Nordea introduces a new range of guaranteed lending solutions to SMEs in Finland, Sweden and Denmark together with the European Investment Fund under its new guarantee programme, the European Guarantee Fund (EGF).
An agreement signed by Nordea and the European Investment Fund will provide Nordea with EUR 700 million in guarantee capacity for 2021. The guarantee programme enables Nordea to offer EUR 1 billion of new financing to its customers on more favorable terms.
“At Nordea Business Banking, we want to contribute actively to initiatives supporting SMEs that are driving economic recovery and fuelling growth. This is yet another tool for us to support our customers. We are proud to have been approved by the European Investment Fund to take part in the implementation of this European initiative and generate further financial support to relevant SMEs in Finland, Denmark and Sweden,” says Nina Arkilahti, Head of Business Banking.
The European Guarantee Fund was recently founded by the European Investment Bank Group (comprising the EIB and the EIF) to ensure that SMEs in EU member states with sustainable business plans are provided with liquidity to overcome COVID-19-related adversities and that healthy businesses are supported to grow.
“We’re very happy to partner with Nordea for this transaction under the new European Guarantee Fund,” says EIF Chief Executive Alain Godard. “The EGF is a pan-European tool, part of the EU’s recovery package, that will allow us to heavily increase our support for small businesses, in the Nordics and other EU member states. Businesses have suffered massively over the last year and we’re thankful that we can build on our partnership with Nordea to channel much needed financing to them.”
The European Guarantee Fund programme supplements Nordea’s lending capacity – which is already very strong – as well as lending solutions for SMEs. “In the coming weeks, Nordea will start reaching out to relevant customers with healthy business plans and present this additional opportunity to improve their liquidity situation on favorable and safe terms. We will ensure that our advice and support are available to our customers in these challenging times,” says Nina Arkilahti.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has awarded a third Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunker supplier license to Total’s subsidiary in charge of worldwide bunkering activities, Total Marine Fuels Private Limited, for a five-year term starting January 1st, 2022.

NAVIGATOR SHIPPING CONSULTANTS proudly announces the organization of the “20th NAVIGATOR  – The Shipping Decision Makers Online Week”, which will be held virtually during the period 12^th to 16^th & 19^th April 2021. 

Capital Link's 15th Annual International Shipping Forum took place on Tuesday & Wednesday, March 2 & 3, 2021 as a digital event.

The importance of diversity and the roles of women in maritime are part of the celebrations for International Women’s Day (IWD 2021) took place yesterday (Monday 8 March 2021).

Major tests of methanol as a marine fuel will soon begin at the Alfa Laval Test & Training Centre in Aalborg, Denmark. Working closely with MAN Energy Solutions and other partners, Alfa Laval will explore the possibility of running the centre’s four-stroke, 2 MW diesel engine on methanol – without modifications or another pilot fuel.