Loanboox on SRF: The curse and blessing of negative interest rates

Loanboox on SRF: The curse and blessing of negative interest rates

Negative interest rates are becoming more and more of a nuisance, especially for savers who want to leave their money in the account. Those who take out a loan, on the other hand, benefit from the historically low interest rates.  CEO and co-founder of Loanboox Switzerland Andi Burri explains in an interview with Swiss radio and television SRF what this means for Swiss communities in concrete terms.

Since the introduction of negative interest rates, the average interest costs for cities, municipalities and cantons have dropped significantly. Through Loanboox alone, they have earned 23.2 million Swiss francs through negative interest since the platform was founded four years ago. This corresponds, for example, to the costs for the compulsory schooling of 1,081 pupils – we have already reported on this in detail in our blog. Especially municipalities with a good credit rating benefited from this development, according to Andi Burri in an interview with SRF’s Heute Morgen Journal.

But which municipalities have earned the most from negative interest rates? And how do they benefit the Confederation in its capital procurement? Find out the details in the radio report.

 

 

 

SRF 1 Economy: Municipalities benefit from negative interest rates

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You cannot listen to the audio file? You can read the SRF report in text form here.

The World in Covid 19 Shock – The Big Picture Special with Mark Dittli

The World in Covid 19 Shock – The Big Picture Special with Mark Dittli

How is the world – and Switzerland in particular – coping with the Covid 19 shock? How great is the economic damage? These questions were the focus of an exciting virtual Loanboox panel discussion with business journalist and “The Market” editor-in-chief Mark Dittli.

The bar chart makes it clear: 2020 was a disaster for most countries in economic terms. A single, red bar in the annual overview points steeply downwards. On another presentation slide, a heat map shimmers in shades of yellow, red and green. It shows a global comparison of how far the economic recovery has progressed in the individual countries – or not. “The Market’s editor-in-chief Mark Dittli explains the details and background so logically and comprehensibly that it is simply fun to follow his explanations.

Comprehensive market knowledge compactly packaged

In his 20-minute talk, the economic journalist looks at how the rapid rise in interest rates in the USA will affect the markets and Switzerland in particular. He takes a close look at economic and industrial sectors that have been the quickest to get back on their feet after the Covid 19 shock. In doing so, Dittli pays particular attention to the investor perspective. The intensive Q&A session afterwards showed how much he struck a chord with the participants. All in all, a successful start to an exciting series of expert talks.

Curious? You can watch Mark Dittli’s presentation here.

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Further expert talks and assessments on topics related to the economy, financial markets and digitalisation can be found here.

Successful 2020 for Loanboox despite Covid-19

50% more deals than in 2019 

Debt financing on the Loanboox platform increased by 50 percent in 2020 to CHF 7.1 bn, serving more than 600 issuers and 120 lenders. In addition, the fintech looks back on the world’s first fully digitally issued corporate bond and strengthening of its management team.  

Despite volatile conditions, 7.1 billion Swiss francs in financings were concluded by municipalities, cantons and large companies via Loanboox in 2020 – 50% more than 2019. Four years after Go-Live, the leading platform for debt financing thus passed the 20 billion mark in terms of volume concluded. The fintech recorded the strongest growth in Germany with a quadrupled annual closing volume of 2.2 billion euros. Austria is following closely with 300% growth in deals closed. 

Corona impacted the debt markets 

In times of uncertainty, Loanboox enabled 600 issuers to access money quickly and at competitive rates. During the March lockdown, transactions with a volume of one billion Swiss francs were concluded – three times as many as in the same period in the previous year. Customers also benefited from the fact that almost all financing steps can be processed digitally – even from home office. This shows the convenience and flexibility of the Loanboox platform. 

On the investor side, the crisis triggered restraint and a temporary increase in money market interest rates of around 0.5% in March and April. The situation eased again in summer and interest rates came back to their historically low levels, with financing up to 30 years being concluded at tight spreads. 

Strengthened executive team to support new growth phase 

In addition to the increased demand, changes in the Board of Directors and the Executive Board have further advanced the Fintech in 2020. In April, Loanboox elected the experienced business lawyer Dr. Felix R. Ehrat to the Board of Directors. In June, Philippe Cayrol joined the company as its new CEO. The experienced scale-up manager took over the position from Loanboox founder Stefan Muehlemann, who has since concentrated on his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Milestone with first digitally settled corporate bond  

In July 2020, Axpo Holding AG became the first corporate issuer to place a listed green bond entirely digitally via Loanboox. The CHF 133 million bond with a maturity of 7 years was largely oversubscribed with more than 53 orders in the book. After establishing itself as a leading platform in public and near-public loan financing, this was an important step towards the digitalisation of the bond market.

About Loanboox

The fintech Loanboox is the leading European platform for debt financing and is active in six countries. Its clients include municipalities, cities, cantons and other public corporations and large companies, institutional investors and banks 

Contact persons:

Loanboox 
Philippe Cayrol, CEO  
Martina Bühler, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer 
Talacker50, 8001 Zürich 
055 220 78 29,press@loanboox.com

Happy holidays and a successful new year

Happy holidays and a successful new year

An unusual and challenging year is coming to an end. A year that demanded a lot from us as a society due to the Corona pandemic. But there were also beautiful and positive moments that will be remembered.

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And so we are pleased that in 2020 we were able to support municipalities, cities, cantons and companies in five countries to successfully close their financing requests via our platform. We welcomed 105 new investors and hope to make their work – and everyone else’s – easier with our tools. We are proud that we were able to accompany the pioneer Axpo Holding AG in the world premiere of the first fully digitally processed, listed green bond. And we think it’s great, dear Loanboox community, that we can also work and communicate with you smoothly from home.

We thank you very much for your trust and interest in these special times.

Now it’s time to take a breath and press the reset button, with fresh energy and a zest for action. We look forward to a new year together.

We wish you happy and restful holidays with your family and all the best for 2021. Stay healthy.

Your Loanboox Team

Loanboox in 23rd place at the Swiss Startup Award

Every year since 2011, the 100 most innovative and promising Swiss startups have been selected by a jury of 100 leading investors and startup experts. The selected TOP 100 startups are the world shapers of tomorrow.

The TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award is the annual reference event where the most promising Swiss startup CEOs, investors and company executives gain deep insights into the latest proven concepts, make contacts and forge new business relationships. Switzerland is home to excellent startups, and the TOP 100 is a unique opportunity to discover the best of them.

Loanboox is also among the frontrunners, coming in 23rd place. The Loanboox team is happy to have been part of the top hundred for three years.

Save the date: Swiss Fintech Fair *Digital only*

September 7 – 8, 2020

Soon, the biggest virtual fintech exhibition in Europe takes place. It’s called Swiss Fintech Fair! The event tip for porfoliomanagers, treasurers, bond dealers, investors and other Fintechs.

What’s in for you when you take part in this event? Learn more about the following topics:

– Does the crisis accelerate Open Banking? – Seizing opportunities while mitigating risks

– Future of Banking: Three main drivers

– Growing stronger in crisis

More details are listed in the agenda – get inspired by expert talks and webinars.

 

Loanboox will also be part of it

Our Co-Founder & Managing Director Switzerland Andi Burri will share his personal insights on how we succeeded with the worlds first, listed corporate digital bond issuance in a live webinar at 13:45.

Whether you are the CIO of a big bank, a software developer of a Fintech startup or an angel investor, I guess what we all have in common is the drive to change the world to a better place.

Discover how you, too, can be part of our ecosystem shaping tomorrow’s debt capital markets.

Eager to join? We only have a few free tickets left – get them now! Just send an email to info@loanboox.ch

First come, first serve!