Germany

The investment sector in Germany has welcomed plans by German stock market operator Deutsche Borse to

Fortis NV may seek acquisitions in Germany as it pursues its goal of earning 30 per cent of its revenues outside of the Benelux region, said Theo Narinx, head of Fortis Deutschland

The first platform to securitise borrower notes for small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) in Germany is being launched

GE Commercial Finance, the business- to-business financing unit of General Electric, has completed the acquisition of Heller Bank AG, one of Germany s leading providers of factoring solutions for mid-sized companies

Heller Bank is one of the top factoring banks - nationally and internationally, with a reputation as one of the oldest and most successful factoring banks in Germany.

Arvato, the printing subsidiary of German media giant Bertelsmann, is planning to take over Infoscore, a German financial service provider, and to integrate its own financial services division, which includes 600 staff, into the company.

German financial services provider Dresdner Factoring achieved further growth in 2004. In comparison to the previous year, loan turnover increased by 30 per cent to reach Ђ80.1m.

German state-owned development bank Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW) has announced that it awarded more loans to medium-sized business in 2004 than in the previous year.

Deutsche Bank, the largest bank in Germany, is planning to conduct more business with small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Experts at credit insurer Euler Hermes expect a 0.8 per cent rise in company insolvencies to 38,000 in 2005, following a drop in insolvencies in 2004.