and its delivery at scale, the growing role of private credit in wholesale funding, the emergence of circular economy models at scale, and how as-a-service partnerships are being executed in practice across the industry.

The Finance Connect Leaders’ Summit Europe 2026 will take place at KölnSKY GmbH in Cologne on 10 March. Attendance is by invitation only. Delegates can learn more about the event and register their interest via the Finance Connect website.