Local companies have become less visible in EIFO’s financing statistics.
In 2021, 19 financing activities were registered in Lolland, Guldborgsund and Vordingborg by the state-backed funds that were merged into EIFO in 2023.
By 2025, the number had fallen to eight – a decline of 58 per cent.
Nationwide, however, the trend has moved in the opposite direction. The number of activities increased from 774 in 2021 to 884 in 2025, while Region Zealand alone rose from 60 to 70. The figures exclude the special loans, guarantees and other schemes introduced during the Covid crisis.
EIFO cautions against drawing broad conclusions from the figures for the three municipalities.
- The number of financings in the individual municipalities is relatively small, so just a few cases can have a major impact on the year-on-year development. At the same time, we do not see the same pattern in Region Zealand as a whole, where activity in 2025 is higher than in 2021, 2023 and 2024, says Signe Thustrup Kreiner, Commercial Director for SMEs at EIFO.
Locally, the low point came in 2024 with just five activities – none of them in Lolland Municipality. In 2025, the number rose to eight, but remained well below the 18 to 23 annual activities recorded between 2021 and 2023.
In Vordingborg Municipality, the figure fell from ten to two over the period.
- Looking at our latest results, we have financed more companies and activity levels have increased. There is therefore nothing to suggest that EIFO is generally financing fewer businesses, and we continue to see many companies across the country with ambitions to invest and grow, says Signe Thustrup Kreiner.
The statistics show the number of activities, but not the amounts financed or companies’ overall access to capital. EIFO also does not set geographical targets for its financing.
- We want to reach relevant companies throughout Denmark, and growth and entrepreneurship across the country are an important part of our strategy. But we do not allocate financing by geography. Companies with strong projects and growth ambitions should be able to access capital regardless of their postcode, says Signe Thustrup Kreiner.
