We are the voice of the Leasing sector
The BDL (the Federal Association of German Leasing Companies, or the Bundesverband Deutscher Leasing-Unternehmen e. V. to give it its full German name) represents the interests of the leasing sector in Germany. It has around 150 member companies, and over 85 percent of the volume of all leasing business transacted in Germany is generated by these companies.
We are advocates and upholders of fair framework conditions
The Association’s overriding priority is to promote and safeguard leasing in Germany – from the perspectives of both leasing companies and their customers. Securing fair fiscal, legal and economic framework conditions for the sector is central to this mission. In dialogue with lawmakers and administrative bodies, the BDL makes the case for appropriate legislation and administrative practice in all legal fields that have a bearing on leasing – first and foremost in commercial and tax law, but also in civil law and in the field of financial-supervision legislation, as well as in the provision of government stimulus packages.
The causes we champion
- Support for medium-sized businesses, who are the guarantors of our prosperity
- Investing in making Germany an attractive country in which to do business
- Supporting innovation and digitalization to guarantee the future of our economy and environment
- Creating and maintaining dependable framework operating conditions for leasing companies
- Achieving appropriate levels of regulation, proportionality of approach, and a greater measure of differentiation in the treatment of medium-sized companies in the leasing sector
We inform and communicate
The BDL informs politicians, authorities, the media, other trade associations and the organizations that represent small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as the interested public at large about the leasing market and the activities of the leasing sector in Germany. The Association is there to maintain and raise awareness of leasing products, of the market that exists for these products, and of the leasing sector in general. It uses a variety of communication channels and measures, ranging from old-school media activities to online communication platforms. The most important of these is the BDL website, but the Association also utilizes social media outlets – in particular, Twitter, XING and Linkedin. In addition, the BDL maintains close contacts with other sectors of the economy and their various representative bodies. Twitter, XING und LinkedIn.
We support our member companies
The BDL observes and analyses political processes, and seeks to keep politicians fully informed of the interests of the predominantly medium-sized German leasing sector. It keeps its members fully up to speed on developments likely to be of interest to them and to their medium-sized company customers. It further provides its member companies with practical assistance and recommendations on how they conduct their business. The BDL also organizes symposiums and forums on sector-related topics. And with the BDL Academy, the Association offers a variety of foundation courses and in-service training in key instruction areas. These packages range from teaching of the basics to specialized seminars, and all are focused on the (generally practical) requirements of our members.
We are your first port of call in Germany for all matters relating to international leasing
International business has become more important for German leasing companies. Almost a third of the BDL’s member companies have diversified into cross-border leasing with customers in some 80 countries worldwide. The BDL has stepped up its international engagement in response, on the one hand, to the opportunities created by the progressive enlargement and harmonization of the European marketplace, and, on the other, to the increasing numbers of leasing-related ordinances and guidelines being drawn up in Brussels. The BDL is looking beyond the borders of Germany, and has become a member of „Leaseurope“, the European umbrella organization that represents the continent’s national leasing associations. In addition, the BDL has its own representative office in Brussels; this office works together with Leaseurope to ensure the concerns of the leasing sector are voiced distinctly and persuasively in Brussels.
We are proud of our 50-year Association history, but our focus is firmly on the future
After the first leasing companies had established themselves in Germany over half a century ago, a number of these pioneers quickly proceeded to set up a working group, which by November 1972 had constituted itself into the first German Leasing Association. In the following years, the Association’s representatives kept a close eye on the legal, fiscal and financial-reporting developments that were of direct relevance to the leasing sector. The Association’s panels of experts advised on questions of business management and refinancing strategies, compiled sets of market statistics, assessed market studies, initiated basic and in-service training courses, and devised public- relations campaigns to promote their product and their sector. In addition to all this, they set up the Research Institute for Leasing at the University of Cologne in order to bring academic research to bear on their product.
In 2001, the Bundesverband Deutscher Leasing-Gesellschaften merged with the Interessenverband der Deutschen Leasing-Unternehmen, which had been set up in the late 1980s, and whose membership consisted mainly of small and medium-sized leasing companies, and members of consultative professions (such as lawyers and accountants). The newly formed BDL moved its headquarters to Berlin, and since 2001 it has represented the interests of the entire German leasing sector.