The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s future focus identifies trends, challenges, and opportunities in the equipment finance industry. Foundation studies are produced with a long-lens view into the future, so many of the insights are as relevant now as when they were first released. Here are our recommendations of Foundation reports and articles that are worth taking another look at in today’s equipment finance environment.
- Going Digital: Current Activities and Future Expectations –This study provides key insights, including digital tools being used currently, digital initiatives to expect in the next few years, constraints to adopting digital solutions, and strategies for creating a digital culture.
- Headwinds, Undercurrents, and Tailwinds: How Equipment Finance Companies Can Learn and Benefit from the Fintech Phenomenon – In this study the Foundation reveals that rapidly emerging Fintech technology platforms present a disruptive force to the equipment finance industry, but Fintech is not forecast to become a competitor as a major source of equipment funding.
- The Impact of New Energy Production – Disruption in the energy sector presents significant opportunities for investors, financiers, equipment vendors and solution providers. This in-depth study, commissioned by the Foundation and prepared by Navigant Research, forecasts across-the-board growth in energy sectors related to a shift in emphasis from centralized fossil power generation to renewable energy.
- 2018 Industry Future Council Report on the changing workforce and the 2019 IFC report on turning innovation into strategic planning. These reports will assist equipment leasing and finance firms as they implement changes to adapt for future growth.
- Robots, Cobots, and Finance – Increased robotics utilization among manufacturers and end-users will generate greater financing opportunities as robotics continue to change how business is conducted in the future. The study features a wide-ranging examination of the challenges and growth potential of robots and cobots, and the financing risks for credit, residuals, legal, regulations, and accounting.
- The State of Credit Quality: Where We Have Been and Where We Are Going – Published in 2017, this study investigates key early signs of cyclical macro-economic weakness and if changes made to underwriting standards and portfolio management after the last recession will have a quantitative impact on portfolio performance during the next downturn.
- On the Rise: How Inflationary Pressures and Rising Interest Rates Could Impact the Equipment Finance Industry – This report explains how a world of rising inflation and interest rates may affect the equipment finance industry, including customer demand, portfolio performance, spreads, and the propensity to finance.
- Digital Documents – This study quantifies and refines the extent to which the equipment leasing industry is now engaged in Electronic Lease Transactions, and the challenges that have been addressed in the process. The study also seeks to understand those obstacles, both actual and perceived, that are slowing the path to expanded use of Electronic Lease Transactions. Finally, it offers concrete advice on how the industry may address those challenges and accelerate adoption of Electronic Lease Transactions.
Vertical Market Outlook Series:
- Vertical Market Outlook Series: Healthcare – This study provides an outlook on the healthcare sector in the U.S., demographic and spending trends, and key developments and trends impacting this sector.al
- Vertical Market Outlook Series Agricultural Equipment – This study of vertical equipment markets provides an outlook on the agriculture equipment sector in the US, demographic and spending trends, and key developments and trends impacting this sector over the next one to two years.
- Vertical Market Outlook Series Road Transportation – This report provides an outlook on U.S. road transportation sector, sector confidence and anticipated spending, and key developments and trends.
- Vertical Market Outlook Series Construction – This report provides an outlook on U.S. residential and commercial construction, sector confidence and anticipated spending, and key developments and trends impacting this sector over the next 1-2 years.
Journal of Equipment Lease Financing articles
- The Business Guide to Improving Information Security– The continuing increase in large-scale cybersecurity breaches has businesses searching for solutions to reduce their risk. Despite an explosion of new information security products and services, no single tool can reduce risk. Equipment financing companies must build a formal information security framework, complete with policies and procedures.
- Special Consideration for Perfection Opinions Covering Electronic Chattel Paper as Collateral- The equipment leasing industry is expanding its use of electronic records and signatures to document equipment leases. As the use of electronic lease documentation grows, so does the desire of equipment lessors to offer those leases to lenders as collateral on the same footing with paper-based leases.
All Foundation studies and articles are available for free download at our online Research Library.