DLA: What exactly is the business model of your company?
André Lichner: FinCompare is a digital SME financing platform that brokers loans, leasing, and alternative financing for small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany. Via our online platform, SMEs are matched with the most suitable offers from a network of 100+ contractually bound financing partners, including banks and non-bank digital lenders. Our value lies in intelligent matching and pre-qualification. By combining digital onboarding, data-driven risk assessment, and close integration with our financing partners, we significantly reduce friction in the lending process. SMEs benefit from faster access to capital, while lenders benefit from higher-quality, pre-screened applications and more efficient acquisition.
DLA: You are closely working with the cooperative banking sector – what exactly does this mean for your business activities?
André Lichner: The cooperative banking sector is a cornerstone of SME financing in Germany, with strong regional expertise and deep entrepreneurial relationships. FinCompare works closely with cooperative banks to extend their digital reach beyond local catchment areas while fully respecting decentralized credit decision-making. Through our platform, cooperative banks gain efficient digital access to new SME customers, and they can extend their product range through FinCompare since we offer them the avenues of reaching customers beyond their existing channels. On the other hand, SMEs benefit from faster, digital access to cooperative lenders that collectively represent one of the largest SME financing forces in the German market.
DLA: Why was it important for you to become a member of the DLA?
André Lichner: As a platform operating at scale between banks, non-bank lenders, and SMEs, FinCompare sees first-hand where digital lending works—and where structural friction remains. Joining the DLA allows us to actively contribute this market experience to industry dialogue, standard-setting, and regulatory discussions. We believe that shaping the future of SME lending requires collaboration, shared standards, and a strong collective voice—precisely what the DLA stands for.
DLA: Where do you see the greatest added value for DLA and its members resulting from the new membership of FinCompare?
André Lichner: FinCompare contributes the perspective of a high-volume, neutral credit platform operating across bank and non-bank lending. By digitally onboarding SMEs, pre-assessing creditworthiness, and structuring lender-ready applications, we help reduce decision times and increase conversion rates across the ecosystem. In the context of Open Lending, we see our role as an enabler—translating SME data into standardized, actionable inputs that allow lenders to deliver faster, more convenient credit without compromising risk quality.
DLA: Thank you very much for the interview, André. Great to have you and your team aboard.
Foto credits:
- André Lichner: FinCompare