On Wednesday, 23 September, Peter Richmond and Andrew Ridsdale attended The Lending Summit 2026, hosted by FinTech North at Leeds Dock, bringing together industry leaders, innovators, and lending professionals to discuss the future of the credit sector.

The event featured an expert panel of speakers who shared valuable insights into how technology, data, and emerging forms of artificial intelligence, including agentic AI, are transforming lending across the SME, retail credit, and mortgage markets.

Several key themes emerged throughout the day, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges facing the industry:

• Tokenisation and its potential impact on financial services
• Regulatory developments, including the ongoing evolution of the Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) landscape
• The growing role of Open Banking and Open Finance in enabling richer data sources and more informed lending decisions
• The importance of resilience, trust, transparency, and accountability as organisations embrace new technologies
• Balancing innovation with regulatory compliance while continuing to meet rising customer expectations

One of the strongest messages from the event was how technology continues to redefine the customer journey. From streamlining application processes and reducing decision times to improving accessibility and supporting greater financial inclusion, innovation is creating new opportunities for both lenders and borrowers.

However, with rapid technological advancement comes significant responsibility. Lenders must navigate an increasingly complex regulatory environment while maintaining customer trust, safeguarding data, and ensuring ethical use of emerging technologies. As AI adoption accelerates across the sector, the ability to balance innovation with governance will become more important than ever.

The lending industry is undoubtedly entering a period of significant transformation. While the pace of change presents challenges, it also offers exciting opportunities for organisations prepared to embrace innovation and adapt to evolving customer needs.

Beyond the conference sessions, the event provided an excellent opportunity to reconnect with industry colleagues, strengthen existing relationships, and establish new connections. The evening FinTech Mixer was generated some engaging conversations and reinforced the collaborative spirit that continues to drive innovation across the North of England.

At Welcom Digital, we remain committed to keeping pace with industry developments and supporting lenders as they navigate the changing technology landscape. Events such as The Lending Summit provide valuable insight into the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of lending.

The future of lending is being built today, and it was inspiring to hear first-hand from the experts helping to shape it.