Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum GULF Finance Corporation, a subsidiary of SHUAA Capital and a leading UAE-based finance company servicing the region's small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) community, has launched a new specialist division called Gulf Finance Medical Leasing (GFML). The new business will offer operating leases for medical equipment to the region's healthcare sector enabling health businesses and independent health professionals the option to lease state-of-the-art medical equipment for an affordable monthly fee. Gulf Finance Medical Leasing is the first business of its type in the GCC to offer this service and will target the UAE healthcare sector initially before addressing other significant market opportunities across the region. The global market for the lease of medical equipment is growing rapidly and will be valued at AED205 billion by 2017 with leasing being the preferred method to finance medical equipment in Europe and the United States where 40 percent of all medical equipment is leased. Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum, Executive Chairman of SHUAA, and Chairman of the Board of Gulf Finance, said: “SMEs typically account for more than 95 percent of all businesses in a country, and Gulf Finance is committed to contributing to the growth of the UAE's SMEs by aiming to provide for more than 10 percent of the SME credit requirement in 2013. The healthcare industry - which is one of the fastest growing SME sectors - is booming, backed by rising incidence of chronic diseases and a growing need for medical procedures, products, and services.” – SG
