Access to finance
23 October 2009by Ina Dimireva -- last modified 05 July 2012
There are several paths to obtaining secure finance for a business in the Netherlands. The Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel - KvK) provides an overview of these.
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Public finance
Indirect support
Micro-financing is the umbrella term for all financial and similar services aimed at facilitating access to funding for business. The Micro-Financing Knowledge Centre, created by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, aims to promote micro-financing in the Netherlands.
Sound finance can be crucial for building a stable business. There are several ways to obtain it, and the Chamber of Commerce provides an overview of these.
External sources of equity :
Dutch Private Equity & Venture Capital Association
Direct support
Subsidies are available to entrepreneurs in a variety of fields, such as innovations and start-ups. There are also incentive measures and tax breaks, e.g. profit exemptions for small and medium-sized businesses and self-employed person's allowances.
The National Budget Advisory Institute (Nibud) informs and advises consumers on money issues. The Moneybook for Entrepreneurs is aimed at business starters, but is also useful for long-established entrepreneurs.
If you want to export, expand abroad or start a joint venture, a range of information on different forms of finance is available:
Information from the Dutch government can be found on the Antwoordvoorbedrijven.nl website, which lists at a glance all the various relevant dos and don'ts, e.g. licences and requirements, laws and regulations, taxes and subsidies.
Government information on finance
Access to EU funding
The European Union Structural Funds are designed to support regions lagging behind in order to reduce the gap between them and the EU average. The following Structural Funds are available for this purpose:
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): development and support for activities geared to small and medium-sized businesses.
European Regional Development Fund
European Social Fund (ESF): labour market policy, education and training.
Private finance
External sources of loans:
- bank loans and guarantee systems;
- loans from family/friends and the venture capital system;
- Regional Enterprise Development units;
- Development Capital companies;
- start-ups with benefits;
- local start-up funds;
- special initiatives such as business angels.
Obviously a business needs to find out which sources of funding are most appropriate for it. The main criterion is most likely going to be the amount of funding required. SME Credit offers businesses a guide to the various available possibilities.
Business support organisations can advise businesses on how to find financing.
Business support — Netherlands
Source: Your Europe