Bürgschaftsbank Sachsen GmbH

What Bürgschaftsbank Sachsen GmbH does

Bürgschaftsbank Sachsen GmbH (BBS), founded in 1990 and headquartered in Dresden, is a publicly promoted special credit institution (öffentlich gefördertes Spezialkreditinstitut) that operates as a self-help institution of the Saxony commercial economy. It issues Ausfallbürgschaften — default sureties covering up to 80% of a credit amount, capped at 2.5 million EUR per transaction since June 2022 — to enable small and medium-sized enterprises in Saxony that lack sufficient collateral to obtain bank financing. BBS does not lend or take deposits; it issues sureties and earns commission fees (Bürgschaftsprovision) on each, with no public pricing list and case-by-case negotiation.

The product portfolio includes the standard default surety, the Bürgschaft ohne Bank (BoB) programme allowing direct issuance before a Hausbank is secured, a specialised Agrarbürgschaft for agricultural enterprises, and a complementary silent equity participation (stille Beteiligung) offered through sister institution MBG Sachsen. Underwriting is conducted by branch-based Senior-Berater and Regionalleiter rather than automated models, and a dedicated Finanzierungsportal handles applications across separate portals for customers, banks, and advisors.

Go-to-market is indirect and partner-driven: deal flow originates through Saxon Hausbanken (Sparkassen, Volksbanken, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, LBBW), the three IHK and three HWK chambers, SAB, and KfW. The BBS does not compete with banks; it removes collateral barriers so banks can approve loans they would otherwise decline. Revenue is therefore driven by the volume of sureties issued (206 in 2022 stimulating 168.6 million EUR of investment; 165 in 2023 stimulating 117.2 million EUR; 126.5 million EUR in 2024; 119 million EUR in 2025) and by average surety size, which reached a record 305,000 EUR in 2022. Risk exposure is substantially absorbed by Rückbürgschaften from the Federal Republic of Germany and the Free State of Saxony, making BBS operationally a not-for-profit promotional institution rather than a profit-maximising financial intermediary.

Name

Bürgschaftsbank Sachsen GmbH

Legal name

Bürgschaftsbank Sachsen GmbH

Website

https://sn.ermoeglicher.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bürgschaftsbank Sachsen GmbH is a publicly promoted guarantee bank headquartered in Dresden that issues default sureties of up to 2.5 million EUR, covering 80% of credit risk, to enable SMEs and self-employed professionals in Saxony to access bank financing through partner banks and chambers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dresden

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. Bürgschaftsprovision (Surety Commission Fees): The BBS earns commission fees for issuing surety bonds (Bürgschaften/Garantien). Banks pay these fees in exchange for the BBS absorbing up to 80% of the default risk on loans they extend to SMEs. The fees are a function of the surety amount and credit risk. The BBS is a public-sector supported institution with Federal and Saxon state back-guarantees (Rückbürgschaften) covering its risk exposure, making it a not-for-profit promotional institution rather than a conventional bank.
2. Beratungsentgelte (Advisory/Processing Fees): No separate advisory fee is charged for Sachsenkredit-financed transactions. In general, processing fees may be charged on applications. The BBS acts as a promotional/self-help institution of the Saxony commercial economy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bürgschaftsbank Sachsen GmbH (BBS) is a publicly promoted special credit institution that issues Ausfallbürgschaften (default sureties) covering up to 80% of credit amounts, capped at 2.5 million EUR, to enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and self-employed professionals in Saxony to access bank financing when they lack sufficient collateral. The institution complements its surety products with Beteiligungskapital (equity participation) via its sister institution MBG Sachsen, and offers specialised programmes such as Bürgschaft ohne Bank (BoB) and Agrarbürgschaft.

Product overview

Bürgschaftsbank Sachsen GmbH is a publicly-funded special credit institution operating as a self-help organization for Saxony's commercial economy. The company provides a unified platform combining guarantee products (Ausfallbürgschaften), equity participation (via MBG partnership), and online financing services through the Finanzierungsportal. Key product categories include founding support, succession financing, and growth financing, with specialized programs like 'Bürgschaft ohne Bank' (BoB) for bank-independent guarantees. The company also operates the 'Sächsischer Meilenstein' award program recognizing successful business successions. Maximum guarantee coverage is 80% of the loan amount, with a cap of 2.5 million euros.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ausfallbürgschaften (Default Guarantees) Default guarantees that replace missing collateral, enabling SMEs to access financing through partner banks when they lack sufficient securities. Coverage up to 80% of credit amount, capped at 2.5 million EUR per surety.
• Bürgschaft ohne Bank (BoB) Special guarantee programme enabling financing without requiring an existing bank relationship, allowing the BBS to issue a surety even before a house bank has been secured, directly enabling access to bank loans for SMEs.
• Agrarbürgschaft (Agricultural Surety) Specialised surety product for agricultural enterprises, enabling farm businesses and cooperatives to obtain financing such as livestock facilities and agricultural investments.
• Beteiligungskapital via MBG Sachsen (Equity Participation) Silent equity participation (stille Beteiligung) via the Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Sachsen (MBG) to improve the equity base of SMEs and complement surety products.
• Finanzierungsportal (Financing Portal) Online service portal for customers, banks, and advisors to manage financing applications and track requests, with separate portals for each user group (customers, banks, advisors).

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,109 jobs created or preserved in 2022 through 206 sureties totalling 62.8 million EUR
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• IHK Dresden, IHK Chemnitz, IHK zu Leipzig (Industrie- und Handelskammern)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSaxon's three IHK chambers serve as key referral and advisory partners for the BBS, directing entrepreneurs to succession financing and hosting networking events for the Sächsischer Meilenstein award in their respective Kammerbezirke.
• HWK Dresden, HWK Chemnitz, HWK Leipzig (Handwerkskammern)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSaxon's three HWK chambers act as advisory and referral partners for BBS financing solutions, particularly for business successions in the skilled crafts sector. They co-host Sächsischer Meilenstein events and provide business succession consulting.
• Sächsisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Verkehr (SMWA)coreOthersThe Saxon State Ministry for Economics drives hydrogen strategy and co-guarantees (Rückbürgschaft) the BBS's activities, enabling the institution to absorb large financing risks. The Ministry also acts as patron of the Sächsischer Meilenstein award.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• European Investment Fund (EIF): EU-level AAA-rated counter-guarantor providing SME credit-enhancement facilities across member states; conceptually the supranational analogue of BBS's federal-state Rückbürgschaften for German SME financing.
• Verband Deutscher Bürgschaftsbanken e.V. (VDB): Industry association of all 17 German state guarantee banks, of which BBS is a member. Aggregates peer data, federal-state Rückbürgschaft negotiation, and policy advocacy; comparable institutional ecosystem rather than direct competitor.
• Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB): Saxony's state development bank, administering the Sachsenkredit with repayment subsidies that BBS sureties complement. Same state, complementary public mandate; partner institution rather than competitor.

Broad incumbents

• NRW.BANK: Largest German state promotional bank, combining development loans, equity, and guarantees for NRW. Functions as a scaled-up BBS analogue at one state; broader mandate and balance sheet but similar credit-enhancement role for SME finance.
• KfW Bankengruppe: Germany's national development bank, providing SME financing programmes (e.g., ERP regional funding) that BBS sureties complement. Larger and broader portfolio; competes indirectly via its own SME loan programmes but functions more as upstream partner via the channel data.

Regional players

• Bürgschaftsbank Bayern GmbH: Bavarian state-backed guarantee bank issuing Ausfallbürgschaften to SMEs under the same federal-state Rückbürgschaften framework as BBS, but limited to Bavaria. Operationally identical but geographically exclusive, so no direct customer overlap with BBS.
• Bürgschaftsbank Baden-Württemberg GmbH: Baden-Württemberg's state guarantee bank issuing default sureties to SMEs in that state's strong Mittelstand economy. Identical statutory product and counter-guarantee structure as BBS; a peer by model, not by customer geography.
• Bürgschaftsbank Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH: Regional guarantee bank serving Berlin and Brandenburg SMEs with the identical default-surety/Rückbürgschaften model, part of the Verband Deutscher Bürgschaftsbanken alongside BBS. Comparable product, mandate, and funding model in a different state.
• Bürgschaftsbank Nordrhein-Westfalen GmbH: NRW state guarantee bank providing Ausfallbürgschaften to NRW Mittelstand with the same Rückbürgschaften framework. Functions as BBS's largest peer by SME market size in Germany's most populous state.
• Bürgschaftsbank Hessen GmbH: Hessian state guarantee bank providing SME default sureties and working-capital guarantees under the federal-state model. Same counter-guaranteed mission as BBS but focused on Hesse, making it a structural mirror rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bbs-sachsen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Bürgschaftsbank Sachsen GmbH