Vaughans targets sustainable growth after leading AF Broker 40 expansion

Vaughans – The Broker Network is aiming to build on its rapid expansion after receiving the Strongest Growth (%) award in the AF Broker 40 Report 2026 and climbing to number 20 in the rankings.

For a relatively young business in the UK commercial finance broker network market, Vaughans – The Broker Network has made rapid progress.

The business was recognised with the Strongest Growth (%) award in the AF Broker 40 Report 2026, sponsored by Propel Finance and presented at the Finance Connect Summer Awards, while also climbing to number 20 in this year’s AF Broker 40 rankings.

For directors Paul Roberts and Paul Brookes, however, the significance of the achievement goes beyond the headline growth figures.

“It means a great deal to us, but perhaps more importantly, it validates the model for the brokers who have chosen to join us and demonstrates we are now a more than credible option in the market,” Roberts said.

“Being recognised as the Strongest Growth (%) business in the 2026 AF Broker 40 and reaching number 20 is a fantastic achievement, particularly given how young Vaughans is in relative terms.”

That model was created in response to something Roberts and Brookes had both observed during their careers in commercial finance: experienced relationship managers and brokers could be responsible for finding customers, developing relationships and generating business while surrendering a significant amount of the control and financial reward.

Vaughans was therefore established around what Roberts describes as a relatively simple proposition – allowing brokers to run their own businesses while providing the infrastructure needed to operate effectively.

This includes access to a lender panel, FCA-regulated infrastructure, compliance support, professional indemnity insurance, technology, CRM and IT support, alongside the buying power and credibility provided by a wider network.

Crucially, however, Vaughans wanted brokers to retain ownership of their customer relationships and the direction of their businesses.

Growth from recruitment and existing brokers

The expansion reflected in this year’s AF Broker 40 has come from both recruiting brokers and increasing activity among existing members of the network.

Vaughans has attracted people leaving employed relationship management roles to establish their own businesses as well as experienced brokers who see advantages in joining a larger network while maintaining their independence.

But Roberts stresses that continually adding members cannot be the only engine of growth.

“We don’t want to build a network where success simply comes from continually recruiting more people,” he said. “The model has to work at broker level first.”

Growth has therefore also come from existing brokers increasing their activity, supported by lender relationships and continued investment in the infrastructure behind the network.

Roberts believes there is also growing awareness among experienced relationship managers that employment with a larger organisation does not necessarily provide the certainty it once appeared to offer.

Targets, remuneration structures, ownership of client relationships and organisational changes can all sit outside an individual’s control, he argues, while independence can provide greater control over the business they create.

That changing mindset is influencing what experienced brokers expect from networks.

“They understand their own value,” Roberts said. “They know how to originate business, manage relationships and place deals.”

Increasingly, he believes, they are looking for four things: freedom, economics, infrastructure and security.

That means the freedom to develop their own business, remuneration that reflects the value they generate and professional infrastructure, combined with regulatory, compliance, insurance and lender support.

“The days of simply joining a network because it has a lender panel are gone,” Roberts added. “Brokers are – or should be – asking, ‘What does this actually do for my business? Am I getting value for what I pay? And am I being treated fairly versus others in my network?’”

Opportunity for brokers as SME funding becomes more complex

Despite economic and competitive pressures, Brookes remains positive about the prospects for the wider broker sector.

SME demand for finance remains strong, he argues, while the funding requirements of smaller and medium-sized companies are becoming more complex.

That creates an opportunity for brokers capable of moving beyond simply arranging individual transactions.

“The strongest brokers aren’t simply arranging a piece of finance,” Brookes said. “They’re understanding the customer’s business, identifying what they actually need and navigating a funding market that can be complicated for an SME owner to navigate alone.”

Technology and increased digital distribution will inevitably change parts of that process.

Brookes expects lenders to continue investing in digital journeys, particularly for straightforward transactions where speed and simplicity are what customers want.

But he sees more complicated commercial finance requirements continuing to provide an important role for experienced intermediaries.

“The strongest brokers will increasingly demonstrate value through judgement, structuring, access, negotiation and relationships,” he said.

“A customer might be able to find a finance product online. What they can’t necessarily do is understand how today’s funding decision might affect their business six, twelve or twenty-four months from now – or know which lender is most likely to understand their particular circumstances.”

AI should support rather than replace relationships

Vaughans also sees considerable potential for AI and other technologies to improve broker productivity.

Administration, CRM data, identifying opportunities and research are among the areas where Brookes believes AI can remove repetitive work and allow brokers to spend more time with customers.

But he draws a distinction between using technology to improve the process and automating the relationship itself.

“AI can help a broker prepare for a conversation. It shouldn’t replace the conversation,” he said.

“The future probably isn’t AI versus human broking. It’s experienced brokers using AI to become significantly more productive.”

That could allow successful brokers to manage larger and more valuable customer portfolios without sacrificing the personal relationships that remain central to commercial finance.

For Brookes, this is particularly important because technology is likely to become less of a differentiator as similar capabilities become available across the market.

“If everyone has access to broadly similar technology and lender panels, the differentiator becomes the broker – their knowledge, relationships, judgement and ability to get things done,” he said.

Maintaining standards as the network grows

Rapid expansion also brings challenges, particularly around maintaining culture, compliance and quality across a larger network.

The business is looking for brokers who share its approach and are committed to developing sustainable businesses, while its compliance framework, systems and support are designed to provide consistency without restricting individual entrepreneurship.

“Independence isn’t the absence of accountability,” Brookes said.

“We want Vaughans to feel like a community of experienced professionals rather than a collection of AR numbers on a spreadsheet.”

Lender relationships will also remain central to the strategy.

Roberts said networks ultimately have to create value on both sides – providing brokers with access to lenders while delivering good-quality, professionally packaged business to funding partners.

“As Vaughans grows, our responsibility is to make sure we’re not simply increasing volume,” he said. “We’re increasing quality, professionalism and consistency.”

Ambitions beyond the top 20

Following its rise to number 20 in the AF Broker 40, Vaughans has ambitions for further expansion.

The network intends to continue recruiting experienced relationship managers looking to establish their own businesses as well as existing brokers who believe they could achieve more within its model.

Further investment is also planned in technology, compliance, lender relationships and the overall broker proposition, alongside growth in funding volumes.

But Brookes insists that becoming the UK’s biggest broker network is not the objective.

“We want to become one of the most respected commercial finance broker networks in the UK,” he said.

“And yes, we’d obviously like to keep moving up the AF Broker 40. But the ranking will be the consequence of building a great business, rather than the objective in itself.”

When the AF Broker 40 returns in 2027, Vaughans will therefore be measuring progress across several areas: attracting more high-quality brokers, increasing business from existing members, growing lending volumes, strengthening lender relationships and continuing to invest in infrastructure.

Just as importantly, Roberts wants the business to retain the culture and standards that have supported its expansion so far.

“The award for strongest growth is fantastic,” he said. “But our aim isn’t simply to grow quickly. It’s to build something that lasts and supports our broker members’ ambitions.”

If you are interested in finding out more about Vaughans – The Broker Network , visit www.commercialfinancebroker.com, email info@vaughans.co or call 0330 1222 247.