Best possibleterms &conditions
We develop and implement financing strategies for our MidCap (“Mittelstand”) customers, usually headquartered in the DACH region. Our customers are typically privately-owned or stock-listed companies with a long-standing operational history and track-record and revenues between EUR 100m and 2,500m, an EBITDA in excess of EUR 7.5m and / or overall financing requirements of at least EUR 20m, predominantly from the traditional German industries, such as, amongst others:
- Automotive supply
- Business services
- Chemicals
- Construction & infrastructure
- Forestry, paper & packaging
- Industrial machinery & plant engineering
- Metals & materials
- Pharma
- TMT (technology, media & telecommunication)
- Transport & logistics
Over the last 15 years, FCF has gained vast experience and track-record, helping us to understand the challenges of our clients in their respective industries. We advise and support our clients’ management on all their financing requirements – from working capital, through growth, capex & investments, re-financings, acquisitions, etc. all the way to special financing situations such as management buy-outs / buy-ins and succession planning. We help designing the right investment or credit story in order to attract high interest from debt or equity providers in order to generate a competitive financing process and, hence, the best possible terms & conditions for our clients.
WHAT WE DO
While developing and implementing financing strategies and structures, FCF benefits from its widespread network, which aims to cover all financing providers targeting MidCap (“Mittelstand”) corporates within the DACH region. We furthermore advise on any financing instrument (and combination thereof) available to our target customers, including, amongst others:
Debt financing instruments / advisory
FCF has long-standing relationships with most commercial and business development banks addressing the German-speaking countries. We advise on any kind of bank loan facilities, such as bilateral loans, club deals syndicated loans, etc. Financing facilities may include short-term and long-term loans, e.g. for overdrafts, working capital requirements, borrowing base facilities, capital expenditures or investment facilities, growth financing, acquisitions and other corporate purposes. In addition to commercial bank financing, our experience also includes “subsidised” financings from business development banks such as, e.g. Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) or European Investment Bank (EIB).
Leasing / Sale-and-lease-back: As an alternative for traditional capex / investment financing facilities, leasing has a long-established track-record and may be used by companies in addition to other mid- to long-term financing instruments. In addition to serving as a pure financing instruments, leasing – and especially sale-and-lease-back – can also be used to structure diversified financing strategies and improving the overall credit worthiness and rating.
Factoring / Reverse factoring / Inventory Financing / etc.: Especially for corporates within the manufacturing trade, efficient working capital management may be challenging. FCF advises and supports its clients in any kind of working capital financing, such as, inter alia, factoring, reverse factoring, inventory financing or borrowing base facilities.
Corporate bonds: To achieve a diversified base of both, financing instruments and financing providers, for corporates with larger financing requirements, capital market financing instruments, such as corporate bonds, promissory notes (“Schuldscheindarlehen”), or private placements may offer interesting options – either as an addition or as an alternative to the more traditional financing instruments.
Private lending facilities: While so-called debt funds used to predominantly invest in acquisition financings as well as lower-rated companies, today, such private lending facilities can be an alternative to bank financing also for corporates in the cross-over or lower investment grade sector. A vast number of private lending providers offer financing solutions for almost any kind of risk and rating profile, starting with senior secured (or, as the case may be, unsecured) facilities, participations in syndicated loans or club deals, through so-called stretched senior and unitranche financings, all the way to mezzanine and preferred-equity structures.
In certain situations where a typical senior financing may not be feasible or sufficient, FCF also advises on alternative or supplementary financing structures, such as, inter alia, second lien, subordinated or mezzanine financing. In some cases, this may in-clude near-equity instruments, such as quasi-equity / economic equity, preferred equity or convertible funding.
Equity financing instruments / advisory
Admittedly, in the German, predominantly family-owned corporate MidCap segment, capital increases from third parties (outside of the incumbent shareholder universe) do not exactly occur very often. However, especially in growth or acquisition cases (amongst others), a capital increase might just do the trick. FCF advises on both, minority and majority investments from private equity, family offices / high-net-worth individuals as well as strategic investors.
Based on the right business case, strategy and equity story, an Initial Public Offering (IPO) can support the required financing. FCF supports its customers in the preparation and execution of IPOs, advising regarding the feasibility, timing, structuring, placement and management of the IPO process as well as regarding investment bank and investor selection. Through its extensive network, FCF accompanies its clients not only regarding IPOs in Germany, but also in other European countries as well as the US.
An incumbent shareholder would like to sell its investment – in full or in part? FCF advises on block trades, including the search for and placement of shares to new investors, regardless of whether it is a new minority or majority shareholder.
FACTS & FIGURES

Team of
investment banking professionals with 100+ years of experience

Extensive Network of
financing providers with excess to senior decision makers

In excess of
total transaction volume advised by FCF

More than
completed transactions in 15 years

Over
periodically updated research reports
SELECTED TRANSACTIONS

Kapsch TrafficCom AG
March 2025
[amount confidential]

D&K Spezial Tiefbau GmbH & Co. KG
Februar 2025
[amount confidential]

Paul Vahle GmbH & Co. KG
December 2024
> € 12 million

Hörmann Industries GmbH
December 2024
€ 20 million

DVA International GmbH
November 2024
> € 70 million
MIDCAP RESEARCH SERIES
Market Research
Bank Monitor
Analysis of the historic and current spreads of credit default swaps for banks most active in the German corporate lending market.
Valuation MonitorThe FCF Valuation Monitor is a comprehensive quarterly valuation analysis (e.g. ratios and multiples) for the German small / midcap market segment of selected industry sectors.
Credit MonitorComprehensive analysis of the interest rate environment and loan market for corporates in Germany.
Sector MonitorResearch on European listed companies from selected sectors (Automotive Suppliers, Construction Materials, Forestry, Paper & Packaging, Food & Beverages, Logistic & Transportation, Industrial Machinery, Pharma, Recycling, Software, TMT)
NEWS & PRESS

FCF Interest & Corporate Loan Monitor Q4/2024 published
FCF Fox Corporate Finance GmbH is pleased to publish the new “FCF Interest & Corporate Loan Monitor Q4/2024”. FCF regularly conducts comprehensive research regarding the German corporate loan and interest market, based on publically available

FCF Valuation Monitor – Q4 2024 published
FCF Fox Corporate Finance GmbH is delighted to publish the new “FCF Valuation Monitor – Q4 2024”. The FCF Valuation Monitor is a comprehensive valuation analysis for the German small / midcap market segment and

FCF Bank Monitor – Q3 2024 published
On a biannual basis, FCF publishes its FCF Bank-Monitor. The FCF Bank-Monitor is a research report, based on publicly available data, on the most active and largest 22 banking institutions addressing the German and Austrian

FCF Interest & Corporate Loan Monitor Q1/2024 published
FCF Fox Corporate Finance GmbH is pleased to publish the new “FCF Interest & Corporate Loan Monitor Q1/2024”. FCF regularly conducts comprehensive research regarding the German corporate loan and interest market, based on publically available

FCF Automotive Supplier Market Study – 2024 published
FCF Fox Corporate Finance GmbH is pleased to publish the new “FCF AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIER MARKET STUDY – 04/2024”. Based on available data from European automotive suppliers, the FCF AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIER MARKET STUDY is a detailed