VOTING CLOSES 21 AUGUST 2026
SLF European Awards Logo White Horizontal
The first awards program dedicated to excellence in Specialist Lender Finance across Europe.
Recognising the platforms, lenders, advisers, and service providers shaping the market. 
 
 Voting Opens 15 July 2026
SLF EUROPEAN 
AWARDS
The first awards program dedicated to excellence in Specialist Lender Finance across Europe. Recognising the platforms,
lenders, advisers, and service providers shaping the market.

TIMELINE

A four-stage process designed to ensure results reflecting genuine market opinion, validated by independent expert judges.

1

Voting

15 Jul - 21 Aug 2026

Open voting from verified market participants. Vote weightings reflect the depth of each voter's direct experience with SLF transactions.

2

Shortlisting

21 Aug - 28 Aug 2026

Shortlists are compiled from voting data and reviewed by the DealCatalyst editorial team. Shortlisted firms are invited to submit supporting material.

 

3

Submission

2 Sep - 2 Oct 2026

Shortlisted firms submit evidence of their work and achievements. Submissions are evaluated by the independent judges panel.

4

Judging

Oct 2026

An independent panel of senior market practitioners reviews all submissions against the voting data to determine final winners.

 

5

Ceremony

23 November 2026

The winners will be announced on the evening of the SLF 2026 conference, hosted at the Royal Lancaster, in London, on Monday 23 November. Register your interest in booking a table here.

 

AWARDS CATEGORIES
Recognising excellence across the full SLF value chain — platforms, capital providers, advisers and service providers.

Financing Bank of the Year (Arranger)

Recognises the bank that has demonstrated outstanding leadership in arranging financing for specialist lenders across the UK and Europe. Judges will consider innovation, structuring expertise, execution capability, market impact, and support provided across warehouse facilities, forward-flow agreements, private credit and capital markets transactions.

Innovative Product of the Year

Awarded to the most innovative lending or funding product launched or significantly enhanced during the eligibility period. Entries should demonstrate originality, market need, commercial success and measurable benefits for borrowers, investors or funding partners.

Consumer Lending Platform of the Year

Recognises the consumer finance platform that has demonstrated outstanding growth, underwriting excellence and innovation. Eligible businesses may include providers of personal loans, credit cards, BNPL, motor finance, point-of-sale finance and other consumer lending products. Judges will consider lending growth, underwriting performance, funding strategy, customer experience, technological innovation and overall market impact across new, used, consumer or commercial vehicle finance.

SME Lending Platform of the Year

Awarded to the specialist lender delivering exceptional financing solutions to small and medium-sized businesses. Judges will consider underwriting excellence and customer journey, product innovation, growth and lending performance, funding strategy and execution, and market leadership. 

Mortgage Lending Platform of the Year

Recognises the leading specialist mortgage lender across residential, buy-to-let, bridging, development or commercial real estate finance. Judges will consider underwriting excellence and customer journey, product innovation, growth and lending performance, funding strategy and execution, and market leadership. 

Receivables Finance Platform of the Year

Awarded to the platform demonstrating excellence in receivables finance, factoring, invoice finance, trade receivables or other working capital solutions. Judges will consider underwriting excellence and customer journey, product innovation, growth and lending performance, funding strategy and execution, and market leadership. 

Auto Financing Platform of the Year

Recognises the specialist lender that has demonstrated excellence in providing vehicle finance solutions across the UK and European market. Judges will consider underwriting excellence and customer journey, product innovation, growth and lending performance, funding strategy and execution, and market leadership.

Start-up Platform of the Year

Recognises an emerging specialist lender established within the past three years that has demonstrated exceptional growth, innovation and market potential. Judges will consider business execution, funding achievements, technology and future outlook.

Law Firm / Counsel of the Year

Recognises the legal team that has provided exceptional advice on specialist lending, structured finance or funding transactions. Judges will consider sophistication of structuring and execution, innovative legal solutions, client service and overall contribution to advancing the market. 

Advisory Firm of the Year

Awarded to the advisory firm providing outstanding strategic advice to specialist lenders, investors or originators. This may include debt advisory, capital raising, M&A, portfolio sales or structured finance advisory. Judges will evaluate client outcomes, innovation and transaction expertise. 

Accounting & Loan Advisory Firm of the Year

Recognises firms providing exceptional accounting, diligence, portfolio review or transaction support services to the specialist lending market. Judges will consider technical expertise, execution quality and client impact. 

Rating Agency of the Year

Recognises the rating agency that has made an outstanding contribution to specialist lending and structured finance through analytical excellence, market insight and support for capital formation. Judges will consider analytical excellence, transparency and methodology, market insight, and industry leadership. 

Senior Debt Investor of the Year

Recognises the institutional investor providing significant debt capital to the specialist lending market. Judges will consider investment activity, innovation, partnership approach, market impact and support across senior capital strategies. 

Mezzanine / Junior Debt Investor of the Year

Awarded to the investor that has made the most significant contribution to the specialist lending market through the provision of mezzanine, junior, subordinated or preferred capital. Judges will consider transaction activity, structuring expertise, partnership approach, innovation and support for lender growth and funding diversification.  

Equity Investor of the Year

Awarded to the investor making the greatest contribution to the growth of specialist lenders through equity investment. Judges will consider capital deployment, strategic partnership, portfolio support and long-term value creation.

 

Trustee / Transaction Services Provider of the Year

Judges will consider operational excellence, client service, technology and reporting, transaction execution, and reliability and governance.

Loan Servicer of the Year

Recognises the servicing platform that has delivered exceptional operational performance for specialist lending portfolios. Judges will consider servicing quality, portfolio management, collections performance, technology, reporting capabilities, regulatory compliance and client service.

Data Provider of the Year

Awarded to the organisation providing the most valuable data, analytics or market intelligence to the specialist lending ecosystem. Judges will consider data quality, innovation, analytical capabilities, market insight, technology and the measurable value delivered to lenders, investors, funders and advisors.  

Securitisation Deal of the Year

Recognises the most significant public or private securitisation completed during the eligibility period. Judges will consider structural innovation, execution, funding efficiency, investor reception and overall impact on the specialist lending market. 

Rising Star Award

Recognises an individual who has made an exceptional impact early in their career within the specialist lending or structured finance industry. Judges will consider professional achievement, leadership potential and contribution to their organisation. 

Industry Leadership Award

Honours an individual whose vision, leadership and innovation have significantly advanced the UK and European specialist lending market. Judges will consider long-term impact, industry influence and commitment to excellence. 

JOIN US AT SLF EUROPE 2026

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1. Brief and scoping

We meet to understand your objectives, target audience, and the questions you want answered. We advise on survey design, sample size, and the format best suited to your goals. 

2. Survey design and fieldwork

Our research team designs the questionnaire with your input and deploys it to the relevant segment of the DealCatalyst delegate network. Fieldwork typically takes two to three weeks.

3. Analysis and editorial

We analyse the data, identify the key findings, and write the report. You review a draft before publication. Reports can be co-branded with the DealCatalyst Intelligence mark or published under your brand as a white-label product. 

4. Publication and distribution

The report is published on the DealCatalyst Intelligence hub and promoted across email, LinkedIn, and our events programme. You receive verified lead data on every downloader.

5. Performance reporting

Four weeks after publication we provide a full performance report covering downloads, audience demographics, geographic reach, email opens, and qualified leads generated.

METHODOLOGY
Designed in consultation with the SLF market to ensure the process rewards genuine excellence.

DealCatalyst has developed a methodology for the SLF European Awards that recognises the unique characteristics of the specialist lender finance market. Votes are weighted by the voter's role and closeness to SLF transactions, ensuring allocators and liquidity providers — who have the most direct view of performance — carry the greatest influence.

Vote Weightings by Participant Type

5
x weight

3
x weight

2
x weight

Allocators, LPs, & Institutional Investors

Specialist Lending Platforms, Banks, & Borrowers

All Other Verified Participants

 

Points Allocation

RANKING BASE POINTS BONUS POINTS AVAILABLE?
1st choice 3 points Yes - if a valid reason is provided
2nd choice 2 points Yes - if a valid reason is provided
3rd choice 1 point Yes - if a valid reason is provided
Self-vote 0 points No
     
Bonus Point — Reasoning Requirement
Voters who provide a valid, substantive reason for their nomination receive an additional bonus point for that vote. This incentivizes informed voting and discourages block-voting campaigns. The reasoning is reviewed by the DealCatalyst editorial team and is not published.

 

Eligibility & Validation
All votes are validated by the DealCatalyst team before inclusion in the final count. Self-votes, duplicates, non-verified participants and votes from individuals who cannot demonstrate a relevant connection to the SLF market are removed. Final results are subject to review by the independent judging panel.

CONFIRMED JUDGES
Each judge will sit and adjudicate on 5-6 categories, assisting DealCatalyst in shortlisting and ultimately determining the final winners for those categories. Judges will be recused from working on categories where their firm or a direct competitor is shortlisted.

Additionally, judges will be recused from any category where they are conflicted for other reasons, such as being a testimonial. DealCatalyst will further request that judges maintain objectivity in their decision-making.

Ganesh-Rajendra-Advisory-Board-Chair-DealCatalyst Integer Advisors

Ganesh Rajendra

Managing Partner

Integer Advisors

Boudewijn Dierick AuxMoney Logo

Boudewijn Dierick

Managing Director & Country Officer

Auxmoney Investments Ltd

Greg Branch, SCIO SCIO Capital

Greg Branch

Chief Investment Officer

SCIO

Darren Nesbitt EuroABS_Logo_GreenTextOnWhite_Horizontal

Darren Nesbitt

Chief Executive Officer

EuroABS

Patrizia Lando Fasanara Capital Logo.png

Patrizia Lando

Head of Structured Products and Capital Markets

Fasanara Capital

Romain Guilleminet iwoca logo

Romain Guilleminet

Head of Capital Markets

iwoca

Miray Muminoglu LLOYDS_Primary_Logo_PositiveBlackGreen_RGB

Miray Muminoglu

Managing Director - Head of Securitised Products Group

Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets

Tamara Box RS_ReedSmith_Logo_Color_BlackRedOnTransparent_Horizontal_400x256

Tamara Box

Senior Consultant

Reed Smith

Kevin_Ingram_Lo_Grey Clifford_Chance_Logo_Secondary_Black_RGB

Kevin Ingram

Partner

Clifford Chance

Ed Ballin Barclays_Logo_ColorBlue_Horizontal

Edward Ballin

Head of Primary ABS Syndicate

Barclays

Matt Pentecost L500 _ Ashurst Perkins Coie _ England _ Legal 500 law firm_

Matthew Pentecost

Partner

Ashurst Perkins Coie

Steve Harrison headshot Together Financial Services Logo

Steve Harrison

Director - Debt Capital Markets

Together Financial Services

Janet Oram 2026 USS Investment Management

Janet Oram

Head of Asset-backed Securities

USS Investment Management

Tristan Cheesman headshot BofA_Logo_ColorOnTransparent

Tristan Cheesman

Managing Director - Head of EMEA/APAC Structured Finance Syndicate

Bank of America

Dipesh Mehta funding_circle_logo

Dipesh Mehta

Chief Capital Officer

Funding Circle

Gary McKenzie-Smith Venn Partners logo

Gary McKenzie-Smith

Managing Partner and Co-founder

Venn Partners

Peter Voisey, headshot Dentons_Logo_Purple_Horizontal

Peter Voisey

Partner

Dentons

Interested in joining the Judging Panel? Please contact Mark Lilley, Research Lead, DealCatalyst on mark.lilley@dealcatalyst.io

Table Enquiries
Complete the form below to learn more how to book your table at the awards ceremony,