- Important expansion of debt financing base on the creditshelf platform
- Additional strategic investor uses creditshelf’s lending platform as powerful access tool to the German market for SME loans
- Debt capital of EUR 40 mn from the collaboration enables creditshelf to meet loan demand from German SMEs even more efficiently
Frankfurt am Main, Germany, January 19, 2021 ‒ creditshelf Aktiengesellschaft, the leading credit platform for digital SME finance in Germany, expands its investor base and gains Amsterdam Trade Bank as a new strategic investor. The company is thereby strengthening its debt financing base on the creditshelf platform and laying the foundation for further growth.
Amsterdam Trade Bank, part of Alfa Bank Group, is now funding loans to German SMEs via the creditshelf platform. The bank is the next strategic institutional lender that has decided to cooperate with creditshelf. Among others, BNP Paribas Asset Management and the European Investment Fund, already signed on as financing partners on the creditshelf platform in 2020. The European Investment Fund acts as anchor investor for the creditshelf Loan Fund. Together with Amsterdam Trade Bank they complement the existing lender base, mainly consisting of insurance companies, asset managers and pension funds.
The debt capital of initially EUR 40 mn made available within the framework of the collaboration with the Amsterdam Trade Bank enables creditshelf to react even more efficiently to the loan demand from German SMEs. For creditshelf, this marks another milestone in the implementation of a primarily institutional funding strategy. Especially institutional lenders value professional structures, a sustainable risk approach as well as a transparent and successful history of their partners. creditshelf will continue to arrange and coordinate all steps along the value chain – from customer acquisition to underwriting, structuring, and servicing the loan.
Matt Kus, Head of SME Credit Origination at Amsterdam Trade Bank, comments on the collaboration: “We are very pleased to enter into this partnership with creditshelf and enable the support of the German Mittelstand. We selected creditshelf because of their successful track record of lending to SMEs in Germany and their ability to maintain growth in a highly competitive environment whilst being prudent at the same time. As one of the most institutionalized credit platforms in Europe, creditshelf was the clear choice as an ideal partner in launching our SME focused activities in Germany.”
Dr. Daniel Bartsch, founding partner and Chief Operating Officer of creditshelf, elaborates on the importance of the collaboration: “It makes us proud that in such a special time we were not only able to launch our first loan fund, but that we are able to welcome Amsterdam Trade Bank as another strategic financing partner with substantial financing power. Amsterdam Trade Bank is an experienced lender and through our platform we can offer market access in Germany as well as the necessary experience to lend to German SMEs. This is a strong signal for our established financing partners and SME clients. Successful platform business thrives on diversity and competition on both sides of the platform and is the basis of further growth”.
Dr. Tim Thabe, founding partner and CEO of creditshelf, adds: “We are very pleased that we were able to convince Amsterdam Trade Bank of our professional work and sustainable risk approach. I strongly believe that digital SME finance will become significantly more important in Germany. This offers not only attractive opportunities for lenders, but also urgently needed, additional financing options for SMEs. Therefore, I believe that this is exactly the right moment to enter the market.”
Corporate Communications:
creditshelf Aktiengesellschaft
Jan Stechele (CPO)
Birgit Hass (Leiterin PR)
Mainzer Landstraße 33a
60329 Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (69) 348 77 2413
presse@creditshelf.com
www.creditshelf.com
Investor Relations:
creditshelf Aktiengesellschaft
Fabian Brügmann (CFO)
Maximilian Franz (Investor Relations Manager)
Mainzer Landstraße 33a
60329 Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 69 348 719 113
ir@creditshelf.com
www.creditshelf.com
ABOUT CREDITSHELF
www.creditshelf.com
creditshelf is the leading credit platform for digital SME finance in Germany. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, the company arranges bank-independent, flexible financing solutions via a constantly growing network. creditshelf combines complementary needs: While SME entrepreneurs can easily access attractive financing alternatives, institutional investors can invest directly in German SMEs and partners can support their clients as innovative providers of new credit solutions. The core of creditshelf’s business model is a unique, data-driven risk analysis and unbureaucratic, fast and digital processes. Thereby, creditshelf covers the entire value chain: its platform is used to select suitable credit projects, analyze the creditworthiness of potential borrowers, and provide credit scoring as well as risk-adequate pricing. For these services creditshelf receives fees from both borrowers and investors.
creditshelf has been listed in the Prime Standard Segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 2018. The experts in the creditshelf team offer many years of experience in SME financing and are trusted partners and visionaries for the entrepreneurship of tomorrow.
ABOUT AMSTERDAM TRADE BANK
Amsterdam Trade Bank is a Dutch bank with a 26 year track record of funding European businesses. As part of its mission to support the European small businesses, it seeks to provide funding to the strongest, most effective, prudent SME originators across Europe. Amsterdam Trade Bank has been active in the German market since 2006.
