Access to international financing

Opening up your projects to global capital - structuring & execution by PrestaFlex

Who are we for?

  • Swiss SMEs (industry, healthcare, tech, agro/food, services)
  • Groups and holding companies (M&A, multi-country capex, refinancing)
  • Infrastructure & energy SPVs (wind, PV, hydro, networks, data centers)
  • Parastatals/PPPs for projects with an international component (equipment, energy, mobility)

Our routes to market

1) Cross-border loans (bilateral, club & syndicated)

  • Typical amounts: CHF/EUR/USD 5-150 mio (up to 300+ mio syndicated).
  • Terms: 3-7 years (amortizing or in-fine/balloon).
  • Forms: Term Loan, RCF (cash/LC), acquisition facility, multi-currency tranches.
  • Indexes: SARON, EURIBOR, SOFR + margin; cap/floor options and step-ups/step-downs.

2) Private placements & paper debt

  • Schuldschein (DE): EUR 20-200 mio, 3-10 years, fixed/floating tranches, light documentation.
  • US Private Placement (USPP): USD 75-300 mio, 7-15 years, fixed, bullet/amortized, buy-and-hold investors.
  • Euro PP: EUR 10-150 mio, 5-8 years, flexible format (senior/MEZ).
  • Swiss PP / Direct loans to insurers: CHF 20-150 mio, 5-12 years.

3) Guaranteed financing export credit agencies (ECA)

  • Agencies: SERV (CH), Euler Hermes (DE), SACE (IT), Bpifrance AE (FR), UKEF (UK), etc.
  • Typical hedges: 80-95% of risk (export contract value).
  • Tenors: 5-12 years (up to 15 years on infra/energy).
  • Use: equipment/key-in-hand purchases, production location, major capex.

4) Project finance & international PPPs (DBFM/O)

  • Size: 30-500 mio (club/syndicated, senior debt + MEZ).
  • Repayment: from project cash flows (PPA, tolling, availability payments).
  • Structure: SPV, collateral on assets/contracts, target DSCR, reserve mechanisms.

5) Sustainable debt & impact markets

  • Green/Sustainability-Linked Loans & Bonds: KPI/SLB or use-of-proceeds frames.
  • Size: 20-300 mio (loans); 100-500 mio (bonds via market windows).
  • Benefits: broader investor base, longer maturity profiles.

6) Interest-rate/currency hedging & engineering

  • Interest rate swaps (fixed/variable), cross-currency swaps (CCIRS), forwards & options (collars).
  • Objective: lock in costs while retaining allocation flexibility by currency/country.

Benchmarks & practices

  • Tickets: 5-150 mio (bilat./club) - 75-300 mio (USPP) - 20-200 mio (Schuldschein).
  • Duration: 3-7 years (banks) - 5-12 years (PP/ECA) - 7-15 years (USPP).
  • Deadlines
    • Bilateral/single club: 6-10 weeks
    • Schuldschein/Euro PP: 8-12 weeks
    • USPP/ECA: 10-16 weeks (depending on due-diligence)
  • Docs: LMA for loans, PPM/Note Purchase Agreement for PP, ECA facility agreement for exports.
  • Covenants: leverage (Net Debt/EBITDA), ICR/DSCR, limitations on distributions, capex, M&A.
  • Collateral (as required): SPV share pledges, pledges of accounts receivable, local collateral.

Concrete examples

A) Schuldschein multi-tranche - Swiss industrialist (capex Europe)

  • Amount: EUR 80 m in 3 tranches (3/5/7 years; fixed/floating).
  • Hedge: CCIRS to align CHF cost on 60% of volume.
  • Result: staggered maturities, diversified investor base (banks + insurers).

B) US Private Placement - B2B services group (growth & M&A)

  • Amount: USD 150 mio, 12 years, bullet (amort. in fine).
  • Docs: standard NPA, covenants ND/EBITDA 3.0x, ICR ≥ 4.0x.
  • Result: long duration, predictable fixed cost, no dilution.

C) ECA-backed (SERV) - Equipment line for West African customer

  • Export contract: CHF 22 m; SERV cover 90%.
  • Financing: tenor 10 years, grace 18 months (construction/shipping).
  • Result: increased commercial competitiveness, country risks largely transferred.

D) Project finance - Solar portfolio 95 MWp (Southern Europe)

  • Senior debt: EUR 120 mio, amortization sculpted on 15-year PPP, target DSCR 1.30x.
  • Structure: SPV, full security package, DSRA/MRA reserves.
  • Result: non-recourse implementation, optimized cost of capital.

PrestaFlex process (international)

  1. Diagnosis & market angle (1-2 weeks)
    Needs mapping (amount, maturity, currency), credit reading, ECA/Green eligibility, country constraints/sanctions.
  2. Pre-structuring & term-sheet
    Scenarios (club loan vs PP vs ECA), yield/currency curve, amortization structure, hedging plan.
  3. Coordinated go-to-market
    Approach to foreign banks, PP investors, Schuldschein brokers, ECA & hedge lenders. Data-room, Q&A, multi-offer negotiation.
  4. Documentation & closing
    LMA/NPA/ECA docs, conditions precedent (CPs), securities, KYC/sanctions, signatures & funding.
  5. Life of the deal
    Compliance covenants, tests, waivers/consents, RCF roll-overs, timely refinancing.

Requirements & useful documents

  • 3-5 yearbusiness plan (scenarios, sensitivity).
  • Financial information: audited accounts, cash-flow bridge, debts & maturities.
  • Group structure & intra-group flows, dividend policies.
  • Key contracts (PPA, supply, licenses), M&A pipeline (if applicable).
  • ESG policies & KPI framework (if green/SLB).
  • KYC/sanctions (UBOs, countries, related banks).

Why use PrestaFlex?

  • Multi-channel access: foreign banks, PP (US/EU), Schuldschein, ECA, funds/insurers.
  • Cost/tenor optimization: arbitrage between investor pockets, calibrated hedging.
  • Secure execution: standardized docs (LMA/NPA), frictionless closing.
  • ESG/impact: bankable Green/SLB structuring, measurable reporting.
  • Capacity: 5-150 mio (club) - 20-200 mio (Schuldschein) - 75-300 mio (USPP) - 80-95 % ECA coverage.

FAQ (extracts)

USPP or Schuldschein: how to choose?
USPP = long fixed duration (7-15 years) with extensive due-diligence; Schuldschein = fast execution, modular tickets in EUR, light docs.

Is it possible to mix ECA and commercial banks?
Yes: ECA-covered tranche + commercial tranche for the non-eligible, to optimize cost and flexibility.

How do you manage currency risk?
Designation by cash-flow currency + CCIRS/forwards; governance (horizons, hedging ratios) integrated into the term-sheet.

What if the market closes?
Plan fallback (local banking club), shooting windows (PP), and bridge refinancing when liquidity returns.

Tell us about your international project

A PrestaFlex consultant will get back to you within 24 hours with a market pre-frame (target channel, maturity, currency, hedging) and an execution timeline.

Contact PrestaFlex - International Finance
📞 +41 26 323 11 30
📱 +41 79 597 57 93 (WhatsApp)
✉️ info@prestaflex.ch
🏢 Rue de la Banque 4 - CP 77, 1701 Fribourg

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