ALD Automotive and Nordea Finance have increased collaboration under the NF Fleet brand to provide for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and private individuals in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

The partnership aims to develop and expand NF Fleet’s commercial coverage of Nordea Finance’s broad SME customer base through collective sales and marketing initiatives.

ALD said a pilot initiative will be launched initially in Denmark and will be slowly introduced across all Nordic countries.

A fully digital private lease offering is also being developed by ALD Automotive in Finland in response to growing demand for online capabilities and will be made available to Nordea Bank consumers and Nordea Finance’s network of car dealers.

ALD Automotive said with the car finance market changing rapidly over the past years, smaller companies and private individuals, in particular, are increasingly looking for outsourcing solutions for vehicle leasing.

ALD Automotive and Nordea Finance said this regional partnership would help this outsourcing trend by leveraging on regional coverage, combined scale, a broad client base and breadth of expertise and services.

Innovative mobility services and solutions such as car sharing will also be integrated into the overall offering over time.

“The successful combination of the largest Northern Europe finance company and a leading global fleet management and leasing provider enable our partnership to deliver high-quality mobility solutions across the region,” said Guillaume de Léobardy, Nordic regional manager at ALD Automotive.

“We look forward to expanding both the coverage and the range of our services with Nordea Finance while ensuring that our clients benefit from best-in-class mobility services in a rapidly evolving environment.”

Last week Leasing Life reported that ALD Automotive was involved in discussions with Netherlands-based Stern Groep with a view to acquiring its car leasing division SternLease.

A distribution agreement is also being discussed between both parties. SternLease has a fleet of approximately 12,500 vehicles rented to SMEs & private individuals in the Netherlands and provides leasing services through direct distribution and Stern’s network of 85 local dealerships.