What SGB Finance S.A. does

SGB Finance S.A. is a French specialty finance company founded in 1999 that provides nautical financing solutions to retail boat buyers across Europe. Operating as a licensed credit institution (établissement de crédit spécialisé agréé) supervised by the ACPR at €6,054,250 share capital, the company is a jointly-owned subsidiary of CGL Group and Bénéteau Group — the world's largest boat manufacturer — serving as the exclusive captive financing arm for nine Bénéteau Group brands (Bénéteau, Jeanneau, Prestige, Lagoon, Excess, Wellcraft, Four Winns, Scarab, Delphia).

The product portfolio centres on classical credit financing and LOA (Location avec Option d'Achat/lease with option to purchase) for new and used boats with durations up to 180 months, supplemented by marine insurance distribution (ORI AS n° 07027255) underwritten by Helvetia Assurances, Mutuaide Assistance, and SOGECAP. Combined offerings — Locassurance, Leasyboat, and Crédit Assurance Plaisance — bundle financing with insurance, engine warranty, 24/7 assistance, and guaranteed buyback into single monthly payments. Distribution occurs through a six-zone French regional sales force of 50+ commercial collaborators, Bénéteau dealer networks, and independent brokerage partners in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Italy operating under the go-boating, sys-finance, and gylf-italia local brands.

The technology stack is a Typo3-based web platform with an online boat-specific financing simulator (parameters for boat type, brand, model, year, price, down payment, and duration), a TLS-secured Espace Client portal, Piano Analytics for audience measurement, and Didomi for cookie consent. Revenue is generated through interest spreads on credit and LOA contracts plus insurance commissions on bundled products, with pricing determined per-customer via simulator or direct contact; no public rate card exists.

Name

SGB Finance S.A.

Legal name

SGB Finance S.A.

Website

https://sgbfinance.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SGB Finance S.A. is a French specialty lender founded in 1999 that provides boat credit, LOA leases, and bundled marine insurance products across six European countries as the captive financing arm of Bénéteau Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialized Consumer Lending (Nautical / Boat Financing)

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Direct Lending — Specialty Finance (Consumer/SME Lending Platforms) (FSAHAJAF)

Keywords

• Boat financing
• Nautical credit
• Marine insurance
• Boat leasing
• Recreational lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Marcq-en-Barœul

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Boat Financing - Credit: SGB Finance provides classical credit financing for new and used boats. Customers borrow the full amount to purchase a boat and repay through fixed monthly installments over a defined period (up to 15 years). Revenue is generated through interest on the loan.
2. Boat Financing - LOA (Location avec Option d'Achat): SGB Finance offers leasing with option to purchase (LOA) for boats. Customers make monthly lease payments and have the option to buy the boat at the end of the contract at a predetermined price. Revenue is generated through lease interest and the final purchase option.
3. Marine Insurance Distribution: SGB Finance acts as an insurance broker (ORI AS n° 07027255), distributing marine insurance products underwritten by Helvetia Assurances, Mutuaide Assistance, and SOGECAP. Products include boat insurance (Helvetia Yacht, Helvetia Yacht Premium, Helvetia E-Boat), engine breakdown insurance (Pan-ne Meca), travel/accident insurance, and trailer insurance via Libersea and Locassurance. Revenue is generated through insurance commissions.
4. Combined Financing & Insurance Packs (Locassurance / Leasyboat): SGB Finance bundles financing (LOA or credit) with integrated insurance products into single packages, simplifying customer experience and generating revenue from both financing interest and insurance commissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SGB Finance S.A. is a French licensed credit institution that provides specialized financing for new and used boats, including classical credit (Crédit Bateau), lease-to-own (LOA), and bundled financing-and-insurance packages (Locassurance, LeasyBoat, Crédit Assurance Plaisance), as well as standalone boat insurance brokerage. Its offerings are distributed through a national field sales team in France and five European brokerage partners, and are accessed by individual buyers through a free online financing simulator and a secured client portal.

Product overview

SGB Finance S.A. is a nautical financing company and subsidiary of the Bénéteau Group, offering a comprehensive portfolio of boat financing solutions since 1999. The core offering consists of credit and LOA (Location with Option to Purchase) financing products, supplemented by insurance products and combined packages. Key products include: Financement/Credit Bateau (classic credit), LOA (lease-to-own), Locassurance (LOA + insurance), Leasyboat (all-inclusive solution), Assurance Bateau (boat insurance), and an online Simulateur de Financement. The company serves customers across France and 5 European countries (Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy) through its network of brokers and commercial representatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crédit Bateau (Boat Credit) Classical consumer credit loan for the purchase of a new or used boat, offered by SGB Finance to individual buyers in France and via European brokerage partners.
• LOA Bateau (Location avec Option d'Achat) Lease-to-own (LOA) financing for a new or used boat, allowing individual buyers to lease the boat with monthly payments and acquire ownership at the end of the lease term by exercising the purchase option.
• Locassurance Combined LOA (lease-to-own) financing package with integrated boat insurance, offered to individual buyers as a single bundled product by SGB Finance.
• LeasyBoat All-inclusive LOA (lease-to-own) package that combines boat financing with insurance, servicing, and a buyback commitment, marketed as a comprehensive "all-in-one" boat-leasing solution for individual buyers.
• Crédit Assurance Plaisance Combined consumer credit (classical boat loan) package with integrated boat insurance, offered to individual buyers as a single bundled product by SGB Finance.
• Assurance Bateau (Boat Insurance) Standalone boat insurance brokerage product distributed by SGB Finance to individual boat owners, covering the craft itself and/or its use.

Quantifiable outcome

• SGB Finance has operated as nautical financing expert since 1999, with over 25 years of specialized market experience
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and regional.

• Groupe BénéteaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroupe Bénéteau is the world's largest boat manufacturer and the exclusive OEM partner of SGB Finance. SGB Finance serves as the dedicated financing arm for all Bénéteau Group brands (Bénéteau, Jeanneau, Prestige, Lagoon, Excess, Wellcraft, Four Winns, Scarab, Delphia). SGB Finance has been the financing expert for the Bénéateau Group since 1999, making it the exclusive financial partner across the group's extensive dealer network.
• Helvetia AssurancesmajorOthersHelvetia Assurances underwrites the marine insurance products distributed by SGB Finance (Helvetia Yacht, Helvetia Yacht Premium, Helvetia Yacht E-Boat, and Locassurance). SGB Finance acts as insurance broker (ORI AS n° 07027255) presenting these products to its financing customers.
• Mutuaide AssistancesupportingOthersMutuaide Assistance underwrites the 'Panne Meca' (engine breakdown) insurance product distributed by SGB Finance as part of its insurance offerings.
• SOGECAPsupportingOthersSOGECAP underwrites the 'Assurances des Personnes' (personal insurance) product distributed by SGB Finance as part of its insurance product range.
• go-boating (Germany & Netherlands)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributorgo-boating is a brokerage partner distributing SGB Finance nautical financing products in Germany and the Netherlands under the go-boating brand. The partnership enables SGB Finance to serve boating customers in these markets through a local intermediary.
• sys-finance (Spain & Portugal)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributorsys-finance is a brokerage partner distributing SGB Finance nautical financing products in Spain and Portugal under the sys-finance brand. The partnership extends SGB Finance's geographic reach to Iberian boating markets.
• gylf-italia (Italy)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributorgylf-italia is a brokerage partner distributing SGB Finance nautical financing products in Italy under the gylf brand. The partnership provides SGB Finance with local market coverage in the Italian nautical sector.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Yamaha Motor Finance: Captive finance provider for Yamaha Motor's marine and leisure vehicle products in European markets. Comparable as an OEM-tied specialty lender in the marine and powersports space, offering a model of how manufacturers structure captive financing.
• Volkswagen Financial Services: Captive financing arm of Volkswagen Group providing automotive and leisure vehicle financing across Europe. Comparable as an OEM-affiliated specialty captive finance operation but focused primarily on the automotive vertical rather than marine.

Direct peers

• CGI Finance: Parent group of SGB Finance and French specialty finance operator offering consumer and equipment financing through dealer networks. Most directly comparable in business model, regulatory status, and target customer segments within the French market.
• Cetelem: BNP Paribas consumer credit subsidiary offering personal loans and partner-channel financing in France, including leisure and durable goods. Operates a similar dealer-referred and direct consumer lending model to SGB Finance.
• Cofidis: Major French consumer credit provider (Crédit Mutuel group) offering personal loans and partner financing solutions including leisure assets. Comparable in offering consumer credit and partner-channel distribution, though not focused exclusively on marine.
• Floa Bank: French consumer credit and payment solutions provider (BNP Paribas group) offering installment credit and partner financing for retail purchases. Comparable as a French regulated credit institution with digital and partner-channel distribution.

Broad incumbents

• BNP Paribas Personal Finance: One of Europe's largest consumer credit institutions, offering boat and leisure financing as part of a broad personal lending portfolio. Comparable as a regulated French consumer credit provider but operates at much larger scale and across many asset categories.
• Société Générale: Major French universal bank with significant consumer finance activities including vehicle and leisure asset lending. Comparable as a large regulated French financial institution but operates broadly across all banking and credit categories.
• Crédit Agricole Consumer Finance: Consumer lending arm of Crédit Agricole group offering personal loans and partner financing across Europe, including vehicle and leisure asset financing. Comparable in regulated French consumer credit provision but operates as part of a major banking group.

Emerging players

• Younited Credit: French-headquartered consumer lending platform operating across Europe with a digital-first model. Represents the digital-native direction that could increasingly compete with traditional specialist lenders like SGB Finance in boat and leisure credit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sgb-finance-s-a-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 SGB Finance S.A.