The Intermediary – February 2026 - Flipbook - Page 22
The Interview.
BDLA
He says: “It was a great idea, because then
we had a broker association and a lender
association. So, I’ve always been close to
the BDLA.”
Over the following years, as he moved
on to lead other trade bodies including the
Financial Intermediary and Broker Association
(FIBA), Tyler continued to work alongside
the BDLA, then known as the Association of
Short-Term Lenders (ASTL), as it grew. When
the association recently announced its 100th
member, the timing felt significant.
The organisation, he believes, has “got to the
point where it can get to the next level.”
Regulatory engagement
Marvin Onumonu speaks with Adam
Tyler, CEO at the BDLA, about his
new appointment and his plans for
the association in 2026
s the Bridging and Development
Lenders Association (BDLA)
surpasses 100 member
firms, its leadership team is
also celebrating a significant
milestone. Newly appointed
Adam Tyler has stepped into
the role of CEO, with more than two decades
of trade body leadership behind him. Having
been involved with the organisation since
its inception, he now sets out a refreshed
strategy, built on regulatory engagement,
fraud prevention, data, and a renewed push
on education to support brokers, lenders and
their customers.
Tyler first became involved with the
association in 2008 as part of the original
steering committee that recognised the need
for an organisation that wholly represented
bridging and development lenders.
At the time, he was CEO of the National
Association of Commercial Finance Brokers
(NACFB), focused on the broker community.
Having a broker trade body alongside a
lender association felt, he recalls, like a
logical evolution.
A
20
The Intermediary | February 2026
Setting out in his new role, Tyler’s priorities
mainly revolve around credibility with
regulators and confidence in the sector. He
sees one of the BDLA’s core functions as
representing bridging and development lenders
in dialogue with the Financial Conduct Authority
(FCA) and ensuring they are seen to be “doing
things in the correct way.”
Indeed, the association positions itself as
something of a regulatory anchor. As Tyler
says: “As a group of lenders, we are providing
ourselves with self-regulation. We have a set
of standards for our members; that way we are
making sure that they do things in the correct
way, and that we are also representing those
lenders when the important things need to be
talked about.”
One of these conversations centres around
the 12-month cap for regulated bridging loans.
Tyler points out that while a 12-month term was
simply “okay” in the past, it no longer reflects
reality for many borrowers.
Longer sales pipelines, slower chains
and more complex transactions mean even
straightforward chain-break cases can need a
lot more time.
In light of this, the BDLA is working with the
regulator to explore how that term might be
extended, so that regulation keeps pace with
real-world conditions.
For Tyler, this kind of technical,
evidence-based engagement is where he
thinks the BDLA can add real value to both
lenders and their intermediary partners, thus
ensuring products remain fit for purpose while
