Bundesverband Deutscher Leasing-Unternehmen (BDL)

The BDL (the Federal Association of German Leasing Companies) is the Berlin-based umbrella organization that represents the interests of the German leasing sector.The leasing companies generate 48.5 billion Euros worth of investment business in 2011.

Almost fifty percent of all externally financed investments, and 21.4 percent of overall investments in machinery and equipment, are made through leasing agreements. In just under fifty years, leasing in Germany has established itself as the number-one investment tool in all branches of industry and commerce, and, in particular, in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector.

Around 200 leasing companies, ranging from medium-sized businesses to international leasing concerns, have joined forces under the aegis of the BDL to engage in dialogue with legislators, public authorities, and the interested public at large about the possibilities this form of financing offers. The BDL’s membership accounts for over 90 percent of the German leasing-market, so it can justly claim to be the central forum for discussion of all matters relating to leasing in Germany.