Download

E-book: De minimis guarantee

A de minimis guarantee is state aid for entrepreneurs who need a financial injection, but cannot count on a loan for various reasons. The reason may be, for example, insufficient credit history (in the case of young companies) or the lack of adequate security. Due to the fact that Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) provides guarantees, an entrepreneur applying for funds from the bank can more confidently count on his efforts to bring the desired effect.

De minimis guarantee in practice

The de minimis guarantee is a combination of two products - on the one hand, a financial instrument securing the repayment of the loan, and on the other - state aid under de minimis support.

An entrepreneur applying for a loan may apply to BGK for a de minimis guarantee. In this way, the crediting bank can be sure that in a situation where the entrepreneur loses financial capacity or struggles with various types of problems, he will recover the funds paid out and will not bear any risk related to the loan granted.

For the business owner, this means the possibility of taking a loan even if it does not meet the conditions set for it - it has too poor credit history or does not have sufficient collateral. In a situation where the guarantee is triggered, BGK will repay the entrepreneur's amounts due to the bank. This does not mean, however, that he can forget about his obligations - the guarantor bank retains the right to seek claims from the owner of the company, and therefore the entrepreneur will not miss the repayment of the loan. The difference is that after the guarantee is granted, all settlements are made with BGK - the agreement with the crediting bank ceases to apply.

Who is the de minimis guarantee for?

Micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs who meet the requirements specified in the support program may apply for a loan secured by a de minimis guarantee. Due to the fact that it is not a simple guarantee, but is granted as part of state aid, there is a limitation in relation to entities that can benefit from it.

Enterprises that have exhausted the limit of de minimis aid are excluded from the possibility of receiving the said guarantee. Currently, it is, in principle, 200 thousand. euro in the last three years. This means that if the company used during the above-mentioned period from various types of subsidies, reductions or tax exemptions granted as this type of support, it should check carefully that it has not exceeded the said limit.

What is a loan with a guarantee for?

Until the end of 2013, the de minimis guarantee is granted to secure working capital loans, i.e. those that are used to finance the company's day-to-day operations. These funds may be allocated, inter alia, to for the payment of invoices for purchased goods and materials, settlement of liabilities towards the tax office or the Social Insurance Institution.

Due to the fact that this product is very popular. from the beginning of 2014, it is planned to extend the guarantees for investment and development loans.