Autonom buys Business Lease Romania in third operational leasing deal
What's the deal? Romanian mobility group AutonomDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has signed to acquire 100% of Business Lease Romania from Dutch owner Business Lease Group B.V., part of AutoBinck GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The deal value was not disclosed. Closing still requires approval from Romania's Competition Council and clearance on foreign direct investment.
Who's involved? Autonom was founded in 2006 in Piatra Neamț by brothers Marius and Dan Ștefan. Business Lease Romania, active locally since 2014, offers full-service operational leasing, fleet management, short- and medium-term rentals, and used-car sales to clients ranging from SMEs to multinationals.
The numbers: Business Lease Romania reported net revenue of 143.7 million lei in 2025 and total assets of about 538 million lei. That revenue equals roughly 15% of Autonom's 2025 operating income of 939.7 million lei, while its assets are about a quarter of the Romanian group's, which topped 2.16 billion lei at year-end.
Why now? Operational leasing is Autonom's main growth engine, bringing in roughly 540 million lei in 2025 — 57% of group revenue — up about 18% year on year. Romanian firms are leaning into the segment: an industry survey found 49% planned to introduce or expand operational leasing over the next three years.
What's the endgame? This is Autonom's third operational leasing acquisition, after buying BT Operational Leasing from Banca TransilvaniaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2018 and Țiriac Operating Lease in 2022. The deal would extend Autonom's fleet and client portfolio, and the group would take on the Business Lease team.
"Operational leasing plays an important role in the development of the Autonom Group," said cofounders Marius and Dan Ștefan, framing the deal as a chance to combine both teams with Autonom's national network (translated from Romanian).
The signal: The purchase fits a clear consolidation trend in Romania's leasing market, where Autonom and Banca Transilvania have both built scale by absorbing rival books. For a growing operational leasing segment, it positions Autonom to capture demand as more Romanian companies shift toward fleet-as-a-service.
Read more: zf.ro
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
