On the commercial front, 2017 was a very strong year as we financed more than EUR 24.6 billion in new business volume, an increase of 14%, and experienced growth across all of our global business units. At the same time, our portfolio grew to EUR 30.8 billion, despite the transfer of the Financial Solutions business in the Netherlands (approximately EUR 4.4 billion) and currency effects which negatively impacted our portfolio balance by EUR 2.0 billion. I am very pleased that DLL continues to have a strong foundation on which to build for the future and achieve sustainable commercial growth and profit generation.
Our financial performance was further validated by the overwhelmingly positive feedback of our primary customers – the manufacturers, dealers and distributors who partner with DLL. Their satisfaction with our company is reflected in our Global Net Promoter Score (NPS®) of +38, which was a marked improvement from the +34 recorded in 2016 and far surpassed comparable industry benchmarks. Further, the vast majority of surveyed customers indicated that they were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with DLL’s products and services.
We also continued to receive praise from the industry for our leading role in the global vendor finance marketplace. In November 2017, DLL received the Digital Innovation award from Leasing Life, one of the top leasing industry journals in Europe, as selected by a jury of independent experts. In the United States, DLL was named the #1 vendor finance company for the ninth consecutive year by Monitor, a leading industry publication considered the independent voice of the North American equipment finance and leasing market.
Perhaps even more important than the industry recognition was the positive feedback we received from our workforce (who we refer to as ‘members’). In 2017, we conducted a Global Engagement Survey with our more than 4,500 members worldwide. This survey told us that 82% of our members recommend DLL as a top place to work. It also indicated that overall satisfaction and engagement is what drives our members to start each day committed to delivering a first-class experience to our customers.
To ensure that our members remain a key differentiator, we continue to make a number of investments toward their personal and professional development. We also continue to focus on workplace diversity efforts to attract and retain a talent pool that brings a variety of skillsets, perspectives and approaches to our business. Finally, we are focused on designing our workplace for the future and developing our members to be ‘change capable’ as we implement the right structures and systems to support the next generation of business.