Asset Refinance & Sale and Leaseback · €500k–€10m
Machinery, marine vessels, helicopters and specialist plant. If your business owns it and it has demonstrable residual value, Oak Leasing can structure a refinance or sale and leaseback against it — backed by a major European institutional funder.
Large-Asset Refinance · €500,000–€10,000,000
Asset refinance releases the capital tied up in equipment your business already owns. The funder takes security over the asset — or purchases it and leases it back — and you receive a lump sum while the asset keeps working exactly as before. For European businesses holding large, well-maintained assets, it is often the fastest route to significant working capital without new borrowing against the wider business.
This facility is arranged by Oak Leasing and backed by a major European institutional funder with the balance sheet capacity and jurisdictional reach to complete transactions of €500,000 to €10,000,000 across EU member states, the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and beyond. We structure, present and manage the transaction through to activation — you receive the structure, not the complexity.
Refinance sits alongside the finance lease, hire purchase and operating lease structures we arrange every day — see European Equipment Finance — Structures Compared for the full picture, or start from the European Equipment Leasing Hub. For standard equipment finance below €500,000, our pan-European panel operates from a €15,000 minimum.
Eligible Asset Classes
Large, identifiable hard assets with demonstrable residual value and a clear secondary market — located anywhere in Europe.
CNC machining centres, production lines, presses, extruders and large-format manufacturing plant.
Cargo ships, ferries, offshore supply and passenger vessels registered in European jurisdictions.
Commercial and utility helicopters, turboprop aircraft and aviation assets with EASA or equivalent certification.
Heavy earthmoving equipment, cranes, tunnelling machines and large construction fleet assets.
Power generation plant and energy equipment with identifiable serial numbers and demonstrable residual value.
Medical imaging and radiotherapy systems, large-format printing and packaging lines, and other high-value identifiable plant.
Process
Oak Leasing manages the full transaction: structuring, funder presentation, valuation coordination and legal completion.
Tell us about the asset, your business and the purpose of the refinance. No credit footprint at this stage — we confirm within 24 hours whether the transaction falls within appetite.
We request asset documentation, audited or management accounts, and details of any existing charges, then prepare the funder submission.
Typically issued within 5–10 business days of a complete submission, specifying advance amount, rate, term, structure — refinance or sale and leaseback — and the valuation requirement.
The funder commissions an independent valuation from an accredited specialist for the asset class while legal title and charge position are confirmed. Oak Leasing coordinates both workstreams.
Formal credit approval, documentation execution and funds transfer. Oak Leasing's arrangement fee is paid by the funder at activation — there is no charge to you at any stage.
Finance Structures
Both unlock capital from existing assets. The right choice depends on balance sheet treatment, tax position and how much capital you need to release.
A secured facility against an asset you already own — title stays with you, the funder registers a charge, and the charge is released at final repayment.
The asset is sold to the funder at open market value and immediately leased back — you receive the full sale price as a lump sum and keep uninterrupted use.
Balance sheet treatment under IFRS 16 and FRS 102 is transaction-specific. Oak Leasing provides structure recommendations only; obtain independent accounting advice before committing to a structure.
The Funding Behind This Facility
Oak Leasing has arranged this facility with a large-balance-sheet European institutional funder with a proven record in large-asset transactions — machinery, marine, aviation and specialist plant — and the appetite to complete deals of €500,000 to €10,000,000 per transaction.
The funder has established legal and operational infrastructure across the major European jurisdictions: EU member states, the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. Cross-border structures — a Dutch-registered company refinancing plant located in Germany, or a vessel under a Cyprus flag — are within scope.
We are an independent broker, not a lender. We structure the transaction, present it to the funder, coordinate valuation and legals, and manage it through to activation — one point of contact throughout. Taking a large or cross-border asset direct to a clearing bank usually means waiting for the requirement to reach a specialist lending team; as arranger, we put it in front of the right decision-maker from the outset. Our arrangement fee is paid by the funder, never by you.
Read European transaction case studies →Transactions under this facility's threshold are handled by Oak Leasing's standard pan-European panel of 40+ funders, from a €15,000 minimum — the same one-point-of-contact process, sized for everyday equipment finance.
Explore the European Equipment Leasing Hub →Eligibility
The facility is designed for well-documented hard assets owned by established businesses with operating history in Europe.
Assets that commonly fall within funder appetite.
What the funder looks for in the borrowing or lessee entity.
Typically outside scope — talk to us about alternatives.
Start the Conversation
No obligation, no upfront cost, and no credit footprint at the enquiry stage. Tell us about the asset and we'll confirm within 24 hours whether the transaction falls within appetite.
Speak to an Oak Leasing arranger →Frequently Asked Questions
The questions finance directors, CFOs and legal counsel most commonly raise when evaluating a large-asset refinance or sale and leaseback.
Asset refinance is a structured finance transaction in which a business uses an owned asset as security to raise capital. The funder takes a legal charge over the asset and advances a facility against its assessed value; the business retains full use of the asset and repays over an agreed term, typically 2 to 7 years. Where the asset is owned outright, a sale and leaseback is often used instead: the asset is sold to the funder at open market value, immediately leased back, and the business receives the proceeds as working capital while retaining uninterrupted operational use.
In a conventional asset refinance the asset remains on the borrower's balance sheet; the funder registers a charge, advances a loan capped by loan-to-value, and releases the charge at final repayment. In a sale and leaseback, legal title transfers to the funder at inception; the business receives the full agreed sale price as a lump sum and pays rentals for continued use, with return, extension or purchase options at the end of the term. Because the sale price is not capped by an LTV, a sale and leaseback is typically the higher-capital-release option for unencumbered assets. The accounting treatment differs significantly under IFRS 16 and FRS 102, so independent advice is recommended.
The facility is designed for large, identifiable hard assets with demonstrable residual value: industrial and manufacturing machinery (CNC machining centres, production lines, presses), marine vessels (cargo, ferry, offshore support and passenger), helicopters and aviation assets with EASA or equivalent certification, construction plant and cranes, power generation equipment, large-format printing and packaging lines, specialist vehicles and transport fleets, and specialist medical equipment such as imaging and radiotherapy systems. Assets must be located in Europe and the transaction value must fall between €500,000 and €10,000,000.
The facility supports transactions from €500,000 to €10,000,000, with multi-asset portfolios and cross-border structures considered within that envelope. Transactions below €500,000 are handled through Oak Leasing's standard European equipment finance panel, which operates from a €15,000 minimum.
The facility is backed by a major European institutional funder with significant balance sheet capacity and a proven record in large-asset and cross-border transactions. Oak Leasing acts as arranger and broker — we structure, present and manage the transaction through to activation. The funder pays Oak Leasing's arrangement fee on completion; there is no upfront broker charge to the borrower.
The funder commissions an independent valuation from an accredited specialist for the asset class — marine surveyors for vessels, aviation appraisers for helicopters and aircraft, machinery valuers for industrial plant — typically on a fair market value (FMV) or orderly liquidation value (OLV) basis; OLV assumes a reasonably timed sale rather than a forced one and is typically 60–75% of FMV. Advance rates vary by asset class: well-maintained production machinery and industrial plant typically attract 60–80% of FMV; marine vessels and helicopters 50–75% depending on age, condition and registration; highly specialist or single-use assets attract more conservative advances. The assessed LTV is communicated with the indicative terms, before any commitment is required.
Oak Leasing arranges asset finance across 30+ European countries, including all EU member states, the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. Cross-border structures — for example, a Dutch-registered company refinancing plant located in Germany — are within scope. Jurisdictional complexity is assessed at the structuring stage and does not automatically preclude a transaction, though it may affect timeline and third-party costs.
Under IFRS 16, a sale and leaseback is only recognised as a sale if the transfer meets the IFRS 15 performance obligation criteria. If it qualifies, the seller-lessee derecognises the asset, recognises a right-of-use asset for the retained interest, and recognises only the portion of gain or loss relating to the rights transferred. If it does not qualify, the transaction is treated as a secured borrowing: the asset stays on the balance sheet and a financial liability is recognised. Businesses reporting under FRS 102 follow Section 20, which retains the finance and operating lease distinction. For assets above €500,000 the classification will materially affect gearing and covenant compliance — engage your auditors at the structuring stage.
Yes, subject to funder approval and the outstanding balance being below the asset's assessed value. The refinance is typically structured to discharge the existing facility from the new advance, with net proceeds paid to the borrower; the funder requires a redemption statement from the existing lender and confirmation that the charge will be released on completion. Negative equity positions — where the outstanding balance exceeds the asset's assessed value — cannot be supported under this facility.
Initial enquiries need a description of the asset (type, age, condition, location, and registration or serial number where applicable), evidence of ownership such as an invoice, bill of sale or registry documentation, the most recent audited accounts (or current management accounts where the latest statutory accounts are more than nine months old), and an outline of the purpose of the refinance — working capital, acquisition funding, debt restructuring or capital reinvestment. Oak Leasing prepares the full funder submission on your behalf and manages documentation from heads of terms through to activation.
For straightforward transactions with clear title, indicative terms are typically issued within 5–10 business days of a complete information submission. Formal credit approval and legal completion for a large-asset transaction typically take a further 4–8 weeks, including independent valuation, title checks and any cross-border legal review — around 6–10 weeks in total from enquiry to funds. Marine and aviation assets with international registry considerations may extend this to 12–16 weeks.
Oak Leasing's arrangement fee is paid by the funder on activation — there is no upfront broker charge. Borrowers should budget for the independent valuation (typically €1,500–€8,000 depending on asset type and location), legal fees for title transfer or charge registration, and, where applicable, notarisation, apostille or certified translation costs in cross-border transactions. All third-party costs are itemised in the heads of terms before any commitment is required.
About Oak Leasing
Oak Leasing Ltd (oaklease.co.uk) was established in 1992 as an independent equipment finance broker. Over three decades, we have built a panel of 40+ funders spanning bank-owned lessors, captive finance companies, specialist asset finance providers, and alternative credit institutions — giving us the depth to source competitive terms for virtually any equipment finance requirement across Europe.
We do not lend. We arrange. This distinction matters: as an independent broker, our recommendation is always the structure and funder best suited to the client's requirement — not the product we happen to hold. Arrangement fees are paid by funders, not by clients.