Burgschaftsbank Brandenburg

What Burgschaftsbank Brandenburg does

Bürgschaftsbank Brandenburg GmbH is a private-law special institute (privatrechtliches Spezialinstitut) founded in 1991 and headquartered in Potsdam that supplies default guarantees (Ausfallbürgschaften) to small and medium-sized enterprises in the German state of Brandenburg. Its core function is to bridge the collateral gap that prevents bankable SMEs from accessing Hausbank financing: when a borrower lacks bank-typical security, the institution issues a guarantee that transfers a portion of the credit risk away from the Hausbank, typically enabling credit approval and improved terms (lower interest, longer tenor, higher loan-to-value). The underlying technology stack combines standardized guarantee products (Bürgschaft Klassik up to €2.5M; Landesbürgschaft up to €4M) with co-developed programs from KfW (ERP Gründung/Nachfolge up to €500K), ILB (Brandenburg GO up to €250K), and MBG (Beteiligungskapital and Mikromezzanin silent equity from €10K to €100K), supplemented by advisory services from the chamber/bank network.

The company makes money through transaction-based guarantee fees charged to borrowers and partner banks on the issued volume, rather than through spread-based lending, and it operates on a near-breakeven mandate consistent with its public-policy role. The go-to-market is relationship-led and channel-driven: origination flows exclusively through partner banks and Sparkassen (the Hausbank model), with referrals from IHKs, Handwerkskammern, Wirtschaftsverbände, Innungen, and Versicherungen acting as shareholder-channels. Customer segments are four SMEs personas — Existenzgründer (startups), Unternehmensnachfolger (successors), Wachstumsunternehmen (growth), and operating-credit-line users — distributed across Brandenburg's economy in industries ranging from gastronomy and media to industrial manufacturing, food production, and environmental technology. Customermarketing mix combines chamber/event-driven top-of-funnel with website, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and newsletter as mid-funnel digital assets.

Operationally, the institution cleared 243 new suretyships in 2025, releasing €112M of newly guaranteed credits and €159M of investments enabled while securing or creating 4,114 jobs; on a cumulative basis, it has accompanied €5.7B of investments, approved 9,970 guarantees, and preserved 127,617 jobs since 1991, with management reporting an approximately 90% success rate. The entity is led by managing directors Silke Baron and Ilka Walter, is owned collectively by regional chambers, business associations, banks, and insurance companies, and confines its geographic footprint to Brandenburg under the German Bürgschaftsbanken system.

Name

Burgschaftsbank Brandenburg

Legal name

Bürgschaftsbank Brandenburg GmbH

Website

https://bb-br.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bürgschaftsbank Brandenburg GmbH, founded in 1991 and headquartered in Potsdam, is a state-backed guarantee bank that issues default suretyships so Brandenburg SMEs can access Hausbank financing when conventional collateral is lacking, operating across startup, succession, and growth segments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

SME Guarantee Banking

NAICS

Finance and Insurance (52)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

SME Term Loans & Growth Capital (FSAKAGAB)

Keywords

• Surety bond services
• SME credit guarantees
• Guarantee banking
• SME credit access
• Collateral substitution

Headquarters

HQ city

Potsdam

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Guarantee Fees: The organization generates revenue through guarantee fees charged to SMEs for providing default guarantees that enable access to bank financing. The fees are structured as a percentage of the guaranteed credit volume.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Bürgschaftsbank Brandenburg is a private-law special institute that issues default guarantees (Ausfallbürgschaften) on behalf of SMEs in Brandenburg so they can secure bank financing despite lacking conventional collateral. SMEs apply through their house bank (Hausbank), which then partners with Bürgschaftsbank to structure a guarantee-backed loan, with risk shared further via federal and state counter-guarantees (Rückbürgschaften) from KfW, ILB, and MBG.

Product overview

Bürgschaftsbank Brandenburg operates as a private-sector special institute offering a portfolio of guarantee and financing programs for SMEs in Brandenburg. The core offering consists of surety bonds that enable businesses to access bank financing when conventional collateral is lacking. The product portfolio includes Bürgschaft Klassik (guarantees up to €2.5M), Landesbürgschaft (up to €4M for larger ventures), Brandenburg GO (subsidized loans up to €250K via ILB), ERP Gründung/Nachfolge (KfW-backed loans up to €500K for startups and succession), Bürgschaft ohne Bank (for optimized bank negotiations), Beteiligungskapital MBG (equity participation), and Mikromezzanin (silent equity €10K-100K for early-stage companies). These programs serve entrepreneurs at various stages—startups, succession, growth, and investment—with guarantees typically covering up to 80% of credit risk.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bürgschaft Klassik Standard default guarantee program for SMEs in Brandenburg that lack sufficient bank collateral, securing credit volumes up to €2.5 million. The guarantee is paired with a house-bank credit decision and improves loan terms.
• Die Landesbürgschaft State guarantee program covering credit volumes up to €4 million for larger business ventures in Brandenburg, providing security for significant investments that exceed the Klassik program threshold.
• Brandenburg GO Subsidized fast-financing program offering up to €250,000 at favorable interest rates for founders in Brandenburg, administered jointly with ILB (Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg) and paired with a Bürgschaftsbank default guarantee.
• ERP Gründung/Nachfolge KfW promotional loan program for business startups and succession in Brandenburg, providing interest-reduced financing up to €500,000; the accompanying Bürgschaftsbank guarantee relieves the house bank of 100% of credit risk.
• Bürgschaft ohne Bank Guarantee offering structured to optimize SMEs' bank negotiations by pre-securing collateral, enabling better interest rates and loan conditions with their house bank.
• Beteiligungskapital MBG Equity participation capital from Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft (MBG) provided as an additional building block for equity replacement in SME financing, working alongside Bürgschaftsbank guarantees.
• Mikromezzanin Silent equity financing program for early-stage startups in Brandenburg ranging from €10,000 to €100,000, providing risk capital without diluting founder ownership.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of guaranteed projects are successful
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal promotional bank providing interest-reduced ERP loans for founding and succession that are combined with Bürgschaftsbank guarantees. The guarantee relieves the house bank of 100% risk exposure.
• ILB (Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState development bank providing the Brandenburg GO program with interest-reduced financing up to €250,000, combined with Bürgschaftsbank guarantees.
• MBG (Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Brandenburg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides participation capital (Beteiligungskapital) as an additional component for equity replacement, working alongside guarantees.
• IHK (Industrie- und Handelskammern des Landes Brandenburg)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional industrial and commercial chambers that refer member businesses seeking financing to the guarantee programs and participate as shareholders.
• Handwerkskammern BrandenburgcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional craft chambers that refer tradespeople and craft businesses seeking financing, participating as shareholders in the organization.
• Landesgemeinschaft der Industrie- und Handelskammern des Landes BrandenburgcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUmbrella organization of IHKs in Brandenburg, participating as shareholder and referring businesses to guarantee programs.
• Wirtschaftsverbände und InnungencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness associations and guilds in Brandenburg that refer member companies and participate as shareholders.
• VersicherungencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance companies in Brandenburg that participate as shareholders and refer insured businesses seeking financing.
• Banken und SparkassencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanks and savings banks throughout Brandenburg that provide the actual credit products, with guarantees reducing their risk exposure. They participate as shareholders.
• Handwerkskammertag Land BrandenburgcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUmbrella organization of craft chambers in Brandenburg, participating as shareholder and referring businesses.
• Handelsverband Berlin-BrandenburgminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional retail association representing retail businesses that may be referred for financing support.
• DEHOGA BrandenburgminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel and restaurant association representing hospitality businesses that may be referred for financing support.
• Nachfolge Zentrale BrandenburgminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialized succession platform connecting business sellers and buyers, referring participants for financing support.
• Geschäftsnetzwerk PotsdamminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal business network in Potsdam referring member businesses for financing support.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bürgschaftsbank Bayern: Bavaria's regional Bürgschaftsbank. Operates the same product taxonomy (Bürgschaft Klassik, Landesbürgschaft, Mikromezzanin) and serves a similarly diverse SME base across founding, succession, and growth financing.
• Bürgschaftsbank Sachsen GmbH: Sister Bürgschaftsbank for the Saxony region offering the same suite of SME default guarantees, Mikromezzanin silent equity, and KfW/ILB-style co-financing. Directly comparable in mission, ownership structure, and product set.
• Bürgschaftsbank Nordrhein-Westfalen: Largest regional Bürgschaftsbank serving NRW SMEs with analogous guarantee products and a comparable two-pillar model (Bürgschaft Klassik plus Landesbürgschaft) — useful scale benchmark for BB Brandenburg.
• Bürgschaftsbank Berlin: Regional German Bürgschaftsbank serving Berlin SMEs with default guarantees and similar product lines (Bürgschaft Klassik, Landesbürgschaft, ERP-backed programs). Closest functional peer given adjacent geography and shared product architecture.
• Bürgschaftsbank Niedersachsen: Regional guarantee bank for Lower Saxony SMEs. Comparable structure, comparable product mix, and shares the same federal/state counter-guarantee framework — a clean geographic benchmark.
• Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Brandenburg (MBG): Brandenburg's SME equity-participation vehicle, formally partnered with BB on the Beteiligungskapital MBG product. Closest in-region functional peer for the equity-replacement tranche.

Broad incumbents

• European Investment Fund (EIF): EU-level counter-guarantor and SME financing facilitator providing Rückbürgschaft-style risk sharing across European guarantee institutions. Useful institutional benchmark for BB's risk-sharing architecture.
• Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB): Brandenburg's state development bank and BB's co-financing partner on the Brandenburg GO program. Adjacent SME development role with overlapping but distinct mandate.
• KfW Bankengruppe: Germany's federal promotional bank and a core strategic partner of BB through the ERP Gründung/Nachfolge program. Not a direct competitor but a broad incumbent whose product decisions directly shape BB's offering.

Others

• Deutscher Bürgschaftsbanken Verband: Industry association representing the 16 German regional Bürgschaftsbanken. Not a competitor, but the umbrella body shaping common product standards, federal lobbying, and Rückbürgschaft negotiation on behalf of members including BB.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZM97-UBYbWzPWY_8-uN3GA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/b%C3%BCrgschaftsbank-brandenburg-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/buergschaftsbank_brandenburg
• Facebookfacebook.com/BuergschaftsbankBrandenburgGmbH

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Burgschaftsbank Brandenburg