CRIF was established in 1988 in Bologna (Italy), and has an international presence, operating over four continents (Europe, America, Africa and Asia), in the fields of development and management of credit reporting, business information and decision support systems.

Simone Capecchi, director, finance corporate Italy & Western Europe at CRIF, said: ‘Joining Leaseurope as associate member will give us with the opportunity to have a better perspective of developments of the leasing market in order to contribute innovative solutions to Leaseurope and to its members in line with industry developments by consolidating the expertise that CRIF has accumulated in the Corporate segment worldwide.’

Meanwhile, Grant Thornton UK LLP partner Tarun Mistry said: ‘The associate membership of Leaseurope reflects Grant Thornton's strategy to expand its financial, operational, strategic and regulatory compliance advisory expertise in the leasing, asset finance and automotive sectors.’

‘This association with Leaseurope reflects the continued growth of the team as well as its commitment and focus on these three sectors across Europe; it will further solidify Grant Thornton UK LLP as the go to advisory firm in this market,’ he added.

Leaseurope’s chair Enrico Duranti added: ‘The coming on board of CRIF and Grant Thornton UK LLP as associate members is fully in line with Leaseurope’s road map, especially when it comes to developing special partnerships with players active in the leasing and automotive rental ecosystem. I believe these new partnerships will translate into more value added for our Federation and its members.’