The leasing market, in terms of the value of assets financed reached 3.26 billion euros last year, an increase of 62% on the 2.01 billion euros registered in 2005, according to the data of the Leasing and Non-Banking Financial Services Association (ALB) and of the Association of Leasing Companies of Romania (ASLR).
The leasing companies that are subsidiaries of banks continue to control the leasing market accounting for 75% of the total assets financed in 2006, while the sector of independent companies accounted for 17.5%. The captive companies owned by automotive dealers and importers held 7.5% of the market.
The ALB members financed total assets worth 2.28 billion euros in 2006, contributing 70% to the total domestic leasing market, while ASLR totalled 842 million euros.
The leasing companies that are part of the two associations signed about 130,000 contracts in 2006, with the total value of the goods financed amounting to 3.12 billion euros. Financial leasing continues to dominate, thanks to its 98% share of the total assets financed, while operational leasing accounted for a mere 2% of the market at the end of last year.
Funding for the purchasing of vehicles generated 75% of the total value of assets, 2.35 billion euros. Industrial equipment leasing accounted for 20% of the total, with the value of the goods financed reaching 625 million euros. Funding for the real estate sector amounted to 5%, that is 147 million euros.
In the transport segment, cars accounted for 71% of the total financing, while heavy commercial vehicles and light commercial vehicles accounted for 15% and 13% respectively.
One of the most dynamic types of leasing was the leasing of equipment - increasing its market share from 15% in 2005 to 20% last year.
Construction equipment accounted for 33% of the total equipment funded, while IT and software equipment accounted for 11%, the food industry for 7%, the printing industry - 6%, the petroleum industry and wood processing industry - 4% each, while car service and medical equipment accounted for 3% each.
Farming and textile equipment cumulated two percentage points each, while the other sectors accounted for 25%.
Perhaps the most significant increase on the leasing market last year was recorded by the real estate funding that came to account for 5% of the market in 2006, twice as high as the 2.4% share in 2005.
The funding of the real estate sector is dominated by industrial and commercial properties, representing 52%.
The leasing of Class A, B and C offices accounted for one third of the value of the total buildings financed, while the residential sector and the segment of high-rise flats cumulated 15%.
The development of real estate leasing from almost zero of the market in 2003 to the 147 million-euro funding in 2006, is the direct consequence of a strategy that is becoming more and more visible on the market and could lead to further growth. In fact most domestic leasing companies have set this as a major priority.
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