iwoca Receives €230 Million Financing Line from Barclays and Värde Partners to Meet SME Loan Demand

Financial technology company iwoca receives a €230 million financing line from Barclays and Värde Partners to meet increasing demand for SME loans.

London/Frankfurt – iwoca, a digital SME lender, has received a €230 million financing line from Barclays Bank PLC (“Barclays”) and Värde Partners. This enables iwoca to meet the increasing demand for working capital loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which is often not met by traditional banks. Financing from Barclays and Värde Partners helps meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses and consider alternative financing options in the generally difficult market environment.

In 2023, iwoca will provide funds totaling over 100 million euros for our German customers alone. We are currently in the process of substantially expanding our refinancing lines for the German market in order to meet the increasing demand in Germany in 2024.

Fabian Platzen, General Manager of iwoca Germany

iwoca, founded in 2012, has since granted loans totaling 2.9 billion euros, of which more than 400 million euros have been paid out in Germany. The company entered the German market in 2015 and recorded its strongest growth since its launch in the first three quarters of 2023. The company’s loan book now stands at almost €100 million and iwoca has consistently made profits over the last four quarters.

According to the current SME index from iwoca, 85 percent of the financing experts surveyed stated that traditional banks grant SMEs more restrictive loans. At the same time, 73 percent of experts expect demand for loans from SMEs to increase by the end of the year. The expanded refinancing line enables iwoca to cover part of the increasing needs of SMEs.

The new financing strengthens our position even more. This is how we can help small and medium-sized businesses, which form the backbone of our economy, in a time of economic uncertainty. iwoca supports you with simple and flexible borrowed capital to develop further and achieve your goals.

Christoph Rieche, CEO and co-founder of iwoca

iwoca was founded in London by Christoph Rieche from Germany and his business partner James Dear with the aim of making it easier for self-employed people and small businesses to access credit. Since entering the German market in 2015, iwoca has developed into a large fintech loan provider that specializes in the needs of smaller companies.

Barclays Corporate and Investment Bank provides financing, strategy and risk management services and advice to asset managers, financial institutions, governments, supranational organizations and corporate clients. Värde Partners, on the other hand, is an investment company specializing in loans and loan-related assets, founded in 1993. The company has invested over $95 billion in credit and liquidity across public and private markets, with a focus on North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.