New UK lending reaches £69bn

UK households and businesses received £69 billion of new finance from Finance & Leasing Association (“FLA”) members in the first five months of 2026, up 4pct on the same period last year, according to new figures published today.

The new figures are being released at the same time of the FLA's first Impact Report. This report, The Hidden Engine Behind UK Growth, reveals how finance provided by FLA members is helping businesses invest in equipment, technology and vehicles, while enabling millions of consumers to access transport and other essential purchases.

FLA members provided £2.4 billion of new lending to finance agricultural equipment in 2025. In the first five months of 2026 they provided a further £1.2 billion, up 12pct on the same period last year.

In the consumer battery electric car market, the finance FLA members provided grew by 56pct in 2025 and then increased by 69pct in the first five months of 2026. FLA members financed 93pct of all private new battery electric car sales in the first five months of 2026.

Shanika Amarasekara MBE, Chief Executive of the Finance & Leasing Association, said, ”Behind business investment, job creation and many of the purchases households make every day is finance that enables economic activity to happen.

"As the UK looks to boost productivity and unlock growth, access to finance will remain critical. This report demonstrates the scale of the sector's contribution to businesses, communities and households across every region of the country."

Nigel Terrington CBE, Chief Executive of Paragon Bank, said, "Finance is central to determining whether businesses can invest, grow and take the next step. These latest lending figures by FLA members reveal the scale at which our sector is supporting real and tangible economic activity.

"The launch of this report enables us to move the conversation from assumption to evidence, showing how access to funding is a fundamental condition for growth, especially for SMEs."

The report includes examples of finance supporting growth and investment across the UK economy, including examples from Paragon Bank, who helped aerospace tooling specialist Datum Tool Design secure £1.6 million of funding to invest in advanced manufacturing equipment and expand operations in Northern Ireland, and from Propel Finance, who agreed a £360,000 deal with a third-generation dairy farm in West Wales to invest in automation technology.

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