Internationalisation Guarantee

The Internationalisation Guarantee is intended to serve as collateral for financing the business operations of a Finnish SME abroad.

The Internationalisation Guarantee may amount to a maximum of 80 per cent of the amount of credit or other financing commitment.

The intended use may be, for instance, investments, development or financing for growth for a Finnish SME’s subsidiary, associated company or branch office that has been, or is planned to be, established abroad. Other targets of financing may include the acquisition or increase of holdings or the increase of the share capital in a subsidiary or joint venture abroad. After the investment, the recipient of financing should hold a minimum of 1/5 of the votes of the foreign associated company.

The project should considerably promote the operations of the enterprise in Finland. Under certain conditions, the guarantee is also suitable for companies larger than SMEs.

The operations of the foreign subsidiary or associated company being financed should primarily comprise production, assembly, maintenance or services. The Internationalisation Guarantee cannot be used merely for financing exports or the establishment or expansion of a sales office abroad.

The Internationalisation Guarantee can be applied for by enterprises with fewer than 250 employees and a turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million or the balance sheet total of EUR 43 million at a maximum. In addition, the enterprise’s ownership and holdings in other enterprises may influence whether the enterprise is an SME.

When granting financing, attention is paid to the enterprise analysis as well as the country risk and operating environment of the country where the project is located. Click the link for country categories of different countries. When planning to establish an enterprise, we recommend that you contact the regional manager for the country in question.