The latest findings of the Leaseurope/Invigors European Business Confidence survey highlight an overall optimistic outlook for the European leasing business in the second half of 2015.

The outlook for new business volumes over the second half of 2015 remains positive, with 79% of those surveyed expecting new business volumes to increase, while just 4% anticipate a decline.

Expectations on the level of bad debt remain stable and in line with previous surveys, with the majority of participants (79%) forecasting that bad debt will remain unchanged over the coming six months. Similarly, 51% expect no change in margins, although 33% predict that margins will decrease slightly above the percentage recorded in the previous survey.

Nonetheless, 62% of respondents anticipate that net profit in their organization will increase over the next six months, while only 17% believe net profit will fall.

Also, expectations of merger and acquisition activity are changing with 41% predicting this will increase over the rest of the year, a marked rise on the 28% recorded in the previous survey.

“This latest Business Confidence Survey suggests that 2015 is likely to be another good year for the European leasing industry,” said Richard Ryan, Invigors EMEA partner. “Growth is forecast to continue for the remainder of the year, while the balance of opinion on other KPIs is generally favorable. Nearly 60% of respondents in the June survey are more optimistic about the prospects for their business in the second half of this year, while only 6% thought that their business prospects would worsen.”