Machinery, marine vessels, aircraft, helicopters and specialist plant. If your business owns it and it holds demonstrable residual value, Oak Leasing can facilitate a refinance or sale and leaseback against it of up to €100 million per transaction — backed by a large independent European funder, and delivered with 34 years' experience.
Asset refinance releases the capital tied up in equipment your business already owns. The funder takes security over the asset — or buys it and leases it back — and you receive a lump sum while the asset keeps working exactly as before. For UK and European businesses holding large, well-maintained assets, it is often the fastest route to significant working capital without new borrowing against the wider business.
Oak Leasing is a bespoke pan-European funding facilitator for equipment finance across the UK and Europe, established in 1992. This facility is backed by a large independent European funder with the balance sheet capacity and jurisdictional reach to complete transactions from €500,000 to €100,000,000 — in sterling or euros — across the United Kingdom, EU member states, Norway, Switzerland and beyond. We facilitate the transaction from structure to activation: you receive the structure, not the complexity.
Refinance sits alongside the finance lease, hire purchase and operating lease structures we facilitate every day — see European Equipment Finance — Structures Compared. For mid-market refinance and sale and leaseback from €100,000, see European Equipment Refinance.
Oak Leasing has secured this facility with a large independent European funder with a proven record in large-asset transactions — machinery, marine, aviation and specialist plant. Capacity has now been increased to up to €100 million per transaction, with the appetite to fund single high-value assets and multi-asset portfolios in the UK and throughout Europe.
Established legal and operational infrastructure across the United Kingdom, EU member states, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.
A UK group refinancing plant in Germany, a Dutch company with assets in Spain, or a vessel under a Cyprus or Maltese flag — all within scope.
We are a funding facilitator, not a lender and not a broker. We structure, present and manage the transaction to activation — one point of contact throughout. Our fee is paid by the funder, never by you.
Large, identifiable hard assets with demonstrable residual value and a clear secondary market — located in the UK or anywhere in Europe.
Commercial and utility helicopters, turboprop and business aircraft, and engines with CAA, EASA or equivalent certification.
Cargo ships, ferries, offshore supply and passenger vessels on the UK Ship Register or European flags.
CNC machining centres, production lines, presses, extruders and large-format manufacturing plant.
Heavy earthmoving equipment, cranes, tunnelling machines and large construction fleets.
Power generation plant and energy equipment with identifiable serial numbers and demonstrable residual value.
Medical imaging and radiotherapy systems, printing and packaging lines, and other high-value identifiable plant.
Oak Leasing facilitates 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 — we confirm within 24 hours whether it 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: advance, rate, term, structure and valuation requirement.
An accredited specialist values the asset while title and charge position are confirmed. Oak Leasing coordinates both workstreams.
Credit approval, documentation and funds transfer. Our fee is paid by the funder at activation — no charge to you at any stage.
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 and keep uninterrupted use.
Oak Leasing recommends structures only; obtain independent accounting advice before committing. Compare all finance structures →
Oak Leasing has facilitated equipment finance since 1992 — 34 years across the UK and Europe. We are not a lender and not a broker: we are a bespoke funding facilitator, taking each transaction from first conversation to activation with the funder best placed to complete it.
That experience is built on relationships with 40+ funders — bank-owned lessors, captive finance companies, specialist asset funders, alternative credit institutions and now a large independent European funder with capacity to €100 million. Taking a large or cross-border asset direct to a clearing bank often means waiting for it to reach a specialist team; as facilitator, we put it in front of the right decision-maker from the outset.
The questions finance directors, CFOs and legal counsel most often 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 keeps 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 and leased straight back, releasing the proceeds as working capital.
This facility supports transactions from €500,000 to €100,000,000, or the sterling equivalent, following an increase in capacity from our large independent European funder. Multi-asset portfolios and cross-border structures are considered within that range, and portfolio structures above €100 million can be discussed. Transactions from €100,000 are handled through our European Equipment Refinance service.
Yes. The facility covers assets and borrowers in the United Kingdom as well as EU member states, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey, with transactions available in sterling or euros. UK structures use Companies House charge registration and, where relevant, the UK Ship Register or aircraft mortgage register. Cross-border structures, such as a UK group refinancing plant in Germany, are within scope.
The facility is backed by a large independent European funder with significant balance sheet capacity and a proven record in large-asset and cross-border transactions. Oak Leasing acts as funding facilitator: we structure, present and manage the transaction through to activation. The funder pays Oak Leasing's fee on completion; there is no upfront charge to the borrower.
Neither. Oak Leasing is a bespoke pan-European funding facilitator for equipment finance across the UK and Europe, established in 1992 and now with 34 years' experience. We do not lend our own capital, and we do more than introduce a deal: we structure it, present it to the right funder, coordinate valuation and legals, and manage it to activation as your single point of contact.
The facility is designed for large, identifiable hard assets with demonstrable residual value: aviation assets including helicopters, turboprop and business aircraft; shipping and marine vessels; industrial and manufacturing machinery; construction plant and cranes; power generation equipment; printing and packaging lines; and specialist medical equipment such as imaging and radiotherapy systems. Assets must be located in the UK or Europe.
The funder commissions an independent valuation from an accredited specialist for the asset class — marine surveyors for vessels, aviation appraisers for aircraft and helicopters, machinery valuers for industrial plant — usually on a fair market value or orderly liquidation value basis. Well-maintained production machinery and industrial plant typically attract 60–80% of fair market value; vessels and helicopters 50–75% depending on age, condition and registration. The assessed advance is confirmed with the indicative terms, before any commitment.
Yes, subject to funder approval and the outstanding balance being below the asset's assessed value. The new advance discharges the existing facility and the net proceeds are 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 cannot be supported.
Under IFRS 16, a sale and leaseback is recognised as a sale only if the transfer meets IFRS 15 criteria; if it qualifies, the seller-lessee derecognises the asset and recognises a right-of-use asset for the retained interest. If it does not qualify, the transaction is treated as secured borrowing. UK businesses reporting under FRS 102 follow Section 20. At this transaction size the classification can materially affect gearing and covenants, so engage your auditors at the structuring stage.
For straightforward transactions with clear title, indicative terms are typically issued within 5–10 business days of a complete submission. Formal credit approval and legal completion typically take a further 4–8 weeks, around 6–10 weeks in total. Marine and aviation assets with international registry considerations, and the largest transactions, may take 12–16 weeks.
Oak Leasing's fee is paid by the funder on activation, so there is no upfront charge from us. 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, in cross-border transactions, any notarisation, apostille or translation costs. All third-party costs are itemised in the heads of terms before any commitment.
A description of the asset (type, age, condition, location and registration or serial number), evidence of ownership such as an invoice, bill of sale or registry document, the latest audited accounts (or current management accounts if the statutory accounts are more than nine months old), and the purpose of the refinance. Oak Leasing prepares the full funder submission and manages documentation from heads of terms to activation.
No obligation, no upfront cost and no credit footprint at enquiry stage. Tell us about the asset and we will confirm within 24 hours whether the transaction falls within appetite.