The announcement that several vaccines against the virus could be approved before the end of this year has not only caused the prices of the respective pharmaceutical companies to soar, but also boosted the stock markets in general. Although many details – such as the distribution of the vaccines – have not yet been clarified, the upswing on the markets is virtually anticipated. This applies both to the development of the real economy and to the opportunities on the capital markets. Investors worldwide are optimistic. The question, however, is: What factors can influence this development? And at what starting point do we actually stand?

The macroeconomic backdrop is certainly more constructive at present than it was in the summer or even in the spring. Although the second wave of infection has been rolling for weeks, it has not hit the economy that hard so far. This is partly because governments in Europe have so far tried to avoid a complete lock-down. The international movement of goods, for example, is largely unhindered – that was not the case during the first wave. On the other hand, people have learned from the experience of the crisis in the spring, which creates a better basis in many respects. That is the good news.

But the Covid19 infection figures in most countries are still rising or at least stagnating at a high level. The US is fighting a third wave, and if there were to be new lockdowns, this would certainly result in weaker economic activity. In addition, an agreement in Congress on the support programme so urgently needed by the economy is not yet in sight – this also plays a major role in the development of the financial markets worldwide.

This rather ambivalent situation makes an exact prognosis difficult, but nevertheless: the announcement of the vaccines and the hope for an early return to normality is a euphoric signal. Even renewed economic setbacks caused by Corona – according to the calculations of many financial experts – could be quickly offset once widespread vaccination begins. They expect GDP in the eurozone to return to pre-Corona levels by the end of 2022. The capacity for a rapid economic recovery has already been demonstrated this summer, they say.

Investors are keeping an eye on this development. It is wise to start thinking about the post-pandemic period now. 

You want to invest now? Find out about safe investment opportunities on Loanboox.

To give you a better idea, have a look at a couple of recently closed exclusive deals below:

A Swiss municipality with 3’700 inhabitants received 17 competitive offers (including offers from local banks). The municipality concluded for 0% for 4 years which was 0.3% better than in the past allowing the municipality to save several thousand CHF per year.

A power plant in Switzerland received 8 competitive offers from investors in Switzerland and Europe. The power plant concluded at 0.78% for 8 years and at 1.25% for 12 years saving several ten thousand CHF per year compared to earlier financing terms.

BEAT ZURBUCHEN

Financial Director, Municipality of Matten (BE)

“I have used Loanboox exclusively and received more than 15 attractive offers. The integrated automatic comparison saves me a lot of time and the more attractive offers save the taxpayers of Matten money.“

Apart from getting the best rates, those borrowers experienced an efficient process and were able to compare offers intuitively. As a nice side-effect, they of course also got seamless, audit-proof documentation of the whole process.

To sum it up, data and our experience clearly show that exclusive requests lead to:

• less effort needed and time saving since all offers are compared automatically in the same placea
• twice as many offers since investors haven’t received the offers through other channels
• … resulting in: Lower rates due to efficiency gains and increased competition

To make it even more attractive, we have a time-limited offer for you until the end of 2020: Put your financing request exclusively on Loanboox, and you will benefit from better deals and an additional 25% discount on the Loanboox transaction fees.

Sounds interesting? Login to start your financing request while choosing “Exclusive request” as financing object.

More info needed? Call us (055 220 78 20), chat with us or write an email. We are always happy to help. 

Digital Shapers 2020: For the fifth time, BILANZ, together with Handelszeitung and Le Temps, has chosen the 100 most important minds in Switzerland who are at the forefront of digitalisation.

The founder an VR president of Loanboox was also elected.

We congratulate Stefan Mühlemann! He is one of the important minds driving digitalisation forward. Mühlemann recently moved from CEO to the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mühlemann says to the balance sheet:

“Managing people who manage other people is not one of my strengths”.

He sees himself more as a strategist and inventor. Even though he has stakes in 15 start-ups and is sometimes more involved in one or the other, most of his energy remains focused on Loanboox. Because he still has a lot of plans for the lending platform. The company is currently active in six countries. In the long term, it aims to become a global marketplace for debt capital. The expansion is to take place primarily through partnerships with banks and other financial institutions. If an acquisition presents itself, the company is not averse to it. At the same time, Mühlemann tries not to take off and to control the pace somewhat: “We are still a start-up and must not open up too many construction sites.

IFZ Talking Finance

The podcast was created by Thomas Birrer (lecturer and project manager) and Timo Heroth (senior researcher at the Institute of Financial Services Zug IFZ) from the IFZ of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts to provide an insight into current financial topics. The main focus is on local and international topics related to Swiss finance. Among other things, they deal with the disruption caused by the digitalisation of the financial sector and the opportunities and challenges for Swiss companies.

Each episode features a guest expert to give us an insight into a particular area of expertise and allow you, the listener, to share in the expertise. In the third episode, Stefan Feller (Director Capital Markets) from Loanboox is our guest.

Stefan Feller: A green bond is a bond with a fixed interest rate, the proceeds of which are reserved for specific purposes. It requires a second opinion from a specialised agency.  The issuer sets a catalogue of criteria with international standards.

What are the challenges and advantages for issuers of green bonds? Is the green bond a hype or a clear financing trend? What is happening with regard to the digitalisation of the bond market?

You can hear the answers in the podcast.