Our 2026 NextGen survey reveals a cohort bullish on AI but clear-eyed about its limits. When asked to rate the industry’s readiness for disruptive technology, they returned an average score of 3.14 out of 5 — keeping pace but not pulling ahead. Nearly half cited lack of industry awareness as the single biggest barrier to attracting diverse talent, and 44% identified credit underwriting as the function most in need of automation. These are the observations of people who live and breathe the industry’s challenges every day.
That spirit of engaged pragmatism runs through the entire issue. Ralph Enders takes a hard look at why pay-per-use financing has been slow to scale and what a genuine paradigm shift in risk modeling would actually require. Valerie Gerard offers a timely primer on AI hallucinations — what they are, where they hide in finance workflows and why governance, not avoidance, is the right response. Ty Schwamberger explores the line between customer service and collections, and what happens to cash flow when that line disappears.
In this issue, we also feature an executive profile of Rod Versteegh, who stepped out of a brief retirement last fall to lead equipment finance at First Citizens Bank. His philosophy — that money is homogeneous, but relationships are not — underscores how essential human connection is in our industry. It was a pleasure to speak with him about the long game he is playing.
In our annual vendor ranking, total Top 40 volume climbed to $46.8 billion in 2025, up 5.7% from the prior year, with Wells Fargo holding the top spot for the second consecutive year. The more compelling story, though, is in the middle of the pack — where four companies are making their Top 40 debut and Bell Bank Equipment Finance posted 108.2% growth in its first appearance. Our roundtable with five senior vendor finance leaders adds the strategic context behind those numbers.
We also introduce three rising leaders at Wintrust Commercial Finance who used their STRIPES Leadership Program capstone to redesign their company’s entire internship pipeline. Their story is the clearest illustration I can offer of what this issue is about: building the ladder mid-climb.
The Monitor team is already hard at work on our annual Monitor 100 issue, which will come out this summer. But right now, let’s keep our focus on the next generation. If the content in these pages is any indication, the future of the industry is in very good hands.
