FLA Launches 'Provocations' Podcast with Catherine Mann to Tackle UK Productivity Crisis

The Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) has launched "Provocations," a new six-part podcast series designed to challenge the status quo of the UK’s lending and investment landscape. For fintech professionals, this initiative signals a critical re-evaluation of whether current capital allocation systems are evolving fast enough to support a rapidly changing economy and drive national productivity.

What was announced

The FLA’s new podcast series, hosted by broadcaster Nihal Arthanayake, aims to bring together influential voices from economics, business, finance, and regulation to debate the issues shaping the UK’s economic future. The debut episode features Dr Catherine L Mann, an external member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, and Robert Gordon, CEO of Novuna. Their discussion focuses on whether the British economy has evolved faster than the systems that allocate capital, exploring the relationship between finance, investment, and growth.

The series will consist of six episodes released fortnightly, with future discussions set to cover financial inclusion, the energy transition, technological innovation, and the role of artificial intelligence in lending. Upcoming guests include senior figures from the Financial Conduct Authority, NatWest, Energy UK, Fair4All Finance, Ricoh Europe, and Lombard. The launch builds on the FLA’s recent Impact Report, "The Hidden Engine Behind UK Growth," which highlighted the sector's contribution to the real economy. According to the association, FLA members provided £163 billion of new finance to businesses and households in 2025, including £40.3 billion in asset finance specifically for machinery, equipment, and vehicles. The series is available via the FLA website, as well as on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple podcasts.

The companies involved

The Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) serves as the primary trade body for the asset, consumer, and motor finance sectors in the United Kingdom. Its membership is diverse, encompassing banks, subsidiaries of major financial institutions, and independent lenders. The FLA plays a pivotal role in representing the interests of the UK lending market to government bodies and regulators, advocating for a policy environment that supports sustainable economic growth. The association’s members are significant contributors to the UK economy, providing the essential capital that allows businesses to invest in physical assets and consumers to access vital goods and services.

Novuna, a key participant in the series launch, is one of the UK’s largest specialist finance providers. Led by CEO Robert Gordon, the company operates across several divisions, including business finance, personal loans, and vehicle solutions. Novuna has established a significant market presence by focusing on the "real economy," providing the funding necessary for business expansion and infrastructure. Its involvement in the "Provocations" series reflects its position as a major non-bank lender that is actively engaged in the dialogue surrounding productivity and the modernisation of the UK’s financial infrastructure.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has previously tracked the research and technological developments of Novuna within the UK market. In July 2025, we reported that Novuna Business Finance Research Reveals Fall in Percentage of UK Small Businesses Working on New Initiatives to Unlock Future Growth, a finding that underscores the productivity challenges discussed in the new podcast. Additionally, in April 2023, we covered how Novuna Business Finance Generates £4m New Business Through Automation. This prior coverage highlights the company’s dual focus on identifying market trends and implementing automated systems to streamline the delivery of capital to the business sector, themes that are central to the FLA's broader economic inquiry.

What this means

This initiative by the FLA highlights a growing concern within the lending sector: that the traditional "plumbing" of finance may be failing to keep pace with a digital and service-oriented economy. By bringing a Bank of England policymaker together with a specialist lender, the FLA is spotlighting the friction between macro-economic growth targets and the practicalities of capital distribution. The industry is under increasing pressure to move beyond traditional collateral-based lending toward models that better recognise intangible assets and the requirements of the green transition. Whether the UK’s regulatory framework can support this shift without compromising financial stability remains the critical question for the sector's long-term resilience.