Aprila is pleased to announce that we have signed a one-year pilot agreement with DNB for the distribution of Aprila’s automated financing solutions for small businesses through DNB channels.

Most new jobs are created in the start-up and small business segment, a segment currently underserved with financing options. To help bridge this “SME funding gap”, DNB’s small business customers will be offered Aprila’s automated and data-driven credit solutions through a joint pilot.

The pilot will move forward in incremental steps, from an initial controlled testing, and if successful, into an offering across relevant DNB user interfaces. Working together in this way DNB and Aprila will also be able to run tests and experiments to learn more about how to best serve small businesses and their financing needs.

“Our joint goal is to identify how we best can help Norwegian start-ups and other small businesses access the financing they need to grow and create new jobs, and thereby close the “SME funding gap” in Norway. We want to contribute substantially to the ability of SMEs to create the jobs of the future”, says Halvor Lande, CEO of Aprila.

DNB has around 140,000 small business customers in Norway and has launched a number of initiatives to improve the ease of starting and operating a business in Norway, such as DNB Puls, DNB NXT, DNB Regnskap and a wide range of advisory services directed at small businesses.

Aprila’s technology infrastructure employs machine learning models that predict outcomes and price risk automatically, using real-time data in addition to ordinary sources of credit information. This enables offering credit lines to even the smallest SMEs, with a seamless customer experience. 

Aprila has so far supplied 70,000 small credits to around 25,000 SMEs and have, according to our customers, contributed to creating or preserving 1,374 jobs.

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Contact person Aprila Bank:
Halvor S Lande
CEO
+47 924 32 305
halvor.lande@aprila.no

Contact person DNB:
Stål Ulvin Garberg
Communications adviser
+47 911 90 970
stal.ulvin.garberg@dnb.no

=== About Aprila Bank ASA ===
Aprila Bank is a product and technology company offering innovative financial solutions to small and medium sized businesses. Aprila’s API-based technology platform is built to scale and is currently connected to around 130,000 SMEs through partnerships with leading business system providers.

=== About DNB ASA ===
DNB is Norway's largest financial services group and one of the largest in the Nordic region in terms of market capitalisation. The Group offers a full range of financial services, including loans, savings, advisory services, insurance and pension products for retail and corporate customers.