aws launches new programme for SME risk assessments

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On behalf of the Ministry of the Economy, Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (aws) has made available the new support programme “SME assessment for Creditworthiness” at the beginning of the month of November.

In its one-year pilot-phase, the new programme targets SMEs with less than 10 employees, that would use the risk assessment either for internal management purposes, such as e.g. for strategy development, or for the benefit of external stakeholders, such as banks, investors or clients, who ask for additional independent information on creditworthiness. Aws supports the risk assessments individually up to an amount of € 4.000. TO allow cost-coverage, small companies contribute with a fee of € 500 Euro and medium-sized companies with more than 50 employees with a fee of € 3.500. For its pilot-phase, the one-year pilot-phase has been endowed with around € 250.000.

The aws service comprehends the execution of the risk assessment with a written report containing the results of the analysis. The creditworthiness analysis performed by aws is to provide companies with an objective  risk assessment that is independent from the banks and will also allow the business to benchmark itself in its respective sector. The aim is to be able to better appreciate, objectivize and document the company's market position and creditworthiness with a view of obtaining the following benefits:

For the business itself

• Determination of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks,

• Sectoral benchmarks in comparison with competitors, as well as

• Supporting tools in the management and strategic decisions

In relation to external partners (banks, investors, clients, suppliers and other stakeholders)

• Easier access to different forms of financing and/or better financing conditions, and

• New or improved business relations with national and international customers

The structure of the creditworthiness report is standardized and contains a summary as well as chapters on the rating methodology, the business, the Entrepreneur and the management, the balance sheet analysis and qualitative financial factors, the market, etc. Also included is a sectoral comparison on the basis of the most important financial key figures of the business. The main key information of the report is the rating class attributed to the company.

Links

• http://www.awsg.at/Content.Node/service/bonitaetsanalyse/62441.php