Proven record as service provider of choice...
Are you a small to medium enterprise that requires access to finance? Do you seek more progressive methods of risk evaluation? Yes? Then you are the person we are looking for..

Through our short-term and long-term product offering, we have set ourselves apart as the financial service provider of choice for initiatives that bring a meaningful development impact to the Free State economy. We facilitate financial viability and sustainability of these initiatives through the provision of financial resources at highly competitive rates. FDCwants to be your lender of choice.

Our solid product offering..

• For more information on these products, please contact the district offices and speak to one of our Business Consultants. The Consultants will conduct a preliminary interview with you to capture your details and the reason for making the application before forwarding you an application form.
  
  What we require from your proposal...
  Finance applications that facilitate job creation and/or retention, economic empowerment, value addition to the economy, rural/ township development, and increased export income are the most suited to FDC’s business finance products. Any project that is a new Greenfield initiative, where expansion and rehabilitation will be the resultant benefit, will also be eligible for application for FDC finance.

What are the Financial Services of FDC ...

FDC will provide loans to qualifying entrepreneurs for:

Start-up capital.

Expansion

Bridging Finance

What we will not finance...

FDC will not finance applications that propose the following circumstances:

Where the idea might be offensive to the community directly affected by your operation, or the community at large;

Where the application is made for finance to be used in the purchasing of shares that are unrelated to the target of meaningful development in the Free State;

Where the application puts forward an idea that requires a period in excess of the recommended period of viability; and

What happens if your request for finance is approved...

Once the suitability of your application has been approved, the process will start to determine the terms and conditions of the application. The suitability of the application does not guarantee that it will be successful. The contract will be considered binding once it is signed by FDC and the applicant concerned.

A unique "aftercare" service philosophy...
FDC offers an aftercare service that aims to provide efficient client service for the entire duration of the contract term. This means monthly account management and quarterly report-back visits to ascertain the health of your business. In the event that the account manager raises concern about the viability of your business and your ability to sustain repayments on your loan, we will provide business support to assist as far as possible to turn your operation around favourably.

Quicker settlement plans encouraged...
As an entity concerned with sustainable development, FDC welcomes the situation where its clients are able to settle the loan amount before the end of the contract term. If you do run into financial difficulty during the contract term, a maximum six months moratorium from final drawdown is allowed on all new development investments, and this is only considered in the event that the cash flow of the entrepreneur indicates that such a moratorium is required.

What if your loan account falls into arrears...
In the event that your loan account defaults on repayments, an attempt will be made to enter into a debt arrangement to bring the account up to date. Should this arrangement not yield results, legal action will be instituted.

Our unique collateral policy...
FDC operates under different collateral policies to South African banks. A 100% security cover is desirable, however, a minimum cover of 40% and a maximum of 65% of the loan amount may be considered depending on the product, loan amount, viability and risk of the venture.

FDC offers you skills support...
FDC requires that clients display some expertise in the area of the proposed business idea, either on a technical or business level. However, should you not have the required skill level to drive the proposal forward, you can be referred to FDC’s Business Development Services (BDS) Unit to be given access to the necessary training courses to improve your skill level, or to an appropriate mentor to glean expertise in the designated disciplines.

Active involvement in business required...
You will need to be actively involved in the underlying business enterprise. This will take the form of full time participation in the activities of the business by all or some of the applicants at any given point in time.

Clean credit record...

An applicant can only be considered for loan finance if they have a clean credit record, or provide FDC with written proof of arrangements made to clear any bad debt attributable to them.

For more information contact:

FDC OFFICES

Applications for loans to start or expand businesses should be lodged with FDC’s District Managers in the district office within which your business operates (please refer to Home page of website for contact details).