A new report from LendFusion highlights a major shift in lending operations: speed now outranks compliance and cost reduction as the top institutional priority for 2026.
Based on responses from 180 specialist lending professionals, the 2026 Lending Operations Benchmark Report uncovers how institutions are balancing borrower expectations with legacy systems — and where the real bottlenecks remain.
While most lenders recognize the demand for faster decisions, many still struggle to deliver them consistently — not due to lack of intent, but because of fragmented systems and manual processes.
Key Findings
- 68% of lenders say borrowers expect same-day loan decisions
- 1 in 3 still take three or more days to respond
- 62% cite compliance checks as the biggest bottleneck
- 46% struggle with manual workflows and data re-entry
- 72% name faster decision times as their top priority for 2026
A Benchmark Report for Lending Leaders
The 20+ page report explores the operational realities behind modern lending — from automation maturity and workflow integration to business impact and strategic priorities.
It’s written for executives overseeing origination, underwriting, and operations who want to understand how their institutions compare and where modernization will deliver the greatest impact.
“Speed is the baseline for credibility in lending,” said Andres Valdmann, CEO of LendFusion. “If lenders can’t make fast, data-driven decisions, they’ll lose trust.”
The report draws a clear conclusion: lenders aren’t struggling with awareness — they’re struggling with execution. Many have digitized the borrower experience but remain slowed by manual back-office processes that prevent true real-time lending.
Download the Report
The full 2026 Lending Operations Benchmark Report is available now at lendfusion.com/benchmark — free to download.
About LendFusion
LendFusion is a specialist loan management platform built for high-volume, niche lenders who need more than off-the-shelf software.
It combines configurability, automation, and hands-on technical support to help lenders deliver faster, compliant loan decisions at scale.
Trusted by institutions across the UK, Europe, and South Africa, LendFusion unifies origination, underwriting, servicing, and compliance into a single system designed for speed and control.