Reference · Aircraft finance

Aircraft Finance Guide: Loans, Leases, Lombard and Crypto-Backed Credit

Before you sign anything, know how the money works. This guide explains what lenders ask for, how aircraft are financed in the US and elsewhere, how escrow protects the buyer, and which banks and platforms lend against digital assets, with their published terms.

Prefer that someone does it for you? ICCJET arranges aircraft financing: we check the asset, raise the money and manage the aircraft.

Documents

What the Bank Will Ask You For

The full list, so there are no surprises. Prepare it before you find the aircraft and you will be the buyer the seller can trust.

US practice

How Aircraft Are Financed in the US

◆ Who lends: banks and private banks with aviation desks (PNC Aviation Finance, Truist, Citi Private Bank, J.P. Morgan Private Bank, 1st Source Bank); specialist lenders and lessors such as Global Jet Capital, over $5.2 billion originated; in 2026 new private credit platforms: New Bridge AeroFinance, Elevex Capital, JB Aircraft Finance.

◆ Typical terms: 15-25% down and 75-85% financed; 100% for the strongest clients; amortisation 10-15 years; most buyers fix the rate; prepayment fees in early years.

◆ Registry: lenders like the FAA N-registry; non-US owners use an owner trust with a US citizen trustee. The US is a Cape Town Convention state.

◆ Tax: 100% bonus depreciation for new and used aircraft acquired after 19 January 2025, if business use exceeds 50% in the year placed in service.

◆ Term sheet: confirm the lender finances that make, model and age before signing the purchase agreement; check LTV, fees, covenants, insurance and international use.

International

International Practice and Registries

◆ Switzerland: private banks lend mainly against portfolios (Lombard); FINMA-regulated banks lead in lending against digital assets. Only FINMA-licensed institutions may call themselves a bank.

◆ United Kingdom: private banks and specialist lenders; English law is widely used for cross-border aircraft loans and leases.

◆ UAE: DIFC and ADGM lenders; arranging credit secured by virtual assets in Dubai is VARA-licensed; UAE banks convert digital asset proceeds into fiat.

◆ Germany and the EU: banks, leasing and equipment finance, strong in industrial and robotics equipment; crypto services under MiCA.

◆ Ireland: more than 60% of the world's leased aircraft are managed from Ireland; leasing to a business lessee needs no Irish government licence.

◆ Registries lenders accept: Isle of Man, Malta, San Marino, Aruba, Cayman Islands. Cape Town Convention states include the US, UAE, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Cayman; Switzerland is not a party to the aircraft protocol.

Closing

Escrow and Closing: How Your Money Is Protected

Crypto lenders

Lender Directory: 28 Banks and Platforms That Lend Against Digital Assets

The route that works for an aircraft has four steps. Your coins stay in custody, a licensed lender pays fiat, escrow pays the seller.

Regulated banks: Switzerland and US

Banks under FINMA or US supervision. The strongest route for an aircraft: credit in USD, EUR or CHF, paid through banking channels any seller accepts.

UAE banks: crypto-friendly infrastructure

These banks are not crypto lenders for aircraft. Their role is the fiat side: accounts, conversion of digital assets from licensed platforms into AED, USD or EUR, and settlement of large transactions in the UAE.

Established CeFi platforms

Licensed or registered lenders that hold your collateral and pay out in fiat or stablecoins. Check the payout currency, the countries served and whether the collateral is rehypothecated.

DeFi protocols

Smart-contract lending without a company as counterparty. Payout is in stablecoins; liquidation is automatic. Useful for professionals as part of a structure, never as the only route for an aircraft.

Institutional lending desks

For funds, corporates, family offices and large private clients. Some lend for any purpose; exchange desks lend only for trading on the exchange.

Published terms from each institution's own pages or announcements, checked 17 October 2026. Listing does not mean a partnership, endorsement or offer. Exchange loans are for trading only and cannot pay for an aircraft.

Press

What the Financial Press Reports

◆ Financial Times, July 2025: JPMorgan explored loans secured directly by clients' bitcoin and ether.

◆ Bloomberg, October 2025: JPMorgan planned to accept bitcoin and ether as collateral for institutional clients, held by a third-party custodian.

◆ Forbes, July 2026: lenders say demand is strong and funding accessible; pre-approval helps buyers compete for good aircraft.

FAQ

Aircraft Finance: Questions

Important notice. ICCJET is not a bank and does not take deposits from the public. Assets are acquired through dedicated companies funded by partner banks, lenders and investors; ICCJET acts as arranger and as manager of the physical asset, not as an investment manager of securities. Bank debt, Lombard and digital asset-backed loans, custody and escrow are provided by licensed institutions under their own terms and approval. Investor participation is available only to eligible professional investors under the rules of their jurisdiction. Nothing on this page is an offer of securities, credit or investment advice. Institutions named on this page are listed for information only. Terms depend on due diligence, including KYC, AML and sanctions checks. Digital assets are volatile and loans secured by them can be liquidated. Tax outcomes depend on jurisdiction.

Page checked 17 October 2026.

Aircraft registries · Aruba

Aruba Aircraft Registry (P4-): Rules, Eligibility and Facts 2026

Aruba, a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, keeps one of the best known offshore aircraft registers. Aircraft on it carry the nationality mark P4-. The Registry of Aruba was set up in 1995 for private, corporate and commercial aircraft, and the Department of Civil Aviation of Aruba (DCA) inspects the aircraft and issues the certificates.

Owners choose P4- for a neutral, personalised mark, a register that works wherever the aircraft is based, and Cape Town protection for lenders. This page sets out how the register works in 2026. ICCJET handles the structure, the Aruban company and the paperwork.

At a glance

Aruba aircraft registry at a glance

History

Aruba in aviation law

From Aruban legislation summaries, government information and published registry reports, checked 17 October 2026.

Eligibility

Who can register an aircraft

An aircraft can go on the Aruba register when it is owned by, or leased to, a qualifying person.

Use

What the aircraft may be used for

Documents

Registration step by step

Keep the gap between deregistration and P4- registration short: the DCA can take 24 to 72 hours to receive a deregistration notice. Registration usually follows within a few business days of a successful inspection when every document is in order.

Operations

Certificates and renewals

◆ Issued before operation: certificate of registration, certificate of airworthiness, noise certificate, radio licence, airspace approvals, crew and engineer validations, maintenance programme approval.

◆ Certified copies: the aircraft can fly on certified true copies of the original certificates for up to 15 days.

◆ Early renewal: certificates can be renewed up to 60 days before expiry without losing the remaining validity.

◆ Crew licences: licences from ICAO states, such as FAA and EASA, can be validated for private operations.

Operational benefits as stated by the Registry of Aruba. Confirm current terms before you apply.

Finance

Mortgages and lender protection

◆ Two registers: nationality is recorded in the Nationality Register; ownership and rights such as mortgages under Aruban law in the Aruba Register of Registered Aircraft, under the Geneva Convention 1948.

◆ Court approval: entry in the rights register needs approval from the Court of First Instance of Aruba, usually within a couple of days.

◆ Cape Town Convention: applies to Aruba since 1 September 2010. International interests registered with the International Registry take priority over later and unregistered interests.

How ICCJET arranges aircraft financing.

Tax

Tax and the Aruban company

◆ No VAT: Aruba does not levy VAT.

◆ Profit tax: the standard rate is 25%.

◆ Exempt company (A.V.V.): since 1 January 2019, exemption applies only to defined activities: holding, financing including financial lease, investment, licensing and captive insurance. Any other activity, however small, means the normal rate applies. Check the structure before you rely on it.

Tax treatment depends on the owner, the structure and where the aircraft flies. Take tax advice for each case.

Fit

Is the P4- register right for your aircraft?

Compare

Compare with other registries

Compare all 21 aircraft registries

Process

How ICCJET handles a P4- registration

FAQ

Aruba aircraft registration: questions

Rules and fees change. Information checked 17 October 2026. Confirm current requirements with ICCJET or the Department of Civil Aviation of Aruba before you apply. This page is not legal or tax advice.

Aircraft registries · Isle of Man

Isle of Man Aircraft Registry (M-): Rules, Eligibility and Facts 2026

The Isle of Man Aircraft Registry (IOMAR) is a register for private and corporate aircraft, run by the Isle of Man Government. Aircraft on it carry the nationality prefix M-, which says nothing about the owner's home country. It became operational on 1 May 2007 and was designed for business jets, turboprops and turbine helicopters owned through companies.

This page sets out how the register works in 2026: who can register, what the aircraft may be used for, how lenders are protected, the tax position and how the register has developed. ICCJET helps owners move aircraft onto the M- register and compare it with other registries.

At a glance

Isle of Man Aircraft Registry at a glance

History

The register in numbers

Figures from Isle of Man Government statements and published reports, checked 17 October 2026.

Eligibility

Who can register an aircraft

Only qualified persons may hold a legal or beneficial ownership interest in an M- registered aircraft. In practice most aircraft are owned through a company.

• Commonwealth citizens and British protected persons
• Nationals of EEA states
• Companies incorporated in the Commonwealth with their principal place of business there
• Undertakings formed in the EEA with their registered office, central administration or principal place of business there
• Swiss entities, as accepted by the Registry

Use

What the aircraft may be used for

If the aircraft must fly commercial charter under an air operator certificate, a register that supports commercial operations is the better fit; see the comparison below.

Finance

Mortgages and lender protection

◆ Public mortgage register: mortgages over M- aircraft are recorded in the Register of Aircraft Mortgages kept by the Isle of Man Civil Aviation Administration.

◆ Mortgagee consent: an aircraft with a registered mortgage cannot be deregistered without the mortgagee's prior consent.

◆ Cape Town Convention: the United Kingdom extended the aircraft protocol to the Isle of Man from 1 January 2018, so international interests can be registered with the International Registry.

◆ 2025 update: the draft Civil Aviation (Mortgaging of Aircraft) Order 2025 modernises the 1972 rules; existing mortgages and priority notices carry over, and priority notices run for 30 working days, extendable to 60.

Lenders regard the Isle of Man as creditor-friendly, which makes the M- register a common choice for financed aircraft. How ICCJET arranges aircraft financing.

Tax

Tax, VAT and customs

◆ Company tax: the standard rate of company income tax is 0%.

◆ Other taxes: no capital gains tax, stamp duty or insurance premium tax.

◆ VAT and customs: the Isle of Man is in a customs and VAT union with the United Kingdom. Importing an aircraft for use in the UK or EU has its own VAT rules; plan the import before delivery.

Tax treatment depends on the owner, the structure and where the aircraft flies. Take tax advice for each case.

Operations

Technical and operational points

◆ RVSM: the Registry issues a standard RVSM manual, so eligible operators can receive RVSM approval at registration.

◆ MEL: operators may use the manufacturer's MEL for 90 days while an aircraft-specific MEL is prepared and approved.

◆ Documents: registration documents are issued digitally; changes can be submitted electronically.

◆ Parked aircraft: aircraft coming off other registers at the end of a lease can be accepted wherever they are parked.

◆ Aircraft types: the register is built for business jets, turboprops and turbine helicopters. For a light aircraft, confirm acceptance with the Registry before applying.

Fit

Is the M- register right for your aircraft?

Compare

Compare with other registries

Compare all 21 aircraft registries

Process

How ICCJET handles an M- registration

FAQ

Isle of Man aircraft registration: questions

Rules and fees change. Information checked 17 October 2026. Confirm current requirements with ICCJET or the Isle of Man Aircraft Registry before you apply. This page is not legal or tax advice.