Helaba Promotes Energy Transition via Crowdfunding

Helaba and Deutsche Leasing have partnered to offer more investment opportunities to everyone interested in investing through crowdfunding.

In crowdfunding, many people participate in a project with smaller contributions, thus enabling its implementation even without large investors. This form of financing had experienced continuous growth in Germany before the pandemic. In 2019, the threshold of €52 billion was just exceeded for the first time. After interim declines, the previous record value is expected to be exceeded again next year, according to Statista.

Market researchers expect growth of around 10 percent in four years, from €50.93 billion this year to €56.41 billion in 2027.

It is often online platforms or private initiatives that offer crowdfunding opportunities. According to Giromatch, there are currently around 150 crowdfunding, crowdlending, or crowd-investing platforms in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. A wide variety of providers are active here, with different orientations and focuses.

Read more on the subject and find the latest business news of the day with the Born2Invest mobile app. Don’t waste your time scrolling the internet, our team of seasoned writers will do that for you. Our companion app is available for free, for both Android and iOS devices.

Helaba offers access to citizen participation

An upcoming topic is the participation of citizens in energy transition projects such as solar systems, energy routes, and wind farms. The expansion of renewable energies can be accelerated in this way. Project developers see a range of solutions for citizen participation as a prerequisite for the allocation of external financing. Active involvement of local people also increases acceptance.

Helaba Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen ( website) together with the Deutsche Leasing Group ( website) launched its own crowdfunding platform. The pilot phase is currently running with several savings banks. The aim of the cooperation is the strategic bundling of competencies in the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe for projects to expand renewable energies. Helaba is thus adding another attractive component to its sustainability offering, according to Frank Nickel, a member of the Helaba Management Board.

Clear division of tasks

At Deutsche Leasing, reference is made to the high investment requirements for the expansion of renewable energies. This requires new, diverse financing and investment offers. It is precisely this gap that the two cooperation partners want to fill:

“Through the joint offer, we can present complete financing solutions, from the contribution or securing of participation by the citizens to the tailor-made long-term external financing.” Rainer Weis, Member of the Management Board of Deutsche Leasing

The cooperation partners have agreed on a clear division of tasks. Helaba has commissioned the construction and operation of the platform. The company acts as a contact for the savings banks and explains the possibilities of the digital platform. Deutsche Leasing supplements this service with debt financing and structuring. The savings banks are responsible for selling the projects locally and passing the business on to Helaba.

Thematic supplement

There are already a few other crowdfunding projects in the area of ​​public banks, but so far none with a focus on the energy transition. An initiative of regional savings banks, for example, collects in the crowdfunding project “ 99 Funken“ Money for sustainable and social projects on-site and supports them through co-funding.

There is also bwcrowd (founded in 2014), a cooperation between the Baden-Württembergische Bank and the Fairplaid platform, which is primarily active in the sports environment. In addition, the VR Crowd of the Volks- und Raiffeisenbanken, in which the VR-Bank Würzburg is the leader (2018), and the GLS Crowd of the social-ecological GLS Bank (2017), both of which are linked to the Portagon platform ( website, formerly CrowdDesk) cooperate.

__

(Featured image by EdWhiteImages via Pixabay)

DISCLAIMER: This article was written by a third party contributor and does not reflect the opinion of Born2Invest, its management, staff or its associates. Please review our disclaimer for more information.

This article may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “estimate,” “become,” “plan,” “will,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties, including those discussed in the following cautionary statements and elsewhere in this article and on this site. Although the Company may believe that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. Additionally, please make sure to read these important disclosures.

First published in IT Finanzmagazin, a third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

Although we made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translations, some parts may be incorrect. Born2Invest assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions or ambiguities in the translations provided on this website. Any person or entity relying on translated content does so at their own risk. Born2Invest is not responsible for losses caused by such reliance on the accuracy or reliability of translated information. If you wish to report an error or inaccuracy in the translation, we encourage you to contact us.