Vehicle & Asset Finance

What Vehicle & Asset Finance does

Vehicle and Asset Finance Limited (trading as VAF) is a UK-based asset finance broker founded in 2009 by former colleagues at Bank of Scotland Corporate. The company operates as an FCA-authorised credit broker (FRN674977) under the corporate entity registered in Basingstoke, Hampshire, and is a member of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB). It serves UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), arranging finance for vehicles, machinery, equipment, commercial property, refinancing, and business cashflow.

VAF's product set spans 11 financing solutions: Hire Purchase, Lease Purchase, Personal Contract Purchase (PCP), Finance Lease, Operating Lease, Contract Hire, Business Loans, Sale and HP Back / Refinance, Commercial Mortgages, Cashflow Finance, and Banking Introductions. Transactions range from £5,000 to £1,000,000 with an average deal size of £25,000. There is no proprietary technology platform; the broker operates through manual sales-led engagement supplemented by a website, Twitter, email sign-up and direct telephone contact (01256 841214).

The business model is commission-based, with VAF brokering SME customers to a panel of 17+ lending partners — including tier-one UK banks (Metro Bank, Lloyds, Close Brothers, Investec, United Trust Bank, Paragon Bank, Hampshire Trust Bank, PCF Bank) and specialist/niche houses (Aldmore, Northridge, Haydock, Liberty Leasing, Armada, Bibby, Novuna, Renaissance Asset Finance, Carrick). Commission models include fixed fee, fixed rate, percentage of amount borrowed, and rate-for-risk structures. Repeat business accounts for 60% of deals each month, signalling a relationship-driven model. Customer acquisition is split between direct sales to SMEs and an introducer network of vehicle dealers, equipment suppliers, accountants, and financial advisers. The company is founder/director-controlled (Duncan Shephard, Mark Tyler, Stuart Bowers), privately held, and operates exclusively within the United Kingdom.

Name

Vehicle & Asset Finance

Legal name

Vehicle and Asset Finance Limited

Website

https://vehicleandassetfinance.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vehicle and Asset Finance (VAF) is a UK FCA-authorised credit broker founded in 2009, arranging asset and vehicle finance from £5,000 to £1,000,000 for SME businesses via a 17+ lender panel and an introducer network, earning lender commissions on placements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Asset Finance Brokerage

NAICS

Finance and Insurance (52)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Equipment & Asset Finance (SME) (FSAKAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Auto & Vehicle Loan Brokerage (FSAEAEAK), SME Equipment & Asset Finance (Leasing, Fleet, Capex) (FSABABAH)

Keywords

• Asset finance broking
• Vehicle finance
• SME lending
• Commercial mortgages
• Equipment finance

Headquarters

HQ city

Basingstoke

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Commission from Lenders: Receives commission from a panel of lenders for brokering finance deals. Commission models include: fixed fee, fixed rate of commission, percentage of the amount borrowed, and rate for risk (based on the risk profile of the business).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Vehicle & Asset Finance is an FCA-authorised credit broker (FRN674977) that connects UK SME businesses with a panel of lenders to arrange vehicle, equipment, asset, and commercial property financing. Deal sizes range from £5,000 to £1,000,000 (average £25,000), and VAF earns commission from lenders on broked transactions across 11 product categories including Hire Purchase, Contract Hire, Finance Lease, Business Loans, Commercial Mortgages, and Cashflow Finance.

Product overview

Vehicle & Asset Finance is an asset finance broker that provides a comprehensive suite of 11 financing products to UK SME businesses. The offering includes vehicle finance products (Hire Purchase, Lease Purchase, PCP, Contract Hire, Operating Lease), asset financing (Finance Lease), business lending (Business Loans, Commercial Mortgages), refinance solutions (Sale and HP Back/Sale and Lease Back), cashflow solutions (Cashflow Finance), and service introductions (Banking Introductions). Deals range from £5,000 to £1,000,000, with an average deal size of £25,000. The company acts as an authorised credit broker working with a panel of lending partners including major UK banks and specialist finance houses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hire Purchase

Quantifiable outcome

• Repeat business accounts for 60% of deals each month
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Bibby Financial Services: A VAF panel partner providing invoice finance, asset finance, and broader SME commercial finance. Comparable as both a competitor (lender doing direct business) and a channel partner for VAF's cashflow-finance product line.
• Lloyds Banking Group (Asset Finance): One of the largest UK SME asset finance providers and a VAF panel lender. Comparable as the dominant broad incumbent in the UK asset-finance market; competes for the same SME customers while also supplying finance that VAF intermediates.
• Close Brothers Asset Finance: A division of Close Brothers Group, one of VAF's panel lenders. As a major UK specialist bank with its own direct SME asset finance business, it competes for the same end customers but from a balance-sheet lender position rather than a broker intermediary model.

Direct peers

• Tower Leasing: UK asset finance broker arranging HP and leasing facilities for SMEs and individuals. Operates a panel-based broker model analogous to VAF's, serving a similar geographic and customer segment.
• Shire Leasing: UK asset finance provider offering leasing and HP to SMEs through both direct and broker channels. Comparable to VAF in customer base and product focus, though Shire operates a hybrid direct-lender/broker model.
• Henry Howard Finance: Welsh-based UK asset finance broker arranging HP, leasing, and business loans for SMEs. Comparable to VAF in target market (UK SMEs), product range (asset finance + business loans), and broker (not lender) operating model.
• Pulse Asset Finance: UK asset finance broker arranging funding for vehicles, plant, and equipment for SME customers. Direct competitor to VAF with a comparable broker panel model and SME focus.
• A1 Asset Finance: UK broker arranging vehicle and equipment finance for SMEs and consumers. Comparable to VAF by virtue of being a UK-focused intermediary channelling SME/individual asset finance demand to a lender panel.
• Simply Asset Finance: UK-based asset finance broker targeting SMEs across the UK. Operates a very similar model to VAF — brokering vehicle and equipment finance via a panel of lenders, sales-led origination, and a focus on relationship-driven repeat business. Closest direct comparable by business model, geography, and customer segment.

Emerging players

• Fleximize: UK-based fintech providing flexible SME asset finance and business loans via a digital platform. Comparable to VAF's SME target market and asset-finance product set, but represents a technology-led, balance-sheet-lending challenger to traditional broker models.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VehicleandAsset

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vehicle & Asset Finance