Leasing Sector in Bulgaria Expands 10.5% Annually, Household Share Rising

The latest figures from the Bulgarian National Bank show that leasing activity in Bulgaria continued to expand, with the combined portfolio of financial and operational leasing reaching 7.275 billion leva in September 2025, or about 3.3 percent of the country’s estimated GDP. This marks an annual rise of 10.5 percent and a quarterly increase of 2.5 percent compared with the end of June. Converted at the fixed rate, the portfolio is roughly 3.7 billion euro.

Financial leasing remains the dominant component of the sector. Its portfolio grew to 6.880 billion leva, posting the same annual growth rate of 10.5 percent and rising 2.7 percent on a quarterly basis. Financial leasing accounts for nearly 94.6 percent of the total market. New contracts signed in the third quarter reached 921.8 million leva, equal to around 471 million euro. This is a jump of 16.7 percent compared with the same period in 2024 and an increase of 3.1 percent compared with the second quarter.

Passenger cars continue to be the most active segment. Receivables in this category reached 3.741 billion leva, showing an annual rise of 20 percent and a quarterly increase of 4.6 percent. Their share climbed to 54.4 percent of all financial leasing contracts. Commercial and light commercial vehicles reached 1.448 billion leva, increasing by 2.4 percent year-on-year and 0.9 percent quarter-on-quarter. Their share, however, dropped to 21 percent from 22.7 percent a year earlier.

Receivables for machinery, equipment and industrial assets totaled 1.501 billion leva. Although they grew by 1.7 percent over the year, their share declined from 23.7 percent in September 2024 to 21.8 percent in September 2025.

The client structure shows shifting dynamics. Non-financial enterprises remained the largest group with 5.148 billion leva in receivables, a yearly increase of 6.2 percent. Their overall share fell to 74.8 percent compared with 77.9 percent a year earlier. Meanwhile, households and NPISHs saw substantial growth. Their receivables reached 1.706 billion leva, up by 25.9 percent year-on-year and 6.9 percent compared to June, increasing their share to 24.8 percent of the market.

Operational leasing also expanded. Its portfolio reached 394.8 million leva, or just over 200 million euro, marking an 11.5 percent annual rise and a small quarterly increase of 0.6 percent. The data points to a sustained and broad based expansion of the leasing sector in Bulgaria throughout 2025.