Five years ago finance company FlexiGroup moved into the interest-free finance market, when it bought a business called Certegy. Last year it went further into that market when it bought Lombard Finance, a card-based interest-free business.Those businesses are turning into FlexiGroup's core activities, taking over from its traditional Flexirent operation. While the Flexirent business has been flat over the past couple of years, reflecting weak retail conditions, the interest-free sector has moved ahead.Yesterday, the company reported net profit of A$30.3 million for the six months to December - an increase of 10 per cent over the previous corresponding period.Flexirent, which provides point-of-sale small ticket leases for electronic and household goods, contributed $356 million of receivables (unchanged from the previous corresponding period) and $15.5 million of cash profit - down nine per cent.Certegy sells a purchase payment plan called Ezi-pay. Consumers pay an application fee and a monthly processing fee but no interest at any stage. The retailer pays Certegy for the cost of the finance. The business contributed receivables of $413 million (up from $321 million for the previous corresponding period) and cash profit of $12.4 million - up 31 per cent.Lombard is a card-based business that offers finance with an interest-free period. If consumers don't pay for the goods within the interest-free period they start paying interest. Lombard contributed $64 million of receivables (up 36 per cent from the previous corresponding period) and cash profit of $1 million - double the cash profit for the previous corresponding period.Flexi Commercial, which distributes through business equipment vendors, also had a strong half. It increased receivables from $99 million to $180 million and profit from $1.7 million to $3.7 million.FlexiGroup, chief executive Tarek Robbiati, delivering his first earnings presentation for the company, said Flexirent was broadening its base by moving into the non-retail small business sector.The company declared an interim dividend of seven cents a share, full franked - up from six cents in the previous corresponding period.