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Asset finance resilient in Q2
The asset finance (leasing and hire purchase of business equipment) market grew by 9% in the second quarter of 2012, as over 50,000 businesses invested in new equipment using leasing. These latest figures come from the Finance & Leasing Association, the trade body for the asset finance industry.
While lower than the 13% growth seen in the first quarter, the second quarter asset finance figures contrast with the fall shown in the latest estimates of Gross Domestic Product.
IT equipment finance was up by 48% in the second quarter of 2012. Plant and machinery, and car and commercial vehicle finance also showed growth. More agreements were made through commercial finance brokers and equipment suppliers, with both channels up by 14% in the quarter.
Julian Rose, Head of Asset Finance at the Finance & Leasing Association, commented:
“Awareness of the benefits of asset finance is growing among small and medium-sized businesses, and many businesses are finding the finance they need through one of the over 500 commercial finance brokers across the country, who are listed in our new on-line small business finance directory2.
“The Government has rightly included asset finance in its programme of measures to ease the flow of credit to small businesses. Expanding those measures – for example the new Funding for Lending Scheme – to include a wider range of asset finance companies would help even more businesses to invest.”
Table 1: Total asset finance business, and extracts of breakdown by asset class
|
| June 2012 | % change on June 2011 | Q2 2012 | % change on prev. year | 12 months to June 2012 | % change on prev. year |
| Plant and machinery finance (£m) | 354 | +1 | 1,066 | +13 | 4,103 | +14 |
| Commercial vehicle finance (£m) | 411 | +7 | 1,121 | +8 | 4,654 | +18 |
| IT equipment finance (£m) | 179 | +57 | 366 | +48 | 1,308 | +22 |
| Business equipment finance (£m) | 184 | -10 | 445 | -7 | 2,033 | +4 |
| Car finance (£m) | 573 | +1 | 1,882 | +12 | 6,538 | +8 |
| Aircraft, ships and rolling stock finance (£m) | 29 | -16 | 67 | -75 | 336 | -57 |
| Total excl. high value (£m) | 1,845 | +2 | 5,288 | +9 | 20,578 | +12 |
| Total FLA asset finance (£m) | 1,979 | +6 | 5,472 | +6 | 21,575 | +4 |
- ends -
Note to editors:
- In 2011, FLA members provided £72.9 billion of new finance to UK businesses and households. £20.8 billion of finance was provided to businesses and the public sector, representing around 27.5% of all fixed capital investment (excluding real property and own-account software) in the UK last year.
- A comprehensive directory of providers of asset finance and commercial finance brokers is available at www.smallbusinessfinancedirectory.co.uk
For further media information, please contact:
Helen Saxon, FLA
T: 020 7420 9664 E: helen.saxon@fla.org.uk M: 07918 766 993