Crédit Agricole Leasing & Factoring (CAL&F) is one of the Crédit Agricole Group’s expert subsidiaries offering specialised financing. With €29.7 billion in assets under management, of which 26% internationally, it is a major player in the leasing and factoring market and in the financing of renewable energies in France and Europe. CAL&F supports companies of all sizes, in terms of their equipment and property investment projects, and with regard to the financing and management of their trade receivables.
CAL&F works directly with the Group’s retail banks in France and abroad, and with other non-banking partners. With a vast regional presence, it is closer to economic players and can support its customers beyond national borders, with nine establishments throughout Europe.
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CAL&F - Key figures
- More than 50 years of experience
- 256,000 French and international clients
- 2,700 employees
- N°1 in financing renewable energies in France
A complete leasing offer
Introduced in France in the 1960s, leasing consists of, for a specialised financial institution, giving a company the right to use an asset in return for regular rental payments over a determined period of time. At the end of this period, the company can either buy the asset in question (for a low residual value), or return it.
The main advantage of making an investment through leasing is that the company can preserve its cash and borrowing capacity as it is not recorded on its balance sheet. On the other hand, the rent can be deducted from its taxable income. Moreover, financing through leasing does not require an initial down payment, and VAT does not have to be paid all at once on the asset.
In sum, leasing offers a flexible and adaptable solution for full financing of investment projects while preserving the company’s cash and borrowing capacity and optimising taxation. It includes a variety of financing solutions: equipment or real estate leasing, finance leasing, vehicle lease-to-purchase options for professionals, lease-to-purchase for boats, IT operational leasing with associated services.
Factoring: short-term financing for companies
Factoring is a solution for managing companies’ client receivables, by which a company sells its accounts to a specialised firm, called the factor, helping it to meet its cash flow needs and providing it with support in its development. The company can thus concentrate on its core business while reducing management costs.
Factoring is a service that allows companies of all size and from all sectors to:
- finance, within 24h, their cash flow needs, in addition to traditional bank credit;
- outsource the management of their client receivables (payment management, recovery, etc.);
- reduce payment times and cover the risk of unpaid receivables.
Under the brand Eurofactor, Crédit Agricole Leasing and Factoring operates in ten countries in Europe and is supported by the bank networks of the Crédit Agricole group and Crédit Agricole CIB. Eurofactor’s international subsidiaries provide services to clients in more than 70 countries. In France, Eurofactor is the partner of one out of every four companies that use factoring services and handles more than 10 million invoices each year.
Financing energy and territories: CAL&F’s 3rd main business
Through its subsidiary Unifergie, CAL&F plays a major role in France in financing the energy transition, by supporting the Regional banks in their territories. Created in 1983, Unifergie is a “sofergie”, i.e. a company that finances energy-saving and environmental protection schemes, either through leasing or traditional loans. CAL&F’s offer is addressed to many markets: companies, public authorities and the agricultural sector. It covers renewable energy production (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric), energy efficiency and performance (heat networks, public lighting systems), environmental protection (waste and water treatment), and land development (real estate and public infrastructure).
More generally, Unifergie is positioned as a partner for companies and public authorities that wish to participate in the energy transition. New offers has been deployed for electric vehicles and LED lighting. Since the creation, in June 2018, of Crédit Agricole’s energy programme, CAL&F, via Unifergie, was designated as the single entry point and is thus in charge of its development in the Group.
