The current funding environment in the equipment finance industry has been described as an ocean of liquidity, with sellers surfing and buyers swimming against the tide. Attendees at the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s 60th Annual Convention will dive into funding trends and strategies during the “Capital Markets Review: Funding in the Digital Age” breakout session on Oct. 25. The session is being supported by the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation.

Organizers said the session will include a lively discussion about the current and future state of the capital markets. It will also cover contemporary practices in equipment finance funding based on initial findings from an ongoing study commissioned by the foundation that is being prepared by The Alta Group.

Panelists will include Bill Bullock of ATEL Capital (moderator), Dave Wiener of The Alta Group, Dan Michalek of Syndifi, Mike Hube of Fifth Third Bank, Tom Ficca of CIT and Steven Spivey of Truist Equipment Finance.

“This session will help equipment finance companies understand and maximize contemporary approaches to funding and raising capital,” Wiener said. “We’ll discuss trends in syndication and securitization, predictions for the coming year, pain points and tools businesses are using to succeed in the capital markets. We’ll preview insights gained from Alta’s research for the foundation on industry best practices in funding, securitization and syndication.”

Organizers also pointed out the importance of the session in the absence of the ELFA Funding Conference this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The foundation’s RFP for the study noted that funding and syndication has changed dramatically during the pandemic and will likely return mostly to normal post-COVID-19. Because of this, funding and syndication strategies need to evolve based on what is available and what is expected.