In this issue

Welcome to Leasing Life’s quarterly e-magazine for asset finance and leasing professionals in the UK and Continental Europe.

The spectre of inflation has fed much economic debate in Europe and the UK, where inflation has hit a 40-year high and according to most sober analysts will not go away soon.

A comment piece by Lucile Knight, chief strategic development officer at Bibby Financial Services, As GDP shrinks, UK SMEs will need a lifeline, considers the plight for small businesses.

With wages not keeping up with the cost-of-living, unionised workers have been fighting a real-terms pay cut by striking thereby bringing themselves into conflict with industry bosses and the government. At the forefront of these strikes is the RMT Union who are in dispute with Network Rain and various train operating companies, prompting us to ask: who owns the trains?

The answer brings train leasing companies into the frame, see Who owns the trains? ROSCOs and repatriated profits.

Cybersecurity is also on our radar. Writing for LL, Miles Rogerson hears that cybercrime has been on the rise since the onset of the pandemic with more and more sensitive data flying around as digital transactions have become commonplace. One area of weakness and vulnerability are the various messaging services used by asset finance professionals, see How cybercriminals are targeting asset finance instant messaging. Also, on the cybercrime them is our look at Acquis Insurance’s foray into preventing equipment finance scams with the launch of an asset finance register, see Lumia’s equipment finance register aims to lock out fraudsters.

This is also an opportunity to consider nominations for our awards event to be held in Paris on November 17th, see Call for nominations: Leasing Life Awards 2022. On the topic of awards, we asked last year’s Young Professional of the Year, Lauren Rhodes, of Close Brothers Asset Finance & Leasing, to tell us how she came to asset finance, see My road to Close Brothers and SME advocacy.

Hope you enjoy the summer break!