Komuno – launch of digital platform for municipal loans

Helaba Digital GmbH, the investment company of Helaba Landes­bank Hessen-Thüringen, and Lucht Probst Associates (LPA), are setting up a joint venture called “Komuno”. Together, they have developed a solution that enables local authorities and capital providers to make optimum use of digital techno­logies in their lending activities. The “Komuno” digital platform, which will allow banks to bid for municipal loan tenders, will be available from 3 September 2018.

By combining its long­standing experience in the local govern­ment sector as well as in financial markets, Helaba has colla­borated with LPA in creating a highly specialised platform that is tailored to the require­ments of the public sector: Komuno is a secure, web-based solution that does not depend on a specific location and contains the infra­structure of a digital marketplace. This is where supply and demand meet and are brought together in a way that is ideally suited to the needs of both sides. Komuno enables the tendering process for long-term investment loans and short-term cash advances to be consi­derably simplified using the individually customisable workflow system. Depending on their specific needs, local authorities them­selves can choose which investors they would like to approach; and, if preferred, in a variety of different ways. The range of services available on the platform includes new loans, prolongations of existing loans, short-term liquidity lines and long-term fixed-interest finance. Thanks to the availability of municipal budget figures, budgetary docu­mentation or infor­mation about overall debt levels, investors are able to make rapid, informed decisions with minimal effort.

“For us, Komuno is a further building block in our digital agenda towards estab­lishing a catalogue of digital products and services for our clients”, commented Thomas Groß, the Vice-Chairman of Helaba’s Board of Managing Directors.

“We are convinced that local authorities and banks are ready to transition to new media. In Helaba and the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, we have found the best possible partners for this venture”, added Stefan Lucht, founder and managing director of LPA.

Helaba Digital GmbH is an invest­ment company owned by Helaba Landes­bank Hessen-Thüringen that focuses on innovative companies that are the driving forces behind the issue of digital trans­formation in the areas of financial services (Fintechs), regulation (Regtechs) and the real estate sector (Proptechs). This leads to invest­ments that actively complement the Helaba Group’s business model and optimise the bank’s core processes.