After a year defined by uncertainty, constrained confidence, and rising expectations, 2025 forced UK SMEs and the leasing industry alike to pause, reassess and, in many cases, simply hold steady. It was a year where businesses were cautious, customers were slower to act, and conversations around investment were shaped as much by fear of the unknown as they were by ambition.

But here’s the thing: 2025 may have been a tough teacher, but it’s given SMEs and finance providers the clarity and direction they need for a stronger 2026. And if last year was about “survive till 25,” this year is much more about “grow with purpose in 26.”

What follows isn’t a prediction. It’s a set of growth resolutions shaped by what we’ve learned — and where we know SMEs need the most support in the year ahead.

 

2025 was challenging but clarifying

Across the UK, SME sentiment shifted more times than the weather. Confidence rose and fell depending on inflation trends, political announcements, interest rates, and media noise. Regional teams at grenke UK reported something consistent: the desire to invest never disappeared — but the confidence to act was fragile.

The biggest barriers were clear:

  • Uncertain economic signals

  • Rising overheads and squeezed margins

  • Cashflow pressures leading to postponed investment

  • Recruitment and retention challenges

  • Ongoing confusion about leasing and finance options

In many ways, 2025 exposed the cracks: SMEs using outdated equipment, delaying decisions, or absorbing inefficiencies that were costing them time, productivity and profit.

But it also highlighted the enormous opportunity for 2026: unlocking growth by empowering SMEs with clarity, confidence, and access to smarter finance.

 

Growth resolution #1: Make access to finance frictionless

One of the biggest lessons from 2025?  If SMEs can’t access funding, they can’t grow and the industry loses too.

Despite leasing’s clear role as a growth enabler:

  • 69% of SMEs said access to finance was a major barrier

  • 75% believed new equipment would re-energise their business

  • But only 44% actually leased equipment

In 2026, the industry needs to turn that disconnect into momentum.
That means:

  • faster quotes and approvals

  • more transparent criteria

  • plain English agreements

  • support that feels human, not bureaucratic

If SMEs feel confident in the process, they’ll feel confident making decisions again.

 

Growth resolution #2: Help SMEs upgrade from “Good Enough” to “Fit for the Future”

The hidden crisis in 2025 was efficiency. Over half of SMEs were using suboptimal equipment, and many didn’t fully realise the impact this was having on productivity, staff morale, customer satisfaction, and costs.

2026 is the year SMEs stop putting up with:

  • broken machines

  • outdated tech

  • manual workarounds

  • unreliable tools

  • “temporary fixes” that became permanent problems

Leasing providers have a crucial role to play here — not just selling finance, but showing SMEs the cost of doing nothing. Because inefficiency isn’t just inconvenient. It’s expensive, stressful, and unsustainable.

 

Growth resolution #3: Lead with simplicity, not complexity

If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that SMEs don’t want jargon, hoops, or hidden hurdles. They want clarity. They want honesty. They want time back.

For leasing providers, 2026 should be the year of:

  • shorter, clearer paperwork

  • digital-first onboarding

  • simplified compliance

  • transparent pricing

  • regional support that actually understands customer needs

When finance feels simple, confidence rises. When confidence rises, investment follows. And when that happens, the entire SME landscape strengthens.

 

Growth resolution #4: Earn trust through real partnership

The leasing industry doesn’t just provide funding. In 2026, we need to show that we provide partnership.

That means:

  • being proactive, not reactive

  • listening more than we talk

  • guiding, not just approving

  • building long-term relationships

  • supporting customers through uncertainty

  • being strategic, not transactional

SMEs don’t want a faceless finance provider. They want a partner who understands their growth plans, challenges, ambitions, and people. They want someone in their corner.

 

Why 2026 is a year for growth

2025 showed us the challenges.
2026 will show us the opportunities.

Because despite hesitation, one thing hasn’t changed:
SMEs still want to grow.
They want to invest.
They want to innovate.
They want to become more productive, more competitive, and more resilient.

And leasing, when done simply and transparently, sits right at the heart of making that possible.

 

2026: The Year SMEs Move Forward

This year isn’t about returning to old ways of working.
It’s about smarter investment.
Better tools.
Modern equipment.
Clearer finance pathways.
And giving SMEs the confidence to finally do what they’ve been waiting to do: grow.

If 2025 forced everyone to pause, reflect, and reassess, then 2026 is the year to act — with purpose, clarity, and momentum.

Because when SMEs grow, the UK grows.
And when they have access to the right finance, at the right time, with the right support — they don’t just survive uncertainty.
They redefine what’s possible.