To address fundraising challenges in the cultural and creative industries, enhance mutual understandings with financial institutions, and bring the industries to the next level, the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) today announces the “Credit Loan for Cultural and Creative Industry Upgrades (CCI Upgrade Credit Loan)”.  (加強文化創意產業升級轉型貸款要點，簡稱文創升級貸款）

Since its establishment, TAICCA continues to offer solutions in response to the industry’s financing needs. This upgraded loan program includes art and culture non-profit groups and large corporations for the first time and adds a “fast-track” process for applications under NT$1 million. TAICCA also offers interest subsidies (below 2% annually for up to 5 years) to reduce financing burdens for CCI business owners.

Minister of Culture Lee Yong-de pointed out the challenges with the Youth Business Start-up Loan (青創貸款) launched last year, where age, identity, date of company establishment, organization type, etc., affected the eligibility for the loan program. “The CCI Upgrade Credit Loan will help solve these problems without limits on age or company size, so that applicants do not need to finance their ventures with personal mortgages when they need capital, and their loans will be guaranteed by the Taiwan SME Credit Guarantee Fund,” said Lee.

“Unlike conventional industries,” says TAICCA Chairperson Ting Hsiao-Ching, “cultural and creative industries operate more like startups. Therefore, TAICCA negotiates with financial institutions and Taiwan SME Credit Guarantee Fund (Taiwan SMEG), so the CCI Upgrade Credit Loan can address practical challenges for CCI in their financing process.”

The CCI Upgrade Credit Loan is upgraded from TAICCA’s “CCI Contract and Copyright Credit” and “CCI Credit Interest Subsidy,” as well as the Ministry of Culture’s “CCI Credit Guidelines.” All CCI business owners under the Ministry of Culture jurisdiction, including visual arts, music, performing arts, cultural heritage groups and venues, craft, film, radio, television, publishing, pop music, and cultural content, are eligible. Credit and interest subsidies apply to revolving and capital expenditures.

Policy credit loans for CCI are often limited to small and medium enterprises (SME) and citizens. To ensure diverse and cross-border developments, CCI Upgrade Credit Loan is open to large corporations, art and culture non-profit groups, as well as foreigners with Entrepreneur Visa, Employment Gold Card, or Permanent Residency Card as business owners.

For cases up to NT$1 million, TAICCA will send qualified applications to designated financial institutions for document evaluations. Once approved, applicants can negotiate credit terms in a more streamlined process.

To minimize application and evaluation burdens, the process is designed to be sleek and specific. For loans over NT$1 million, Taiwan SMEG and financial institutions will participate early in the evaluation process for higher efficiency.

Eligible CCI Upgrade Credit Loan applicants are divided into four categories. The first three categories are SMEs, large corporations, and art and culture non-profit groups. Business owners in the first and third categories can apply up to NT$80 million loan. Credit loans for large corporations are capped at NT$200 million. All applications from the same company or group are considered together. These three categories are also eligible for interest subsidies up to 2% for NT$30 million for five years.

The fourth category is business owners in the other three categories with official subsidy contracts with the government, commercial commission contracts, or copyright pre-sale contracts. Credit loans for these contracts are capped at NT$100 million, and are considered separately from the other categories. However, the fourth category is not eligible for interest subsidies.

In the program, business owners can apply up to 80% of credit needs, and Taiwan SMEG offers guarantees to 80% to 90% of approved amounts. Interest rates are calculated based on Chunghwa Post 2-Year Time Deposit Interest Rate (currently at 0.845%), up to 2%.

Since 2019, TAICCA has approved 29 CCI credit loan cases (NT$317,850,000 in total), 10 CCI credit interest subsidy cases (NT$62,800,000 in total), and 3 CCI contract and copyright credit cases (NT$37,000,000 in total).

For more information and application forms, visit TAICCA website (https://taicca.tw/page/financing), or contact TAICCA via email ([email protected]) or phone (02)- 2745-8161 during business hours (Mon-Fri 09:30-12:30 & 14:00-18:00).

Starting from mid-March, TAICCA will organize seminars for the CCI Upgrade Credit Loan throughout Taiwan. For more information, visit TAICCA website and Facebook page.