Leasing boom in Poland. The industry is swelling before our eyes

The leasing market grew in the first quarter of this year. by almost 11 percent on an annual basis and amounted to PLN 29.2 billion, which confirms the stable growth trend of the industry – according to the report of the Polish Leasing Association. Throughout 2026, the leasing market may grow by 9%. rdr – given.

As stated in the report, in the first quarter of 2026, leasing companies financed enterprise investments worth a total of PLN 29.2 billion, which means an increase of 10.8%. year to year.

The Polish Leasing Association (ZPL) estimated that in 2026 the value of investments financed by the leasing industry may reach PLN 129.7 billion, which would mean an increase of approximately 9%. year to year. The forecast assumes maintaining stable investment activity of enterprises and a further important role of leasing as a tool for financing the development of the Polish economy.

According to ZPL, 2026 should be a period of increased investments, which will be supported by the accumulation of EU money from the National Reconstruction Plan and the financial perspective for 2021–2027. Experts estimated that investment expenditure financed from EU funds may this year amount to approximately PLN 182 billion compared to approximately PLN 63 billion in 2025. “Such a significant increase is intended to be a strong impulse for private investments, including the SME sector, which in turn should have a positive impact on the development of the leasing market,” ZPL emphasized.

The report shows that in the first quarter of this year leasing loan financing increased by 29%. y/y – up to PLN 4.6 billion. However, leasing was the dominant form of financing, and the value of assets paid in this way amounted to PLN 24.6 billion, which means an increase of 7.9%. year to year.

The largest share in the market structure was invariably held by vehicles, which account for three quarters of entrepreneurs' investments financed by leasing companies – noted the authors of the report. The value of this segment in the first quarter of this year was PLN 22.1 billion, which means an increase of 12.1%. rdr. Within this category, financing for light vehicles (passenger cars and delivery vans up to 3.5 tons) reached PLN 16.5 billion. This means an increase of 10.1%. y/y and accounts for 56.5%. the entire leasing market.

The value of the heavy vehicles segment in the first quarter of this year amounted to PLN 5.4 billion, which means an increase of 19%. rdr. As the authors of the report emphasize, March was the second month in a row with solid growth, after a much weaker beginning of the year and the end of 2025. In March this year the dynamics of the heavy vehicle segment accelerated to 32%. y/y, from 18.6 percent y/y in February.

For another month in a row, tractor-trailers maintained high dynamics – experts emphasized. In their opinion, this is partly due to the low base effect, but the positive impact of the stabilization of the economic situation in the euro zone was also visible. However, declines in March concerned the financing of trailers, with an increase in the segment of trucks over 3.5 tons. According to the study's authors, these data indicate a greater role of domestic demand.

As ZPL's chief economist Marcin Nieplowicz emphasized in the press release, in the coming months the results of the heavy vehicle segment will largely depend on the geopolitical situation, in particular the development of events in the Middle East.

In the first quarter of this year, they remained the second largest segment after vehicles. machines and devices (22.3% market share), the financing of which reached PLN 6.4 billion. This is an increase of 8.8%. y/y and – according to the report's authors – signals a “clear recovery” of the segment, after previous declines observed at the beginning of the year and moderate dynamics at the end of 2025.

“Until February, there were clear declines in the financing of construction equipment and agricultural machinery, while March brought a reversal of this trend – positive results in the agro segment and very strong increases in the area of ​​construction machinery and other machinery. These increases were largely driven by loan financing, with more moderate leasing dynamics,” commented Nieplowicz.

He pointed to quarterly declines in the financing of agricultural machinery. In his opinion, they were the result of the deteriorated economic situation among agricultural farms, in particular lower assessments of their profitability, as well as the high base from last year.

The Polish Leasing Association brings together 36 entities covering over 90 percent. sector: 35 leasing companies and the Polish Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association. The Association is responsible for monitoring, giving opinions and developing expert opinions on leasing regulations; belongs to Leaseurope – an organization that includes 45 associations from 32 European countries. (PAP)

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