HERZOG LEASING

What HERZOG LEASING does

HERZOG LEASING AG is a Stuttgart-based, BaFin-regulated financial services institution that provides commercial leasing and hire-purchase (Mietkauf) financing to small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany's crafts (Handwerk) and industrial (Mittelstand) sectors. Founded in 2006 by Dr. Jan Herzog, who continues to lead the company as Founder and Board Member (Gründer & Vorstand), HERZOG LEASING offers a portfolio of contract types — full-amortization commercial leasing (Vollamortisationsvertrag), partial-amortization commercial leasing (Teilamortisationsvertrag), vehicle-specific partial-amortization leasing (Kfz-Teilamortisationsvertrag), and commercial hire-purchase (Mietkaufvertrag) — alongside financial advisory and creditworthiness assessment services. The company is registered as a public limited company (Aktiengesellschaft) in Stuttgart (HRB 721728) under German financial services supervision, is privately held with a 'solid private shareholder background,' and has been recognized by the Financial Times and Focus magazine as a multi-year growth champion. The company does not describe a proprietary technology platform in the available material; its differentiation is built on personalized advisor relationships, fast and unbureaucratic credit decisions, transparent contract terms, and a 'Handschlagqualität' handshake-quality culture. The firm's headquarters is located at Hohenheimer Strasse 97, 70184 Stuttgart, Germany.

HERZOG LEASING distributes its financing products through three distinct channels: (1) direct sales to end customers via dedicated Sales, After-Sales, Contract Management, and Debitor Management teams with named personal advisors; (2) independent financial brokers (Makler) who arrange financing for their SME clients and benefit from customer protection guarantees, fast credit decisions, and commission incentives through a 'Leasing-Challenge' program; and (3) equipment manufacturers (Hersteller), exemplified by the longstanding OLYMP partnership, where HERZOG LEASING provides embedded financing solutions, trains the manufacturer's sales force, and delivers recurring reporting on expiring contracts to drive repeat business. The company operates exclusively within Germany, with no disclosed expansion into other DACH or EU markets.

The business model generates revenue primarily through periodic lease payments (and installment payments under hire-purchase contracts) over the contract term, with terms individually negotiated based on the customer's creditworthiness and the asset financed. The company reports no publicly disclosed pricing schedules or fee structures, and pricing is presented as transparent and individually tailored. The company has 251-500 employees and is actively hiring. Recurring third-party recognition includes the Financial Times Europe's Long-Term Growth Champions (2025, 2026), Financial Times Fastest Growing Company (2026), and Focus Wachstumschampion (2024, 2025, 2026). The company is currently developing a broker portal (Maklerportal) for self-service submissions, which represents its most visible technology investment.

Name

HERZOG LEASING

Legal name

HERZOG LEASING AG

Website

https://herzog-leasing.ag

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

HERZOG LEASING AG is a BaFin-regulated, Stuttgart-based provider of commercial leasing and hire-purchase financing for small and medium-sized enterprises in the German crafts and industrial sectors, distributing through direct sales, broker networks, and equipment manufacturer partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Leasing Services

NAICS

Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing (5321), Passenger Car Leasing (532112), Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (5324)

SIC

Finance Lessors (6172), Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate/Enterprise Car Leasing (Closed-End/Open-End) (TLABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Commercial Fleet Leasing & Management (Trucks/Vans/LCVs) (THADAKAD)

Keywords

• Commercial leasing services
• Hire purchase financing
• Equipment leasing
• SME financing
• Vehicle leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Leasing: HERZOG LEASING provides leasing contracts for equipment, machinery, and vehicles to small and medium-sized enterprises. Leasing is structured as either full-amortization (Vollamortisation) or partial-amortization (Teilamortisation) contracts. The company generates revenue through periodic lease payments over the contract term. Leasing payments are fully tax-deductible; the asset does not appear on the lessee's balance sheet, preserving equity ratios.
2. Mietkauf (Hire Purchase): Mietkauf (hire purchase) contracts allow businesses to acquire ownership of equipment at the end of the contract term. Revenue is generated through installment payments. The model provides cost transparency and investment security through clearly calculable installments, with the customer gaining ownership upon completion of payments.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HERZOG LEASING AG provides commercial leasing and hire-purchase (Mietkauf) financing solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises in German crafts and industrial sectors. The company offers full-amortization leases, partial-amortization leases, vehicle-specific partial-amortization leases, and hire-purchase agreements, distributing them through direct sales, broker networks, and equipment manufacturer partnerships under BaFin supervision.

Product overview

HERZOG LEASING operates as a financing services provider offering a portfolio of commercial leasing and hire-purchase products. The core offering comprises three leasing contract variants — Vollamortisationsvertrag (full-amortization), Teilamortisationsvertrag (partial-amortization), and Kfz-Teilamortisationsvertrag (vehicle-specific partial-amortization) — alongside a commercial Mietkaufvertrag (hire-purchase) product. These are supplemented by advisory and credit-assessment services and a forthcoming broker portal. The company targets small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in crafts and industry, as well as manufacturers and brokers, providing personalized, flexible financing solutions without bureaucratic complexity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gewerbliches Leasing (Vollamortisationsvertrag) Full-amortization commercial leasing contract for SMEs, where the lessor recovers the full cost of the asset plus interest over the lease term. The leased item does not appear on the lessee's balance sheet, preserving equity ratio.
• Gewerbliches Leasing (Teilamortisationsvertrag) Partial-amortization commercial leasing contract with residual value at lease end, offering greater flexibility in contract terms and payment structures for equipment, machinery, and vehicles.
• Kfz-Teilamortisationsvertrag – Gewerbliches Leasing Partial-amortization leasing contract specifically designed for commercial vehicles, with terms tailored to automotive fleet financing needs.
• Mietkaufvertrag – Gewerblich Commercial hire-purchase (Mietkauf) agreement that transfers ownership of the asset to the lessee at the end of the contract term, offering investment security through clearly calculable installments and transparent financial planning.
• Finanzierungsberatung und Bonitätsprüfung Credit assessment and financial advisory service tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises, featuring rapid creditworthiness checks and qualified consultation from financial specialists.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OLYMPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOLYMP is described as a longstanding partner and 'family member' of HERZOG LEASING. OLYMP is a manufacturer of high-quality barber and hairdressing equipment. HERZOG LEASING provides financing solutions for OLYMP's equipment, enabling OLYMP's customers (hairdressers and barbers) to acquire installations through leasing or hire purchase. The partnership exemplifies HERZOG LEASING's strategy of embedding financing solutions through equipment manufacturers to drive sales for both parties.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• KfW: KfW is the German state development bank offering SME financing programs, including subsidized loans and equipment financing. It is not a direct leasing competitor but operates adjacent SME financing programs that influence the competitive landscape for HERZOG LEASING's Mittelstand customers.

Broad incumbents

• Siemens Financial Services: Siemens Financial Services provides equipment financing and leasing globally, often in conjunction with Siemens equipment sales. It is comparable to HERZOG LEASING's manufacturer-channel embedded-finance model, though at a far larger scale and tied specifically to Siemens products.
• BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions: BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions is a large European lessor covering equipment, vehicle, and technology financing for SMEs and corporates. It overlaps with HERZOG LEASING on commercial equipment leasing in Germany but operates at substantially greater scale and geographic breadth as a pan-European incumbent.
• Commerzbank Equipment Finance: Commerzbank's equipment-finance division provides commercial leasing and asset finance to German Mittelstand clients. It directly overlaps with HERZOG LEASING on SME equipment financing, but as a broad incumbent bank-led offering rather than a specialized leasing specialist.
• TARGOBANK: TARGOBANK is a German consumer and business bank offering installment loans and equipment financing to SMEs and self-employed professionals. It overlaps with HERZOG LEASING on the SME customer base and equipment-financing use cases, but as a broad banking incumbent rather than a leasing specialist.

Direct peers

• Deutsche Leasing: Deutsche Leasing is one of Germany's largest leasing companies, offering commercial equipment, vehicle, and real-asset leasing to the Mittelstand. It directly overlaps with HERZOG LEASING on commercial leasing products and SME customer base, though at a substantially larger scale and as part of the Sparkassen group.
• VR Smart Finanz: VR Smart Finanz is the specialist leasing and consumer finance arm of the cooperative Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken group, focused on SME and private leasing products. Comparable to HERZOG LEASING on commercial leasing products and Mittelstand target market, with bank-distribution scale.
• abcfinance GmbH: abcfinance is a German specialist in leasing, factoring, and SME financing, with a strong Mittelstand focus and a multi-channel distribution approach. It is directly comparable in product mix (leasing, hire-purchase), customer segment (crafts and industry SMEs), and channel mix (direct plus broker).
• GRENKE AG: GRENKE is a German-listed specialist in SME leasing and factoring, with a product range spanning IT, office, and small-ticket equipment financing. It is the closest publicly traded comparable to HERZOG LEASING in terms of target customer (SME Mittelstand) and product structure (small-ticket leasing, hire-purchase equivalents).
• S-Kreditpartner: S-Kreditpartner is the specialist consumer and commercial finance arm of the Sparkassen group, providing leasing and installment loans to SME and private customers. Directly comparable to HERZOG LEASING on SME commercial lending and channel-supported distribution via the Sparkassen network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/herzog-leasing-ag

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HERZOG LEASING