Leasing, a relatively new financing method in Ukraine, continued to gain popularity and acceptance among the Ukrainians in 2008. As a consequence, many new leasing companies were established and the market grew by approximately 50 %. However, at the start of the fourth quarter, this growth stopped abruptly when the effects of the international financial crisis hit the industry. In combination with the country’s difficult political and economic situation, the Ukrainian financial market was shaken by major disruptions with a massive impact on the money market, which temporarily ground to a halt.