Asset finance new business up 10% in August

New asset finance business in the UK was 10% higher in August 2026 than in August 2025, according to figures from the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) published on 27 October 2026. Over the first eight months of the year, new business was 6% higher than in the same period of 2025.

What grew, and what didn't

• Plant and machinery finance was up 30% on August 2025, helped, the FLA said, by some high-value deals.
• Commercial vehicle finance rose by 10%, and business car finance by 6%.
• IT equipment finance fell by 8%, and business equipment finance by 15%.
• Lending to SMEs grew by 11%, and lending to larger businesses by 9%.

The high-value deals made a real difference to the headline: the FLA's own table shows that, leaving them out, new business was 2% higher than a year earlier. Broker-introduced business was up 4%.

What the FLA said

Geraldine Kilkelly, the FLA's Director of Research and Chief Economist, put the growth down mainly to high-value plant and machinery deals, and pointed out that August was the seventh month of growth in a row.

What it means if you work in the industry

Plant and machinery and commercial vehicles are where the growth has been strongest. Over the three months to August, the FLA's table shows plant and machinery finance up 18% and commercial vehicle finance up 15% on a year earlier. If that's your area, see the latest asset finance jobs.

Sources

• Finance & Leasing Association, Asset finance new business grew by 10% in August 2026, 27 October 2026