grenke posts €2.4bn in new leasing business in first nine months

grenke AG generated €2.4 billion in new leasing business in the first three quarters of 2025, keeping the SME financing group on track to meet its annual targets despite a difficult market backdrop.

In the third quarter alone, leasing volumes rose 5.8% year-on-year to €781.2 million. Profitability also remained stable: contribution margin 2 (CM2) increased 3.3% to €129.9 million, while the CM2 margin came in at 16.6%, above the company’s 16.5% guidance.

Chief executive Sebastian Hirsch said grenke’s focus on its core European markets, alongside expansion in newer regions, had supported results.

“Against the backdrop of a persistently challenging environment, our focus on the strong core markets in Europe has paid off. Likewise, the significant growth in our future markets is strategically indicative of the direction we are taking – towards greater international diversification,” Hirsch said.

The DACH region remained the largest contributor, growing 9.4% to €207.2 million in Q3. Western Europe excluding DACH climbed 12.3% to €197.3 million, with France providing nearly a fifth of total leasing volume. Southern Europe rose 7.9% to €179.7 million, led by Italy.

By contrast, Northern and Eastern Europe contracted 13.1% to €137.9 million, following strong prior-year comparables. Outside Europe, leasing rose 22.2% to €59.1 million, supported by US business.

IT equipment accounted for more than a quarter of all contracts, with average ticket size rising to just over €10,100. grenke processed 159,000 lease applications, converting around 48.6% into 77,000 new contracts.

Deposits at grenke Bank were stable at €2.19 billion as of September, while lending new business grew to €10.2 million. Factoring volumes declined 15.9% to €197.1 million due to the ongoing transfer of operations to Teylor AG.