FTT Lending 2026: What Do You Need From Me to Lend Me £100?

In the complex world of institutional finance, we often talk about AI, digitalization, and capital aggregation, but what about the basics? At FTT Lending 2026, we asked industry attendees a simple question: “What do you need from me to lend me £100?”

The answers were a revealing mix of human psychology, basic trust, and necessary financial data, showing that even the smallest loan requires a multi-layered approach to risk.

While some respondents leaned into the human connection, noting a request needed “Just a nice request and a smile” others referenced a higher bar for trust, with one attendee stating, “I need a phone call from one of my parents to tell me to do it”. Another respondent simply stated the core prerequisite is “Trust”.

Moving beyond the purely personal, attendees at FTT Lending 2026 quickly highlighted the fundamental requirements for identity verification and financial context.

These included the need to know “Who are you and what are you planning to use them for?”. Before any money is handed over, one attendee would “have to authenticate you” by viewing “Your ID documents and a system to get you the money”.

The financial details, even for a modest sum, are non-negotiable as lenders require a clear picture of the borrower’s ability to repay, specifically asking for information about “Your income”, “When your income is in your bank and what debt you might have”. 

Ultimately, a degree of formalization is required, with one respondent insisting, “I’d want to write out a formal contract and see all of your personal identities so that I know who you are”

Finally, the question of interest and return was raised, with one attendee of FTT Lending responding to the prompt with another question: “What are you offering? It depends on what I’m paying for”.

This neatly summarizes that even a £100 loan is, at its heart, a calculated transaction based on risk and reward