However, no economy is immune to global headwinds, Germany included. As the engine of Europe, it has pulled the EU out of negative growth, but equally it has felt the constraints of its commitment to its eurozone partners. Yet there are signs of a sustained recovery ahead, according to a new, free report on the German asset and auto finance market.

Published by White Clarke Group, the report finds that there are around 500 registered leasing companies, handling some 1.6 million new business contracts annually, with 85% of these leases being taken out by SMEs.



It adds that the German leasing industry remains one of the most well developed in the world, with high market penetration, and it is nothing if not competitive. However, the market, as with the economy, is changing, moving gradually towards being more service orientated – this is the largest single customer group for leasing – and seeing more foreign investment into its core SME customers, which could in time lead to a shift in management values.



Contributors to this latest WCG country survey include:

Andreas Berberich, senior associate, Munich, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP;

Horst Berger, general manager, Association of Automobile Banks and Leasing Companies in Germany (AKA);

Horst Fittler, managing director, German Leasing Association (BDL);

Nils Jæger, vice president, John Deere Financial;

Jochen Jehmlich, managing director, GEFA-Leasing (Société Générale
Equipment Finance);

Peter Kainradl, managing director, Germany and Austria, White Clarke Group;

Kai-Otto Landwehr, head of Commercial Finance, Siemens Financial Services in Germany;

Jürgen Mossakowski, CEO, CHG-MERIDIAN;

Wolfgang Pinner, managing director, BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions Germany;

Marius Rechenbach, Public Affairs manager, AKA;

Konrad Schott, partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP;

Martin Starck, managing director, LBBW Leasing;

Michael Vander, independent financial services consultant;

Igsaan Varachia, partner, Munich, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP.

To download the report, click here.