Last year, Finance.brussels, which groups the BRIC (Brussels Regional Investment Company) and its subsidiaries (including Brusoc, Brucofin and Brustart), financed 72 Brussels firms to the tune of over 9 million euros, and in this way supported some 5,900 jobs, highlighted the presentation of the institution's annual report. The institution aims to foster the creation, restructuring, expansion and transfer of private firms in the Brussels area. In 2013, finance.brussels invested 9.95 million euros in 80 Brussels companies. "These results depend mainly on whatever opportunities arise. Consequently, we already know we will do even better in 2015", said Serge Vilain, President of the Finance.brussels/SRIB group, which showed a profit in 2014 thanks to, among others, "savings made internally".
"The companies financed include start-ups, innovative firms and Brussels-based companies with an international project", added Serge Vilain, who also says investments provided to companies to go international, via Exportbru, have risen sharply. "75% of the companies financed in 2014 had under ten employees" and “89% of the investment packages did not exceed 250,000 euros”, he added.
The group was founded in 1984 and has so far invested in just short of 300 firms. "Although we remain loyal to our primary mission, that of providing growth capital, we are diversifying the ways we do this. We now have a comprehensive range of financial tools in the Brussels area and hope, in the near future, to also provide solutions for companies at the pre-marketing stage", highlights Serge Vilain, who believes that "if they have a viable project, any entrepreneur, whatever their profile, should be given a chance".
"We do what others cannot, or can no longer, do", he said.
(Source: Belga)
