Changes needed for better outcomes for SMEs, brokers and lenders

Friday 13th February 2026: 13.00, 1 hour

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Is SME lending delivering poor results for lenders, SMEs and brokers? Do these results reflect structural flaws in the market? Can technology enable better outcomes without structural change?

The SME lending ecosystem appears to be under strain. There is growing regulatory scrutiny of broker-led models following the motor finance crisis. Big-bank appetite for serving the sector continues to wane. Invoice finance appears to be losing business volume. Asset finance appears to be losing market penetration. At the same time, digitally-delivered journey-busting commercial loans continue to gain volume and share despite worries they may be prioritising speed, certainty and simplicity over suitability, sequencing, and the long-term resilience of SMEs.

This session will address whether SME finance is optimised for speed and volume rather than strong outcomes; whether systemic risks are being created by loan stacking; how the absence of coherent funding journeys should be addressed; whether broker incentives are misaligned and insufficiently transparent; what any erosion of tailored asset and receivables finance really means for SMEs; and whether incremental reform through existing trade bodies is enough — or whether the market needs a more coordinated, cross-sector rethink of how SME finance is designed, governed, and delivered.

Technology sits at the centre of this debate, as a potential enabler of better decision-making, to assess long-term suitability and to identify better lending pathways, improved customer journeys, and better tools that will deliver better intermediation.

• Find out whether the SME lending market’s focus on speed, volume and one-off transactions is structurally undermining long-term SME resilience
• Consider whether broker roles, incentives, and transparency need to change to support better outcomes for SMEs and lenders
• Explore how data, technology and AI could enable journey-based lending, better sequencing of capital, and more durable models of SME finance

Panel:

• Paul Goodman, chair, Goodman Corporate Finance
• Jason Hurwitz, sales director, NETSOL Technologies Europe
• Steve Bolton, managing director, UK, PEAC Solutions

Moderator:

• Edward Peck, founder, Finance Connect

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