Montrouge - May 15, 2025
Crédit Agricole Leasing & Factoring
completes acquisition of German group Merca Leasing
Crédit Agricole Leasing & Factoring (CAL&F) announces that it has obtained all the necessary authorizations and today finalized the acquisition of 100% of Merca Leasing, a group that has been a partner to the German manufacturing industry for over three decades. This operation is fully in line with CAL&F's development strategy and will enable it to accelerate its growth in the particularly dynamic German leasing market.
After obtaining the necessary approvals from German BaFin1 and the German Competition Authority, Crédit Agricole Leasing & Factoring finalized today in Frankfurt the acquisition of Merca Leasing Group, in line with the announcement made to the markets in October 2024.
Founded in 1989, Merca Leasing is based in Kronberg, near Frankfurt, with branches in Hamburg and Berlin. The group, which is one of the top ten independent Leasing companies in Germany2, offers tailor-made leasing solutions to SMEs, with a strong expertise in financing industrial equipment through Direct Sales channels.
With the acquisition of Merca Leasing, Crédit Agricole Leasing & Factoring strengthens its expertise and service offering, especially in Mobility, and expands its footprint in the highly fragmented German market, which is a priority in the development strategy of its businesses.
The impact of the transaction on Crédit Agricole S.A.'s CET1 ratio is not significant.
" We are delighted to welcome all the employees of Merca Leasing, whom I warmly greet on behalf of all the teams at Crédit Agricole Leasing & Factoring. The acquisition of Merca Leasing is an important step in Crédit Agricole Leasing & Factoring's European development, and is fully in line with our strategy and the achievement of the ambitions of our 2025 Medium-Term Plan "Transitions to the Future". This transaction offers the CAL&F and Merca Leasing teams the opportunity to pool their expertise and strengths to serve our customers and the German market."
Hervé VARILLON, Chief Executive Officer of Crédit Agricole Leasing & Factoring
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ABOUT CRÉDIT AGRICOLE LEASING & FACTORING
A subsidiary of the Crédit Agricole group, Crédit Agricole Leasing & Factoring "CAL&F" has been a key player in Leasing and Factoring for more than 60 years, as well as in the financing of renewable energies and infrastructure in the territories.
Present in 10 countries in Europe (France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland) and thus benefiting from a wide range of activities, Crédit Agricole Leasing & Factoring offers specialised financing, more responsible mobility and second-life equipment solutions to its customers: corporates, professionals, farmers and local authorities. In this way, Crédit Agricole Leasing & Factoring supports, facilitates and accelerates their growth and their transitions towards a more inclusive world, which consumes fewer resources for the planet.
KEY FIGURES AT THE END OF 2024 (FRANCE AND INTERNATIONAL)
260,400 customers, including 33% abroad
2,769 employees
€34 billion in outstandings, including 30% abroad
For further information: www.ca-leasingfactoring.com
ABOUT MERCA LEASING GMBH
Merca Leasing was founded in 1989 by Kredietbank N.V., Brussels, Belgium, & U. Helmdach and integrated into the KBC Bank & Insurance Group in 1998. In 2012, the KBC Lease (Deutschland) Group was taken over by the management, renamed Merca Leasing again, based in Kronberg / Taunus (near Frankfurt).
The group offers financing solutions for business-critical movable equipment focusing on production machinery through leasing, hire purchase, sale-and-lease-back, retrofitting funding services and forfaiting solutions (through Merca Vendor).
Key figures at the end of 2024: 37 employees - New sales €309m - Portfolio (actual outstandings) €472m
For further information: www.merca-leasing.de
CAL&F PRESS CONTACT
Sophie Leplus +33 (0)1 43 23 30 87 / +33 (0)6 24 87 16 03 - sophie.leplus@ca-lf.com
1 Source: Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (German Federal Financial Supervision Authority)
2 Source: BDL / Bundesverband Deutscher Leasing-Unternehmen (Federal Association of German Leasing Companies)
