On 21 August 2025 the transport and logistics company Girteka finalised a 173 million euro financing agreement with OP Corporate Bank, aimed at acquiring thousands of new trucks and trailers. It is one of the most significant operations ever recorded in Lithuania’s logistics sector, with effects expected to extend well beyond national borders. For Girteka, which already boasts the largest private fleet in Europe, the deal is a cornerstone of its long-term growth strategy. For the Baltic banking system, it confirms its pivotal role in supporting the modernisation of road transport, a sector where international competition increasingly demands ambitious investments.
The loan has been granted by the Lithuanian branch of OP Corporate Bank, part of the Finnish OP Financial Group. With a 21 per cent market share in transport leasing and a total portfolio of 1.6 billion euros, the institution has established itself as a key partner for major companies in the country. The collaboration with Girteka is not new: it has been ongoing for thirteen years and has already supported several phases of fleet expansion. Funds have been allocated to two group companies, UAB Girteka Group, the operational core of the business, and UAB Willgrow, the holding company, a structure designed to manage investment allocation.
According to the plan, Girteka will use the resources to purchase up to four thousand trucks and trailers per year in 2025 and 2026, for a total of around eight thousand units. “This investment will help us maintain high efficiency and service quality, as well as strengthen our market position,” said Group Chief Financial Officer Vytenis Šuklys. Today the company operates more than 6,000 trucks and 7,000 trailers, handling over 600,000 full loads annually across Europe. These figures place it at the top of the international transport market, and the new fleet renewal and expansion programme is set to drive further growth.
At the same time, Girteka continues to invest in technological innovation. In 2025 it allocated nearly one million euros to a project with Vilnius University to develop fleet management algorithms, while in May it signed Europe’s largest truck deal of the year with Volvo Trucks for two thousand vehicles. The company’s outlook goes beyond Europe. In January 2025 Girteka explored plans for a logistics hub in Uzbekistan, confirming its ambitions for geographical expansion.
For OP Corporate Bank the timing is favourable. “The transport sector is growing again. This is the right time for market leaders to invest in their fleets, expand their business and reduce environmental impact,” reads a recent analysis by the institution. The role of local banks in modernising the sector is far from marginal. In the first half of 2025 alone, OP Corporate Bank increased its lending and leasing volumes to companies by 22 per cent, generating total revenues of 16.1 million euros.
