Support for the creation and development of very small companies and the social economy
Financing companies is one of the four priorities of Caisse des Dépôts' Elan 2020 strategic plan. It invests in SME to consolidate their equity capital, promote innovation and support the investment capital market, and grants loans to SME via OSEO. It supports business start-ups and the social economy.
National agreement "Employment action 2008-2012"
Caisse des Dépôts'actions fall within the framework of a new national agreement signed with the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Employment for a five year period.
The aim is to create 40,000 companies a year, by providing support for two to three times more projects, particularly in troubled neighbourhoods. How? By using all the tools designed, financed and managed by Caisse des Dépôts, which will be spending €206m on the project by 2012.
Caisse des Dépôts supports job creation by supporting local authorities' economic development plans, including those of regional councils. It helps to put together and consolidate equity capital in very small companies (fewer than 20 employees) in start-up or transfer, thus making it easier for them to access bank credit.
It does this by granting interest-free loan funds (0% interest with no guarantee). These loans are granted by three national networks providing support for business creators or buyers: ADIE (Association pour le droit à l’initiative), the platforms of the France Initiative network and the Entreprendre network. Loans for state-sponsored back-to-work jobs (emplois d’insertion) are granted by the France Active network.
In urban regeneration areas and ZFU (tax-free urban zones), Caisse des Dépôts backs up the work of support networks by supporting the creation of project priming services.
In 2009, the Caisse des Dépôts support to the creation of TPE and the social economy amounted to €49.9bn.
Caisse des Dépôts manages, for the State, the social cohesion fund (FCS), launched in 2005 and provided with €73m over five years.
The FCS has two objectives:
- Develop microcredit for the creation of very small companies and entreprises d’insertion (companies producing goods or services with a social objective and fostering the employment of people in social difficulty, especially job seekers). To this end, it finances France Active Garantie.
- Promote personal microcredit. To this end it provides 50% guarantees for loans granted by banks to people normally refused regular banking services, in order to finance their personal, social or professional betterment projects. To encourage personal microcredit, Caisse des Dépôts establishes partnerships with national networks of social actors and local actors who support people granted microcredit.
In 2009, 5 000 new loans were granted, for a €2,300 average amount. The loans relative to the €1 per day driving licence were secured by the FCS.
