Mihaela Mateescu, general manager of Raiffeisen Leasing, is banking on the development of the equipment and real estate leasing segments, after the market has relied almost exclusively on the automotive segment for a number of years.
"The automotive market grew over the past few years, being the main catalyst of the leasing market. Yet, a growing demand for the other segments has started to become more evident. In the future, the focus will be on the equipment and real estate segments," Mihaela Mateescu said.
Currently, 79% of the 3,500 contracts signed by late September have been for vehicle financing. On the vehicle segment, the company has specialised in truck and transportation vehicle funding, dedicating a department specifically for this purpose.
"Funding for trucks plays a significant part in our activity. We have been working with approximately the same clients since we started. We can say we grew along with our clients, considering that some 95% of the company's activity is related to companies, while individuals hold a less significant share in our portfolio," said Mateescu.
However, the automotive market still has potential for growth. "The automotive market keeps being supported by the need to renew the public transport vehicle fleet in the cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants," Mateescu also states. Besides vehicle fleets, vehicles necessary for sanitation and lightning services, as well as for other utilities will also hold a significant share.
The funding for equipment and real estate projects accounts for 20% and 1% respectively in the Raiffeisen Leasing portfolio. "We estimate equipment leasing will reach to 25% of our portfolio, while real estate leasing will rise to 10 - 15% by 2007," says Mateescu.
The development of the construction and infrastructure markets could prove to be the main factors behind a
