Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Dehlzeit, what is the business model of SozialFactoring?

Andreas Dehlzeit: We assist providers in the social and health sectors by bridging the payment behavior of statutory health insurance companies. This means that we pre-finance the period between the service provided and the receipt of payment from the payers. Because this period can be more than two months in unfavorable cases and thus pose a massive threat to the existence of especially smaller companies. To avoid this, companies assign their claims to us, receive their money from us instead of from the health insurance companies, and thus remain liquid. With our flexible solutions, the money can be paid out immediately or over a longer period agreed with us.

Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Grosshardt, for which areas do you offer this service?

Christian Grosshardt: Our client groups include various service providers in the social and health sectors who receive their payments from health or nursing insurance companies. These include, among others, outpatient and intensive care services, hospitals and rehabilitation clinics, as well as ambulance services or physio- and occupational therapists.

Wirtschaftsforum: This is an exciting specialization. How did it come about?

Andreas Dehlzeit: My predecessor, Edward Poniewaz, worked for SozialBank AG for over 40 years and recognized the issues for service providers in the social and healthcare sectors as early as 2001. Through the subsidiary BFS Service GmbH, he created an appropriate solution for receivables purchase in these specific industries with online factoring. Since March 2024, this company has been operating under the new name SozialFactoring GmbH and thus also carries the business model Factoring for the social and health sectors in its name.

Wirtschaftsforum: What is the demand in these sectors for factoring?

Andreas Dehlzeit: The demand is very high. Our customers use factoring to gain liquidity or to securely invest in their growth. Service providers in the social and healthcare sectors sometimes have to bridge one to two months until the equivalent value of their services is paid out by the payers. During this time, their own costs like salaries, rents, leasing rates, or other operating expenses continue to run. Factoring offers a relaxed way out and security here.

Wirtschaftsforum: How can the activities of SozialFactoring be expressed in numbers?

Andreas Dehlzeit: At our location in Cologne, we employ around 60 employees and we have more than 1,600 customers. In the first six months of the year 2024, the volume we purchased increased significantly compared to the previous year to more than 900 million EUR.

Wirtschaftsforum: What are the special advantages that characterize SozialFactoring, Mr. Grosshardt?

Christian Grosshardt: We are characterized by very close customer relationships. Each customer has an individual contact person, thus allowing for long-term and trustful collaborations to develop. Another major advantage is that we use our customers' invoice numbers. This leads to increased transparency within self-billing and simplifies the daily operations for the customer in our factoring portal. As a sister company of SozialBank AG, we have years of industry expertise, enabling us to guide our clients specifically.

Wirtschaftsforum: What do you see as your most important task as Managing Director, Mr. Dehlzeit?

Andreas Dehlzeit: SozialFactoring GmbH is excellently positioned in its segment. Over the coming years, we will make our service even more attractive by improving processes with state-of-the-art technology and expanding new partnerships. We will also continuously invest in personnel growth to ensure personal customer care. As Managing Director, I drive this development so that we as a team can continue to achieve our goals.