NBank

NBank – Investitions- und Förderbank Niedersachsen – is the central development institution of the State of Lower Saxony, based in Hannover. On behalf of the state, it informs, advises, supports and funds people, companies, municipalities, institutions and ideas, and assists the state in fulfilling its structural and economic policy tasks.

Its offering comprises funding programmes and financing in the areas of economic, labour market, housing and infrastructure development. These include loans such as the NBank Investkredit, social housing support, the provision of risk capital, programmes for training and qualification, as well as grants such as the Aufstiegs-BAföG and the master craftsman bonus in the skilled trades. Further areas of activity include the structural development of towns and municipalities, infrastructure measures, projects in agriculture, forestry and rural areas, environmental protection, technology and innovation measures, as well as measures of a social, cultural and scientific nature.

As the point of contact for funding programmes of the European Union, the federal government, the state and the municipalities, NBank addresses companies and self-employed individuals, business founders, start-ups, municipalities and public institutions, as well as private individuals. Its thematic priorities include innovation, inclusion, internationalisation, municipal advisory services, sustainability and climate protection, start-up funding, housing support and housing market monitoring.

Advice and funding are provided from a single source: customers are supported from the initial idea through to completed funding, complemented by digital offerings such as the customer portal, the partner portal and the start-up investor portal, as well as by seminars and advisory sessions. In its relations with other credit institutions, NBank observes the principle of non-discrimination; cooperation with savings banks and cooperative and private banks follows the principal bank procedure on a competitively neutral basis.

Beyond its development mandate, NBank is active in networks and projects. It coordinates the Enterprise Europe Network Niedersachsen, which supports the international cooperation of small and medium-sized enterprises, universities and research institutions, and is connected to the state’s start-up and innovation scene through NBank Capital GmbH and the matchmaking platform innomatch niedersachsen.