State guarantees and guarantee bank North Rhine-Westphalia

Do you have a promising start-up idea and your local bank requires collateral? If the chances of success of a start-up are good and financial circumstances are in order, the state guarantee program can help to close gaps when it comes to collateral. This makes it easier for credit institutions to grant loans, especially to founders of a business.

Guarantees from the North Rhine-Westphalia Guarantee Bank

The North Rhine-Westphalia guarantee bank (Bürgschaftsbank Nordrhein-Westfalen) offers freelancers as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) deficiency guarantees of up to 80 percent, but at a maximum of 1.25 million euros. The application is made by the lending bank. A guarantee of up to 250,000 euros can be requested directly through the guarantee bank. To enable rapid assistance, the guarantee bank guarantees processing within 72 hours through its Express Guarantee service. Send a request on the website of the guarantee bank (in German)

State guarantees

North Rhine-Westphalia directly guarantees above 1.25 million euros with state guarantees, which also cover up to 80 percent of the default risk. State guarantees are also applied for through the lending bank. The state has entrusted PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) with the administrative support of the state guarantee program. PwC is available as a point of contact; further information can also be found on the PwC website (in German only).