Guarantees for Leasing Financing

This program, aimed at improving access to leasing financing, is directed at leasing companies acting as eligible applicants for their leasing clients. The ultimate beneficiaries are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) according to the EU definition, as well as startups throughout Germany. The goal is to provide these companies with additional security for their leasing projects.

The program exclusively supports leasing financing for leased assets with a term between 12 and 120 months. There are no specific restrictions regarding the industries or sectors of the companies, as long as they meet the SME definition. The funding serves to support operational investments and business implementation or scaling.

Support is provided in the form of a guarantee that secures leasing financing. The guarantee can amount up to 2 million Euros and cover up to 70 percent of the leasing financing. The specific conditions and terms are variable and depend on various factors.

Various legal and economic documents are required for application submission to fulfill identification obligations under the Money Laundering Act and to assess the creditworthiness of the project. The conditions of the guarantee are creditworthiness-dependent, and processing is increasingly digital, which can lead to quick decisions.

The application for guarantees is submitted online by the respective leasing company via a special application tool. This enables digital transmission of the required company and project data, as well as case-specific communication and digital storage of the guarantee commitment.

The guarantees for leasing financing are based on the support of the European Investment Fund (EIF) under the COSME program and counter-guarantees from federal and state governments. Compliance with the EU SME definition and the Money Laundering Act (GwG) are fundamental legal requirements.