Positive outlook for European leasing industry

The European leasing industry has a positive outlook for the second half of 2017 amid improving growth prospects, new research shows.

The European Business Confidence Survey, carried out by industry body Leaseurope and international consultancy Invigors, found the vast majority of companies expect business volumes to increase.

A total of 78% of those surveyed expect new business volumes to increase, while just 5% anticipate a decline.

Respondents’ expectations on the level of bad debt are mostly stable, with nearly three-quarters of participants (74%) forecasting that bad debt will remain unchanged over the coming six months.

More than half (57%) of respondents anticipate that net profit in their organisations will increase over the next six months, while only 14% believe that this will fall.

While more than a quarter (29%) expect margins to decrease as competition intensifies, more than half (53%) anticipate no change.

The survey also showed that 34% of respondents thought that competition from new entrants was more likely in their home market, while just 19% expect merger and acquisition activity to increase in the second half of 2017.

Invigors EMEA partner Richard Ryan said: “This latest business confidence survey suggests that the European leasing industry should enjoy another good year in 2017.

“Growth in new business is predicted to remain strong for the remainder of the year, while expectations on the other KPIs support a generally improving trend.

“Recent elections across Europe do not appear to have dented sentiment in the European leasing market, which is driven by increasing economic growth and continued access to liquidity. This seems likely to continue for the immediate future as economic growth in most European countries is forecast to further strengthen.”

Full summary findings of the June 2017 Leaseurope/Invigors European Business Confidence Survey can be found here.