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.
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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.
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.”
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