Frequently Asked Questions

Financial leasing is able to finance every type of assets, be them real estate or fixed assets (equipment), from printers, vehicles and industrial machines to hospitals, shopping malls, offices, warehouses, etc.

Financial leasing is an activity regulated and supervised by the Portuguese Central Bank and may be undertaken by all authorized entities such as Banks, “Caixas”, Credit Financial Institutions, Credit Financial Companies and Financial Leasing Companies. It can still be a financing option offered at the point of sale, in collaboration with the mentioned financial sector entities.

You can check in ALF’s website its Financial Leasing members as well as their web addresses.

The legal owner of the asset during the contract is the lessor, which allows it to have higher security in the operation and, consequently, offer a more competitive interest rate. The lessee (client) is the economic owner of the asset and can use it however he wishes during the contract (very few and specific exceptions). The fact that the lessee is the economic owner of the asset is furthermore evidenced when the lessee is a company, where it will be able to register it in its balance sheet and undertake the respective depreciations.

Financial Leasing is not a synonym of a loan/credit, since the financial entity does not deliver capital but rather the usage of an asset. It is a specific figure which, involving a financing component, has its own configuration and must not be confused with others.