creditshelf continues to expand its platform business in Q3 2019

Frankfurt am Main (ots) -

- Revenue up 59.0% to EUR 2,460.3 thousand
- EBIT improves year-on-year to EUR minus 4,188.6 thousand despite
investments in expanding the platform
- Further milestones in implementation of growth strategy achieved
- Management adjusts outlook for fiscal year 2019

creditshelf Aktiengesellschaft, a pioneer in the area of digital SME finance in
Germany, published its figures for Q3 2019 today. The company continued to
invest in the creditshelf platform in the first nine months of fiscal 2019,
laying the foundations for further growth. Despite weaker summer months,
creditshelf lifted revenue in the first nine months of 2019 to EUR 2,460.3
thousand (prior-year period: EUR 1,547.2 thousand).

Both sources of lending revenue performed positively. Commission income from
arranging loans (also known as borrower fees) rose by 59.1% to EUR 1,528.6
thousand in the first nine months of 2019 (prior-year period: EUR 960.5
thousand), while investor fees climbed 58.8% to total EUR 931.7 thousand
(prior-year period: EUR 586.7 thousand).

creditshelf's successful acquisition of Valendo GmbH in October expanded its
platform offering to include secured loans and associated software solutions. At
the same time, creditshelf's new cooperation with Finleap gave it access to the
leading European fintech ecosystem's network, opening up additional growth
opportunities. Equally, the debt investor side looks set for growth and
diversification in the future. The European Investment Fund has approved a EUR
30 million cornerstone investment in the creditshelf Loan Fund under its Juncker
Plan. Following its launch, this first German market lending fund will provide
SMEs in Germany with senior financing arranged by creditshelf via its platform.

Thanks to these strategic successes, coupled with its increased marketing and
advertising activities and additional investments in expanding the team,
creditshelf feels it is well positioned to continue its positive development. As
of September 30, 2019, creditshelf employed 41 full-time equivalents, eight more
than as of December 31, 2018. The company has also launched share programs to
assist in employee retention and motivation, which led to EUR 602.8 thousand
being reported in personnel expenses for this item. Total personnel expenses in
the first nine months of 2019 amounted to EUR 3,136.3 thousand, a slight decline
on the prior-year figure (EUR 3,149.8 thousand). This was mainly due to a
one-time factor from the successful IPO in the prior-year period.

creditshelf stepped up its marketing and advertising activities in the first
nine months of 2019 in order to further enhance its brand recognition among SMEs
and financial intermediaries. Marketing and advertising expenses rose in line
with this focus to EUR 1,653.9 thousand (prior-year period: EUR 939.9 thousand).
Legal and consulting costs accounted for EUR 744.3 thousand (prior-year period:
EUR 471.5 thousand). This reflects substantial investments made in extending the
creditshelf platform.

Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were in keeping with these growth
investments at EUR minus 4,188.6 thousand for the first nine months of 2019
(previous year: EUR minus 4,544.8 thousand).

creditshelf's CEO Dr. Tim Thabe commented on the results as follows: "The
ongoing strong growth in loan requests and the investment decision by the
European Investment Fund reinforce our belief that digital SME finance is
becoming an increasingly important pillar of corporate finance in these times of
accelerating technological change and economic challenges."

Although the volume of arranged loans in the second half of the year is expected
to exceed the figure of the first six months, as was the case in previous years,
competition from the banking segment and the economic environment are having an
impact on creditshelf's business. In view of the third quarter arranged loan
volume and while preserving strict risk standards, management now expects
full-year revenues to be at around EUR 4.0 million. Based on the adjusted
revenue forecast and including the impact of Valendo in Q4, the management is
expecting a negative EBIT of around minus EUR 5.0 million.

The full quarterly statement for Q3 2019 is available for download effective
today from the company's investor relations website, ir.creditshelf.com.

About creditshelf - www.creditshelf.com

creditshelf is a pioneer in the field of digital SME finance in Germany that
arranges loans via its easy-to-use online platform, www.creditshelf.com. The
company, which was founded in 2014 and is based in Frankfurt am Main, sees
itself as a market and technology leader in the fast-growing digital SME finance
business in Germany. As a provider of SME finance, creditshelf has developed its
platform to meet the financing needs of German SME borrowers through loans from
investors interested in this asset class. By offering to arrange corporate loans
in this way, creditshelf enables small and medium-sized companies to access
highly attractive alternative finance options. At the same time, creditshelf
offers professional investors looking for attractive investment opportunities
access to SME finance. The company's core competencies include the selection of
suitable credit projects, credit quality analysis for potential borrowers,
credit scoring, and risk-adequate pricing. creditshelf receives fees for its
services from both the SME borrowers and the investors.

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Contact:
Additional Information:
creditshelf Aktiengesellschaft
Birgit Hass
Head of Marketing and Communications
Mainzer Landstrasse 33a
60329 Frankfurt
Germany
Tel.: +49 (69) 348 77 2413
birgit.hass@creditshelf.com
www.creditshelf.com

Press and Public Relations:
Thöring & Stuhr
Partnerschaft für
Kommunikationsberatung
Arne Stuhr
Managing Director
Mittelweg 142
20148 Hamburg
Germany
Tel.: +49 (40) 207 6969 83
Cell: +49 (177) 3055 194
arne.stuhr@corpnewsmedia.de

Investor Relations:
creditshelf Aktiengesellschaft
Fabian Brügmann
CFO
Mainzer Landstrasse 33a
60329 Frankfurt
Germany
Tel.: +49 (69) 348 77 2427
ir@creditshelf.com
www.creditshelf.com

cometis AG
Maximilian Franz
Unter den Eichen 7
65195 Wiesbaden
Germany
Tel.: +49 (611) 20 58 55 22
franz@cometis.de
www.cometis.de

Additional content: https://www.presseportal.de/pm/118656/4445698
OTS: creditshelf

Original-Content von: creditshelf, übermittelt durch news aktuell