Finnvera to merge the operations of the Helsinki and Uusimaa Regional Offices

The Supervisory Board of Finnvera decided, at its meeting held on 8 October 2008, to merge the operations of the Helsinki and Uusimaa Regional Offices. This means that the Helsinki Regional Office will serve all enterprises operating in the region of Uusimaa. The Regional Office is located at Etelä-Esplanadi 8 in Helsinki.

The objective of the merger is to improve customer service and to make operations more efficient. The combined regional office will start operations at the beginning of 2009. The two regional offices have a total of 31 experts in financing; all of them will continue in Finnvera’s employ.
The metropolitan area, as part of the wider Helsinki region of 14 municipalities, forms a single economic area with effects extending over the whole of Uusimaa. “The Employment and Economic Development Centre of Uusimaa and the regional organisations of our important cooperation partners, banks, mostly operate in the areas of both regional offices,” says Kari Villikka, Director of Helsinki Regional Office.
The total outstanding commitments of the new Helsinki Regional Office to be established was EUR 301 million as at 30 June 2008. The two offices then had a total of 4,300 clients. There are about 80,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in Uusimaa.
The Uusimaa Regional Office started operations in November 2000 and served enterprises outside the Helsinki metropolitan area. Besides Helsinki, Finnvera will continue to have regional offices in 14 localities throughout Finland.
Additional information:

Pauli Heikkilä, Managing Director, tel. +358 20 460 7321
Kari Villikka, Director of Helsinki Regional Office, tel. +358 20 460 7227 or +358 40 750 0022