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Access to finance

11 November 2009
by Ina Dimireva -- last modified 17 May 2012

In addition to European funding in various forms, several sources of funding are available to business persons in Slovenia. As a general rule, they follow the intent of establishing a systematic business-friendly environment.


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The legal basis for access to the data on financing includes:

Programme of measures for encouraging entrepreneurship and competitiveness for the period 2007–2013

Act Regulating Supportive Environment for Entrepreneurship

Act Governing Rescue and Restructuring Aid for Companies in Difficulty

Public Funds Act

The Environmental Protection Act

Development and Research Activities Act

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons

The most important objective of the Act Regulating a Supportive Environment for Entrepreneurship is to create a favourable financial environment for entrepreneurship. In most cases it is implemented by the Slovenian Enterprise Fund through the banks, financial institutions etc.

Slovenian Enterprise Fund

The Environmental Protection Act is the basis for the Eco Fund which offers resources in the form of loans and donations to both individual citizens and private entrepreneurs and enterprises.

ECO FUND

The Development and Research Activities Act is the basis for research and development in higher education, which enables invitations to tender for research donations, which are published by the Slovenian Research Agency which then awards the donations to the best offeror.

Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS)

The Government Office for Local Self-Government and Regional Development supports developing regions by offering help for education and training of workers employed in companies, promotes start-up investments and the creation of new jobs, development of micro-, small- and medium enterprises and the development of tourism.

Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Local Self-Government and Regional Development

Public Finances


The Guarantee – Credit Line a financial engineering model offering a combination of different financial resources and multiplication of such resources as a result of financial leverage with

traditional guarantees such as:

  • Development guarantees as collateral for bank loans intended for the financing of development & expansion investments,
  • Micro guarantees intended as collateral for bank loans for working capital,
  • Guarantees for new business, as collateral for bank loans taken out by newly registered enterprises,

and guarantees for technological projects

  • which are intended as collateral for bank loans taken by enterprises cooperating closely with knowledge-based institutions and transferring knowledge, new technologies and development processes into growing, market-oriented undertakings.

The second line comprises subsidies for business start-ups, which are intended for promoting the foundation and start-up of innovative and high-tech firms.

Slovenian Enterprise Fund – eApplications

The interest rates equalisation programme (PIO) is intended to enhance the competitiveness of Slovenian exports by providing financial resources under conditions which are more favourable for exporters of Slovenian goods and services than market conditions. The PIO Programme is implemented through the business banks, which finance the export of Slovenian goods.

SID Bank (Slovenian Export and Development Bank) is an authorised institution which offers guarantees in the name and on behalf of the Republic of Slovenia for those parts of commercial and non-commercial risks (non-marketable), which present, because of their nature and high rate of risk, a major challenge for the private reinsurance sector which they are not willing to take on or their capacity to do so is limited.

commercial and non-commercial risks

Indirect Aid

 

In 2010 The Slovenian Enterprise Fund has started a new form of SME financing, which introduces the instruments of ownership financing. The Fund will implement the line of ownership financing through selected private companies with venture capital, which will offer supplementary ownership financing resources in the form of venture and mezzanine capital to innovative and prospective SMEs, and offer them supplementary resources to support growth, development and the attainment of their objectives for market penetration.

 

Public Tendering Procedure for Capital Investments

The Slovene Export and Development Bank (SID) offers an additional possibility for the financing of companies by financing their export transactions, preparations for export and output investments through commercial banks, using own resources and providing finance for the specified activities through commercial banks and other financial institutions.

Financial and Insurance Services | SID Bank

Direct Aid


The resources of the Slovenian Enterprise Fund are granted in the form of donations to small and medium enterprises:

  • Subsidies for purchasing technological equipment
  • Co-financing for the start-up phases of research relating to innovations
  • Co-financing for the construction of tourist infrastructure

Slovenian Enterprise Fund – eApplications

List of Cooperating Banks

The Eco Fund, within the Loan Programme for environmental investments of legal entities and private entrepreneurs offers loans for investment in:

  • the reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases and other emissions in the air
  • efficiency in waste management
  • water management.

Loans offered for companies' environmental investments

The Public Agency for Entrepreneurship and Foreign Investments is a State organisation for the implementation of development policies in the field of entrepreneurship and competitiveness. The resources are granted through public invitations to tender. For 2010 and 2011 the agency has published a notice for foreign investment in the Public Invitation to Tender for Awarding Incentive Financing for Starting Investments in Slovenia. The starting investment means an investment in a new company, the development of an existing company and diversification of products or in fundamental changes in the production process of an existing company.

Public Invitation to Tender for Awarding Incentive Financing for Direct Foreign Investments

Access to the EU Financing


SID (Slovenian Export and Development Bank) finances selected projects with the resources obtained from the EIB. These projects, which are executed by small and medium enterprises, have a favourable interest rate which is lower by at least 0.30% annually, in comparison with the interest rate which would be charged without cooperation of the EIB. The term of a loan from the EIB must be no less than 24 months and no more than 12 years. The dynamics for the repayment of a loan usually include a 12-month moratorium on payment of the principal. The Bank may finance no more than 80 % of the authorised project costs with the loan granted.

As a less-developed Member State, Slovenia has right to draw funds from the Structural Funds, that is, from the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund. For the programme period 2007–2013, within the framework of the cohesion policy, the following resources are available:

  • European Regional Development Fund (ESRR);
  • European Social Fund (ESS);
  • Cohesion Fund

The EU Financial Instruments

The authority, responsibility and functions of the managing authority, the certification authority, the audit body, the intermediary bodies, the beneficiaries and other participants in the procedures of planning and using the resources of the European cohesion policy and the execution of operational programmes are all specified in detail in the Regulation on implementing the procedures in the use of the resources of the European Cohesion Policy in the Republic of Slovenia in the programme period 2007–2013.

Instructions for Implementing the Cohesion Policy 2007–2013

Private Resources


RSG Kapital is the successor of the Development Fund which was founded by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia in 2006 and it also provides for the authorised capital for start-up and initial investments. RSG offers services in the field of venture capital for enterprises in their early phase of development, and advises on searching for the optimum sources of finance.

RSG Kapital

The Entrepreneur Centre, CEED Slovenija (Center for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development) offers support to entrepreneurs in the form of training and and networking between partners, helping them in the growth of their businesses.

CEED Slovenia

A club known as the Business angels of Slovenia links up the best Slovenian businessmen who are prepared to invest in ambitious entrepreneurs at the beginning of their company's growth.

The Institution Young Entrepreneur (Mladi podjetnik) offers support to young entrepreneurs in the form of subsidised service packages.

Young Entrepreneur

Business support organisations can advise businesses on how to find financing.

Business support — Slovenia

Source: Your Europe

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