Two leading Alta consultants will be presenting at the Canadian Finance and Leasing Association (CFLA) annual conference Sept. 12-14 in Kelowna, BC, and The Alta Group is also an event sponsor.

The consultants, Alta CEO John C. Deane and Hugh Swandel, the senior managing director of Alta’s Canada region, will provide insight into evolving managed solutions in equipment finance and Canadian market changes expected to increase competition and contribute to growth in the region.

Deane will address how managed solutions are reshaping asset finance during a panel discussion 11:15 a.m. Sept. 13 with Angelo Coglioti of Cisco Capital Canada and Jeff Hartley of Foss National Leasing/LeasePlan in Canada.

Swandel will be presenting on how the industry is being measured and where new growth is anticipated. His panel 3:30 p.m. Sept. 14 includes Roger Mitchell of Equifax Canada, William Phelan of PayNet and Robin Somerville of Centre for Spatial Economics. They will examine apparent shifts in market share, growth opportunities and credit performance.

Swandel said he will address what he sees as changes leading to a potential “battle of the banks.” He’ll also point to altered residential mortgage rules as a factor in the competitive landscape of the Canadian equipment leasing and finance industry. He said the good news is that the market for financing is expanding.

Deane has been speaking about managed solution transactions (MST) trends this year at industry events in the U.S. and points to their evolution and the varieties of models being considered or developed. Innovators must respond to a new customer mindset, requiring businesses to simplify on-demand delivery, provide more flexibility and offer consumption-based financing terms with processes based upon proven technology, he said. Alta predicts that MSTs will make up more than 20 percent of industry volumes over the next three to five years. The consultancy provided the research for the study Managed Solutions: Evolutionary or Revolutionary, published by the Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Members of the CFLA operate in an estimated $355 billion Canadian market for vehicle and equipment finance. The annual event’s theme is “Leveraging data, driving growth.”

The Alta Group is an international consultancy dedicated to the equipment leasing and finance industry since 1992. In Canada, services include management consulting, market entry expertise, captive and vendor program creation, and M&A advisory. Swandel contributed to the book, Unstoppable: The Story of Asset-based Finance and Leasing in Canada, by Beth Parker, now available through Amazon.