Over a little more than two decades of operation in Serbia, the leasing industry has supported the domestic economy with around 10 billion euros and facilitated the signing of 300,000 contracts, according to participants at the annual leasing conference organized by the Association of Leasing Companies of Serbia (ALCS) with the support of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce.
Chairman of the ALCS Board of Directors, Bojan Erak, highlighted that while vehicles are the most visible part of the leasing market, leasing services cover a much broader range of sectors.
“Almost half of all new passenger and light commercial vehicles were financed by leasing companies. Vehicles are the most visible, but we also finance agricultural machinery, transport, production lines, medical equipment, solar panels, renewable energy projects, real estate — and this year, we financed our first airplane,” Erak said.
He emphasized that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the largest and most loyal users of leasing services.
“Leasing helps them launch their businesses, grow, and develop. Last year was the most successful year ever for our sector,” he added.
Erak also underlined the industry’s significant progress in digital transformation, noting that the leasing sector is among the most advanced in Serbia in terms of digitalization.
“Today, leasing approval takes just two minutes, contracts are signed electronically, and processes are automated and optimized using artificial intelligence,” he said.
He pointed out that people remain the industry’s greatest asset, with 429 employees currently working in Serbia’s leasing sector.
In total, 300,000 leasing contracts have been concluded since the industry’s inception, with vehicles being the most commonly financed assets. However, leasing also supports economic growth through the financing of agricultural machinery, transport, industrial production lines, and even aircraft.
According to Erak, the previous year marked the most successful period in the history of leasing in Serbia.
