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Top Takeaways from the 2025 CFLA Innovation & Technology Summit

May 26, 2025 | by Jen Martin CLFP, SVP/Chief Product Officer, LTi Technology Solutions

INTRODUCTION

The 2025 CFLA Innovation & Technology Summit held on May 5th proved once again that the Canadian asset finance industry is ready to lead. From AI in action to real-world regulatory considerations, it was a day packed with insight, collaboration, and meaningful dialogue on where our industry is heading.

As Chief Product Officer at LTi Technology Solutions, I had the opportunity to engage in powerful conversations with leaders across the ecosystem including captives, independents, banks, and fintech innovators. This blog summarizes the five key takeaways that stood out and the implications ahead.

5 Key Takeaways from CFLA

  1. AI Is Moving From Theory To Action
    The conversation around artificial intelligence has officially shifted from “What If?” to “What Now?” Real use cases are already delivering impact across
        1. Origination with faster, data-driven decisions.
        2. Risk modeling with smarter credit scoring and early warning indicators.
        3. Customer service & collections with personalized, automated borrower engagement.

           

  2. Innovation & Regulation Are No Longer Separate Conversations
    A recurring theme throughout the summit was the growing regulatory attention on AI, machine learning, and data governance. Canadian regulators are emphasizing transparency, fairness, compliance and explainability, especially in credit adjudication and servicing.  Technology can’t operate in a vacuum. The best solutions are designed with compliance in mind, balancing innovation with accountability. This is where platform flexibility and smart configuration make all the difference.

     

  3. Customer Experience Is Driving Tech Investment
    Borrowers expect what they experience in every other digital interaction: speed, transparency, and personalization. That’s driving asset finance organizations to invest in:
      1. Self-service portals
      2. Predictive servicing tool
      3. Faster onboarding and communication
        The goal? A frictionless, value-added customer journey that improves satisfaction and deepens loyalty. Our recent work on Customer Portals for borrowers and API-enabled workflows speaks directly to this shift, offering a more personalized and frictionless journey, and we’re only just getting started.

  4. Cross-Functional Talent And Collaboration Are the Real Tech Multipliers
    Innovation doesn’t succeed in silos. It requires a cross-functional team that understands both finance and technology–and who can frame and solve problems collaboratively. Events like the CFLA Summit remind us: real transformation happens when you bring the right minds together.  That’s how complex business models get reimagined, one smart iteration at a time.

     

  5. Canada Is Poised To Lead
    There was no doubt at the conference: Canadian lenders are ready to set the pace in responsible, scalable digital transformation.  From scalable infrastructure to compliance-aligned innovation, the market is moving fast, and thoughtfully.  WIth a maturing regulatory landscape, a surge in digital lending activity, and strong institutional appetite for automation, Canada has the right ingredients to lead the global charge in next-generation finance.

     

Interested In Reading More Insights?

Check out our related blog, “The Business Case for a Digital Customer Portal” to explore how a frictionless, digital borrower experience can be a powerful differentiator.
 

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

If you’re looking to improve your funding workflows, embrace automation, or just want to compare notes on how the market is shifting, Contact Us. We’d love to connect.

Jen Martin CLFP is the SVP/Chief Product Officer at LTi Technology Solutions, a global leader delivering full-lifecycle equipment finance platforms, with over 35 years of industry expertise. Serving asset finance companies, captives, small-ticket lenders, middle-market firms, and independent banks throughout the U.S., UK, and Canada. Backed by comprehensive and integrated interfaces, LTi’s powerful technology solutions streamline operations, enhance decision-making, and drive business scalability. LTi is consistently the ecosystem of choice for 40% of the Monitor 100; 50% of the Independents 30; 36% of the Bank 50.