Strong demand continues for microenterprise loan

The state-owned financing company Finnvera has so far granted €2.9 million in loans to microenterprises under the application round launched in February.

Young businesses, in particular, have actively applied for Finnvera’s growth-focused microenterprise loan. The application round opened at the beginning of February, and around 270 applications have been submitted so far.

Around one third of applicants have been businesses less than one year old, and about half have been operating for under three years. Finnvera says this highlights the importance of financing particularly in the start-up and growth phases of a business. At the same time, the number of guarantee applications from young businesses has increased in early 2026, indicating that banks and other financiers have become more active in funding younger companies.

Demand strong as expected

In February 2026, Finnvera launched a new six-month lending period for microenterprise growth projects. This time, newly founded businesses are also eligible to apply.

Finnvera says applications were received widely across sectors and from almost all regions during the first month. The highest number of applications came from food service activities, retail and wholesale trade.

The main loan purposes were investments and working capital required to launch and grow a business.

“Loan applications have been coming in as strongly as expected, and it’s clear that companies at a very early stage have heard about the opportunity to apply. We have received more applications than at the start of last year’s pilot. The intended uses range from covering start-up, growth and development costs to investments in machinery, equipment and premises, as well as enabling sales and growth. Digitalization has emerged as a key theme: one in four loan applications were related to it,” says Elisa Sipponen, Financing Director at Finnvera, in a press release.

Before applying for a loan, applicants must show they have explored financing options through a commercial lender but been unable to secure funding. Finnvera says there are now signs that financing has also been made possible in cooperation with other financiers through guarantees.

“Applications from newly founded companies to Finnvera for guarantees have increased early in the year. This shows that companies have actively sought financing for their projects, and funding has been arranged in cooperation with other financiers. At the same time, it appears that viable microenterprises – particularly the youngest and smallest – are still not being served by commercial financing,” Sipponen says.

At this stage, around half of applicants have met the loan criteria. The most common reasons for rejections are payment defaults, negative equity in an operating company and an insufficient Rating Alfa score.

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