First time ever: Helaba and vc trade achieve complete digitalisation in the Schuldschein market

In collaboration with vc trade, Helaba has been committed to digitizing the Schuld­schein market for years. The vision has always been the complete digital representation of Schuld­schein transactions for the benefit of all transaction participants. Consequently, digital distribution and syndication has now been complemented to include digital proof of ownership, as well as the entire administration, including calculations and payment preparation. This encompasses not only new issuances; Helaba has also migrated the entire portfolio of existing Schuld­schein transactions for which Helaba acts as a paying agent to the platform and will exclusively manage all transactions through vc trade going forward.

Thomas Groß, CEO of Helaba, sees his institution's path confirmed: "We opted for the digital platform vc trade at an early stage. With the complete digitalisation of Schuld­schein issuance, we are now leveraging the benefits for our customers and ourselves. This is another testimonial of our claim to be a driver of digitalisation." The completion of the project also meant that a key milestone in Helaba's IT modernisation was reached on schedule.

Stefan Fromme, Managing Partner of vc trade, adds: "The collaboration between Helaba and vc trade has enabled another quantum leap in the development of the Schuld­schein market. With digital proof of ownership and complete digitalisation of paying agent activities, we are establishing a new market standard, serving as a blueprint for other syndicated loan­markets. After the stock and bond markets, it is now the credit markets taking the step towards standardised, efficient digital processes. We aim to play a central role as a market­place in this process and will offer solutions for the digital administration of syndicated loans later this year."

In summary, Helaba and vc trade have achieved another milestone in their close cooperation since 2018, significantly contributing to establishing vc trade as the market leader in digital platforms for private placements.