Are you looking for funding for your project or would you like to invest in a crowdfunding campaign in Belgium? In this article, you will find a detailed comparison of the different crowdfunding platforms based in Belgium.
What you will discover in this article:
- The difference between crowdfunding and crowdlending
- A comparison of platforms operating in Belgium and their services
- A list of crowdlending platforms in Belgium
Table of contents
What is crowdfunding?
crowdfunding (also known as participatory financing) is a way of financing a project or business by appealing to a large number of investors (crowdfunding translates as "crowd funding").
Crowdfunding is carried out via online platforms (which must be approved by the Autorité des Services et Marchés Financier - AMF). FSMA).
There are 3 main forms of crowdfunding:
- Donation-based crowdfunding: lpeople make donations to support a project and receive nothing in return;
- Crowdfunding with a benefit in kind: people who want to take part in a project pay money in exchange for a benefit in kind. Think, for example, of a crowdfunding campaign to support a fledgling rock band where your financial help could be rewarded with a ticket to their first concert.
- Crowdfunding as an investment in a company : In this case, investors either lend money to the company in return for interest and repayment of the capital after a few years. Or, investors buy a share and hope to receive a dividend as soon as the company is profitable, or to be able to sell the share at a capital gain. In this case, investors share in any profits... but also in the company's financial risks.
What is crowdlending?
crowdlending is a form of participatory financing that involves raising interest-bearing loans for companies to finance their development or to carry out specific operations..
In Belgium, most participatory financing campaigns (both in terms of number and targeted amount) are crowdlending campaigns (source: FSMA study).
Comparison of participatory financing platforms active in Belgium and key figures
To give you a clearer idea of the different crowdlending platforms, here is a comparison table with key criteria and figures:
BeeBonds | Look&Fin | Ecco Nova | WinWinner | Bolero | Spreds | Lita | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Launch year | 2016 | 2012 | 2016 | 2019 | 1998 | 2011 | 2017 |
Year of FSMA approval | 2019 | 2017 | 2017 | 2020 | 2018 | 2017 | 2017 |
Average yield | 7,80% | 7,31% | 6,00% | 6,00% | – | – | – |
Speciality | Real Estate & Corporate | Real Estate & Corporate | Real Estate & Corporate | Real Estate & Corporate | Corporate | Corporate | Young company with impact |
Minimum investment | 500€ | 100€ | 50€ | 500€ | 100€ | 100€ | 100€ |
Investment costs | 0€ | 0€ | 15€ | 0€ | 0€ | 5% | 1% to 3% |
Management fees | 0€ | 0€ | 0€ | 0€ | 0€ | 20% | – |
Fees payable by the project developer | 6,00% | 5,00% | 6.00% to 8.00% | 7,00% | 4.50% to 6.00% | ? | 4% to 7% |
Published default rate | 0% | 1,52% | 0,02% | Unknown | Unknown | ? | ? |
Google reviews | 4,3/5
13 Reviews | 4,2/5
43 Reviews | 4,2/5
15 Reviews | 4,9/5
13 Reviews | – | 4,2/5
11 Reviews | 4,8/5
6 Reviews |
Trustpilot Reviews | 4,2/5
8 reviews | – | 3,8/5
27 reviews | 4,5/5
113 Reviews | – | 3,2/5
1 review | 4,1/5
19 Reviews |
File analysis | Deloitte and PWC | In-house team | In-house team | In-house team | In-house team | In-house team | Internal |
Crowdfunding platforms approved in Belgium
Are you planning to launch or take part in a crowdfunding campaign? It is recommended that you choose a platform approved by the FSMA. To help you make the right choice, we offer a comparison of crowdlending platforms.
BeeBonds
BeeBonds is a crowdlending platform launched in Belgium in 2016. BeeBonds specialises in financing real estate projects. The platform has financed projects in Belgium (in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia), but also in Luxembourg, France and Spain.
To date, BeeBonds investors have enjoyed an average annual return of between 8 and 10% gross (source: BeeBonds - 6 Feb. 2023).
Investors can participate in campaigns without incurring any costs (BeeBonds does not charge any investment or management fees). Fees are the sole responsibility of the Project Sponsor.
The minimum investment is €500.
Little bonus: For each campaign funded, BeeBonds sponsors a beekeeper to set up a hive of bees to help protect biodiversity.
Opinions on Beebonds :
- Google reviews: 4.3/5 (15 reviews)
- TrustPilot opinion: 4.2/5
BeeBonds srl
Avenue des Volontaires 19
1160 Auderghem
http://www.beebonds.com
Look&Fin
Founded in 2012, Lookandfin is a platform specialising in financing mixed projects with an initial focus on balance sheet asset financing. Real estate currently accounts for more than 60% of its funding campaigns.
In terms of figures, the internal rate of return for investors is over 6% (source: LookandFin - statistics).
The minimum amount to invest is €100.
Opinions on Look&Fin :
- Google reviews: 4.3/5 (40 reviews)
Look and fin s.a. (Look&Fin)
Avenue Louise 475
1000 Brussels
http://www.lookandfin.co
Ecco Nova
Ecco Nova is an accredited Liège-based equity financing platform that initially specialised in financing renewable energies, but has diversified into real estate in recent years.
The return on investment for Ecco Nova is between 4 and 8% gross.. Investors pay an administration fee of €15 at the time of investment.
The minimum investment is €50.
Opinions on Ecco Nova :
- Google reviews: 4.2/5 (15 reviews)
- Trustpilot opinion: 3.8 /5
Ecco Nova srl
Afinis Clos Chanmurly 13
4000 Liège
http://www.ecconova.com
WinWinner
WinWinner is the only alternative finance platform based in Flanders. It was set up in 2019 and obtained its FSMA approval in 2020.
WinWinner specialises in financing young SMEs and companies in the growth phase.
The rate of return for investors is between 4 and 8%, while the minimum investment is €500. There are no additional costs for investors.
(source : WinWinner).
The minimum investment is €500.
Opinions on Winwinner :
- Google reviews: 4.6/5 (14 reviews)
- Trustpilot opinion: 4.5 /5
WinWinner crowd
Kortrijksesteenweg 1170 b 0101B
9051 Sint-Denijs-Westrem
https://www.winwinner.be/
Bolero
Bolero is the only crowdfunding platform created by a KBC financial institution. It specialises in financing SMEs and other growth companies.
The minimum investment is €100 and investors pay no fees.
Opinions on Bolero :
- Trustpilot opinion: 3/5
Bolero Crowdfunding
Avenue du Port 2
1080 Brussels
https://crowdfunding.bolero.be/fr
Spreds
The Spreds platform offers shares (equity investments) in growing companies. The investor then becomes a shareholder in the company in question. They pay fees of 5% on each subscription and 20% on the capital gain realised when the shares held are sold.
(source: Spreds)
Opinions on Spreds :
- Google reviews: 4.2/5
- Trustpilot opinion: 3.2/5
Spreds
Rue des Colonies 11
1000 Brussels
http://www.spreds.com
Lita
Lita.co is the only crowdfunding platform co-financed by the European Union. It specialises in sustainable financing and is approved by the FSMA.
Investors pay investment fees ranging from 1 to 3% of the amount invested (source : Lita).
Projects funded by Lita.co are analysed internally, given the size of the team.
The minimum amount to invest is €100.
Opinion on Lita :
- Google review: 4.9/5
- Trustpilot opinion: 4.1/5
1001Pact Impact Investments s.a.
Rue Joseph II 20
1000 Brussels
http://be.lita.co
Conclusion
In this article, we have compiled a list of equity crowdfunding platforms based in Belgium. We hope that you now have a clearer picture and that our comparison will help you with your next investment or project.
