Romanian leasing market up by almost a third in first quarter

New financing from leasing companies grew by 28 percent in Romania, in the first quarter of the year, to EUR 310 million, according to data from ALB Romania, an association of the most important local leasing companies. Growth was supported by higher financing for trucks and agriculture equipment. This is a sign of recovery for the leasing market which had a stong decline in the last few years. Last year, financing was down 9 percent and barely toped the EUR 1 billion threshold, compared to some EUR 5 billion in 2007 and 2008. Car and commercial vehicles financing represents 78 percent of the total. This segment was up 7 percent compared to the same period last year, to EUR 242 million, due to a 15 percent growth in financing for the heavy commercial vehicle (truck) segment. Financing for equipment was EUR 59 million, which is 19 percent of the total, due to higher demand for agriculture equipment and for timber indistry equipment. editor@romania-insider.com