France represents one of the largest and fastest growing markets for peer-to-peer lending with a wide range online investment selections to choose from. The country was among the first in Europe to implement a strong regulatory framework on the crowdlending sphere and continues to lead the way for other nations to follow in its footsteps.
When it comes to size, France accounts for around 20% of the total market volume for alternative financing in continental Europe, and its online lending market sees increasing growth rates year by year.
Despite strong political oversight, sites for consumer loans, business lending, and real estate crowdfunding thrive well and present investors the opportunity to gain geographical exposure to the booming French market.
Whether you’re a well-fared investor or a newbie to the whole thing, the popularity of French peer-to-peer lending along with their solid returns will make you curious to try out these vetted platforms that are poised to perform well in the future. Without further introduction, let’s jump straight to what you came here for:
Top Peer-to-Peer Lending Platforms in France
1. October: Largest P2P Lending Platform in France
Founded in 2014, October (formerly Lendix) is the leading crowdfunding marketplace in France for investing in small and medium-sized businesses online. Having brokered close to €400 million worth of loans, the platform has methodically gained recognition among investors and is now one of the largest SME lending spaces in Western Europe that offers fair rates to both borrowers and lenders.
- Type of Investment: Business lending
- ROI: Up to 9.9%
- English: Yes
- Who can invest: October is open to international lenders
- Security: Asset
- Secondary Market: No
- Auto-invest Function: Yes
- Minimum Investment Amount: Euro 20
- Platform Founding Year: 2014
- Country of Operation: France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands
October offers a whole suite of asset-backed investment opportunities from the European business sphere, and the company operates with high standards compliant with the French market authority (AMF). When lending on October, you’ll be investing alongside big institutional such as the European Invest Bank and Bpifrance, giving you strong assurance about the quality of the loans and the platform itself.
While based in France, the platform also hosts projects from the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain, providing your portfolio with exposure to multiple regions. On top of that, investing on the October marketplace is a clean and simple process calibrated with key information about the borrowing companies and their finances.
That said, rates on October are below those offered by competitor sites that operate outside of France, such as Crowdestor and Ablrate. However, October remains the top peer-to-peer lending platform in France on account of its extensive track record and strong collaboration with government institutions.
2. Raizers: Best French P2P Real Estate Crowdfunder
Raizers, which is fully available in English, gives you access to multiple investment vehicles that were previously reserved for professionals and large institutions. On Raizers, you can invest from 1,000€ and spread your portfolio among buy-to-let properties, development projects via bonds, green energy production, and business equity.
If you need a French property crowdfunding platform with an international outlook, Raizers is the number one place to go.
- Type of Investment: Real estate crowdfunding, equity
- ROI: Up to 12%
- English: Yes
- Who can invest: Raizers accept international investors, but you’ll need an IBAN
- Security: Asset
- Secondary Market: No
- Auto-invest Function: Yes
- Minimum Investment Amount: Euro 1,000
- Platform Founding Year: 2015
- Country of Operation: France, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg
Raizers, unlike other French real estate platforms, is one of the few sites with no geographical restrictions, giving you the freedom to invest in commercial units and residential rental property in Paris and elsewhere.
This way, you can become an digital landlord and part of the country’s booming real estate market while residing abroad, letting the platform and its associates take care of all the hard and boring paperwork.
From a risk-reward perspective, there isn’t been much to complain about. As for 2020, zero development projects have folded and 99% of repayments are on track. Moreover, Raizers is regulated platform fully complaint with national law and approved by the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) and by the Belgian Financial Markets Authority (FSMA).
For every open project listed on the marketplace, Raizers provides high levels of transparency of all financial details surrounding the deal, revealing all stakeholders, financial balances sheets, annual accounts, and legal documentation relating to the listing.
3. WiSEED: Real Estate, Energy, Businesses
Need a one-stop solution for your peer-to-peer lending requirements? You can lay your money on WiSEED. Launched in 2009, WiSEED offers a complete package for your investment needs, combining real estate crowdfunding, business equity, renewable energy and forestry projects into an all-around platform.
- Type: Real estate, equity
- ROI: Up to 10%
- English: No
- Who can invest: International investors (except the US)
- Loan securities: Varies
- Launched: 2009
- Minimum investment: 100 EUR
- Currencies: EUR
- Secondary market: No
Boasting more than 100,000 members and 500 financed project, WiSEED secures it position as one of the best peer-to-peer lending platforms in France for its size and long-lasting market experience.
If you’re searching for a loan space recognized by the official government institutions of France, such as the ACPR and MTES, WiSEED might be the right choice for you.
The company has an impressive deal flow and launches approximately 120 loans per year for investors to select between. Whether you’re an experienced lender or newbie to the lending world, you’ll find a wide range of opportunities on WiSEED that might be suitable for your requirements, charted with complete information for getting started.
4. Homunity: Great For Property Crowdfunding in France
If your’re keen on getting into French real estate investing, Homunity is the crowdfunding platform you should look into. With more than 360 successfully funded development projects and almost zero delays, Homunity presents an ideal route into the french property market.
On top of that, the company probably holds the record for the fastest funded campaign: 320,000 € flowed into a single project in under 1 minute.
- Type: Real estate, equity
- ROI: 9-10%
- English: Yes (partly)
- Who can invest: International investors
- Loan securities: Asset
- Launched: 2016
- Minimum investment: 1,000 EUR
- Secondary market: No
Homunity is a site to complement your medium-term investment strategy, as developers typically need from 9 to 24 months to raise funds and finish construction works.
With the way property financing works in France, banks contribute around 80% of the total amount, while the remaining 20% comes from Homunity, meaning you’ll be co-founding loans with risk-averse, heavy players.
The company also maintains of the strongest deal flows in the French property crowdfunding world, bringing investors an average of 7,5 new business propositions per month.
Despite its positive sides, non-French speakers might want to look for alternatives to Homunity, as the English translation remains incomplete. That said, the team behind Homunity has built one of the best real estate crowdfunding in France with a large array of options to select between.
5. Bolden: Excellent SME Lender
Headquartered in Paris, Bolden lets you lend directly to French SMEs from €20 against an average annual return of 7.8%. Bolden was established in 2014 with an aim to connect established and growing companies with individual lenders from France and the rest of the world.
Like most reputable peer-to-peer lending platforms in France, Bolden is regulated by the AMF and the ACPR and registered with ORIAS. Furthermore, Bolden has high ratings on Trustpilot and is generally reviewed positively by the French alternative investment community.
- Type: P2B Lending
- Average return: 7.25%
- Accepts investors from: EEA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore; does not accept applications from The US
- English: Partly, project descriptions are only available in French
- Launched: 2014
- Minimum investment: 20 EUR
- Fees: No
- Secondary market: No
- Auto-invest: Yes
- Loan securities: No
- Loan terms: 1-5 years
Bolden mostly offers unsecured loans, but their historical default rate is very low (around 1.5%). Deals get rated from A to E, and the estimated default rate ranges from 0.4% to 2.3% based on the risk rating. In terms of getting paid back, most lenders will be happy to know that loans amortize, meaning the principal gets refunded throughout the loan term with interest.
Bolden is one of the few business crowdfunding platforms in France with a low entry barrier, requiring only 20€ to get started. This makes it easy and relatively safe to test out the website through a small deposit to begin with. Overall, Bolden offers a straight-forward marketplace for SME loans with a healthy deal flow for its users.
6. ClubFunding
ClubFunding stands out from the bunch of French investment sites that have cropped up in recent years by focusing on smaller development projects. It tops this list of the best peer-to-peer lending platforms in France not just because of its innovative approach but also due to its impressive numbers, which now amounts to more than 123€ million in issued capital, 178 funded development projects and zero defaults.
- Type: Real estate crowdfunding in France
- Average return: Up to 12%
- Accepts investors from: EU, Unites States; other nationalities on case-by-case basis
- English: No, french only
- Launched: 2014
- Minimum investment: 500 EUR
- Fees: No
- Secondary market: No
- Auto-invest: No
- Loan securities: No
- Loan terms: 6-48 months
Provided you pass the necessary AML checks, you can access ClubFunding from anywhere in the world and earn up to 12% in return for your investment.
If you’re looking for a site that’s fully complaint with the French regulatory framework, then ClubFunding could be interesting for you, as the the company is overseen by the AMF, registered in the ORIAS and member of the Financement Participatif France association.
7. Fundimmo
Fundimmo debuted in 2014 and has since collected 65 € million and funded 119 commercial and residential properties. It is one of the pioneering real estate crowdfunding platforms in that boasts of simple website that helps beginners and professionals to take their first steps into the french lending market.
In terms of compliance, the company operates under the status of Participative Investment Advisor (CIP) issued by the Financial Markets Authority and is registered with ORIAS.
- Type of Investment: Real estate crowdfunding in France
- ROI: Up to 12%
- Security: Equity
- Secondary Market: No
- Auto-invest Function: No
- Minimum Investment Amount: 500 € or 1,000 € depending on the project
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2014
Fundimmo is out to break the barriers to get started investing in real estate. The company sets itself apart in a highly competitive market with its impressive deal flow and broad selection of investment opportunities.
Furthermore, Fundimmo caters to both short term and medium term investors, as the duration of the shortest loans last 3 months, while others run for up to 10 years, letting you diversify according to your desired risk-return horizon.
In terms of risk mitigation, Fundimmo does it best to protect your money, and the company has suffered no capital loss since its founding. They employ best-practice safeguard measures by keeping investors funds separated from their own. They also create an adhoc, intermediary company for each project to hold funds and transfer to the borrower, so as to protect all parties better.
8. Koregraf
Having made its foray into the peer-to-peer lending scene in 2014, Koregraf has cemented its position as an innovative solution bringer to the unhealthy bureaucracy that has been haunting the French real estate market for years.
Koregraf can best be classified as exclusive gateway into the French property market that targets investors with enough money on their hands to loan out minimum 2,000€, putting themselves in the high end of France’s booming real estate crowdfunding world.
- Type of Investment: Real Estate
- ROI: Up to 10%
- Security: Asset
- Secondary Market: No
- Auto-invest Function: No
- Minimum Investment Amount: Euro 2000
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2014
- Country of Operation: France
Despite being a medium-sized player facing strong competition from much bigger rivals, Koregraf has seen a burgeoning user base and rapid increase of deals on their marketplace. Koregraf boasts a clean track record with zero recorded defaults, giving clear indication of the quality of their work.
Factoring in the necessary risk-return ratio, lending to property developers on Koregraf against a juicy annual yield between 7 to 10% might serve as a speculative alternative to your savings account. It’s free to join the platform and it deducts no fees from your gaining.
That said, minimum investment considerably lowers your diversification options in comparison to sites like Estonian EstateGuru (50€ minimum) or German Exporo (500€ minimum).
9. UniLend
Claiming more than 44,000 registered investors, Nancy-based Unilend has become highly among the French people for its simple approach to business crowdfunding. You’ll get a full spectrum of lending options from various industries operating within the hexagon of France, ranging from refurbishing of hotels to agricultural development projects.
- Type: Business crowdfunding
- ROI: 5% – 10%
- English: No
- Who can invest: Nationalities of the EEA, Switzerland, Monaco, or Saint-Marin with a bank account in France.
- Loan securities: No
- Launched: 2013
- Minimum investment: 20 EUR
- Currencies: EUR
- Secondary market: No
- Auto-invest: Yes
Similar to October, loan duration vary greatly among loans listed on UniLend, going from 3 months up to 5 years. You’ll find fully detailed descriptions for each loan, clubbed with essential information about the borrowing company, credit rating and loan terms that help users make informed choices.
There’s a few things to keep in mind when investing through UniLend. While the company remains a top choice for French nationals, the large majority of outsiders will be excluded from using the website, as the company requires that you hold a bank account in France.
On top of that, the platform mostly issued credit as subordinated debt, so in case of default, there is a possible risk of a total loss. That said, the previous project funding numbers indicate most projects turn out quite successful.
10. Baltis Capital
Baltis Capital is a real estate crowd investing platform from France that focuses on businesses and hotels. The company is owned by three partners that have very diverse resumes. In addition to their business expertise, there is a panel of five professionals coming from different industries, including finance, technology, real estate, and hospitality.
They select the projects that are listed on this platform. All the properties are located in France only. Investors indirectly pay management and success fee to Baltis Capital via the project.
- Type of Investment: Real Estate (Commercial & Hotels)
- ROI: Varies
- Security: No
- Secondary Market: No
- Auto-invest Function: No
- Minimum Investment Amount: Euro 5000
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2015
- Country of Operation: France
Unlike typical crowd investing platforms, the minimum investment limit of this platform is quite high. When you invest in the real estate of a business or hotel, you get returns annually based on the profits of the property in question. It only allows investments for shares in Simplified Joint Stock Company (SAS).
The rates of return vary by each project, which usually lasts from 5 to 10 years. Investors receive semi-annual reports about their investments and are invited to a General Assembly meeting of shareholders once a year.
Bonus: The Runner Ups
If the list above doesn’t satisfy your requirements or you’re just curious to explore more options, there are additional platforms you can look into. Here’s compilation of some more top-performing peer-to-peer lending platforms in France that might be right for you:
Buildr
Buildr is a real estate crowd investment platform. It is primarily focused on top of the shelf real estate projects. This is why the entry ticket (minimum investment) is kept at 5000 Euros. However, there is no fee or commission charged to investors. It acts as an Asset Management Advisor. The platform was founded by M Capital and is fully compliant with French regulations. Both individuals and companies can invest in real estate projects listed.
- Type of Investment: Real Estate
- ROI: 7-10%
- Security: Asset
- Secondary Market: No
- Auto-invest Function: No
- Minimum Investment Amount: Euro 5000
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2018
- Country of Operation: France
The maturity term of these investments is usually 12 to 48 months. Properties are located in some of the most expensive locations in the country, including Paris, Toulouse, and Saint Tropez. They go through an audit process and a selection committee. As an active investor, you get regular updates about the projects. Payments are regularly sent to your account from where you can withdraw anytime. It all works very smoothly for investors who have the opportunity to invest in multiple properties without going through any hassle.
weeXimmo
weeXimmo is a crowd investing platform from France where you can invest in real estate projects. It works in a very simple way. You just have to create a profile, look at projects, select one, and then invest. You buy bonds in the projects with varying maturity terms. These can be between 6 to 24 months. Repayments are generally made at the end of the term. However, there is a possibility of early repayment with interest. Quarterly reports are sent out to investors to inform them about the project’s progress.
- Type of Investment: Real Estate
- ROI: 8-10%
- Security: No
- Secondary Market: No
- Auto-invest Function: No
- Minimum Investment Amount: Euro 1000
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2015
- Country of Operation: France
Each project has a rating in terms of the health of the project. If there is a delay in the reimbursement of the investment, you still pocket the interest for the extra duration. The returns on the projects are subject to tax deductions. To reduce the risk for the investors, weeXimmo only selects seasoned promoters from the real estate sector who are often referenced. Investors are also asked to complete questionnaires before investing in a project, which helps them better the services provided to investors.
Immocratie
Immocratie is a crowd investing platform for real estate projects in France. The company issues bonds to people on real estate projects from reliable developers and promoters. Most project terms are at least 12 months. You can find all the indicators on the platform website about the projects funded since their inception. For every project, you get all the information, including pictures, documents, statistics, etc. These projects can be residential or commercial. They are already being financed by institutions alongside lenders of the platform.
- Type of Investment: Real Estate
- ROI: Up to 10%
- Security: No
- Secondary Market: No
- Auto-invest Function: No
- Minimum Investment Amount: Euro 1000
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2015
- Country of Operation: France
Interest is paid once the maturity date of the bond has reached. Immocratie may charge a 3-5% consulting fee to investors on certain projects. They also require a questionnaire to be filled by the investors before they can be registered on the platform. This helps them distinguish that the investors understand the operation and risks of such investments. The return rates are only visible to registered investors but generally go upwards of 10%. Some investors can also benefit from the Flat Tax option for real estate investments.
Immovesting
Immovesting is a real estate crowd investing platform from France that issues stocks and bonds to public investors. Their roster includes both residential and commercial projects. This allows investors to create a diverse portfolio of investments in the real estate sector, which is usually common for big investors. The minimum investment amount is 1000 Euros. The projects have different types of operations. Some are just flipping old properties, some yield rental income, while some are construction projects from developers.
- Type of Investment: Real Estate
- ROI: 5-12%
- Security: No
- Secondary Market: No
- Auto-invest Function: No
- Minimum Investment Amount: Euro 1000
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2015
- Country of Operation: France
The duration of the projects is 1 to 5 years. You can select the project you like best and start investing instantly. Once the project receives its funding limit, your invested money is issued to the party behind the project. You receive payments automatically afterward. Payments are managed by Lemon Way. The fee charged by Immovesting can be 0-5% of the invested amount. Non-French residents can also invest in French real estate via this platform. Personalized quarterly reports are available to investors.
Credit.fr
Credit.fr is a French platform for crowd investments in French SMEs. This platform picks businesses from a variety of sectors in France. Also, the companies have been in business for at least three years. It boasts a whole community of businesses and investors. You have the opportunity to connect with the faces behind the businesses should you need more information. The website has great navigation, and you can set up an account in just minutes. All projects have corresponding credit/risk ratings.
- Type of Investment: Loan
- ROI: Up to 8.5%
- English: No
- Security: No
- Secondary Market: No
- Auto-invest Function: No
- Minimum Investment Amount: Euro 50
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2014
- Country of Operation: France
Loans are repaid in at least 12 months. However, the longer the maturity term, the more return you may receive. The maximum limit of investment in a single project is 2000 Euros. You can transfer monthly repayments to your bank account or reinvest on the platform to make even more money. Headquartered in Paris, the team consists of highly seasoned finance and technology experts. The platform is registered with ORIAS and is a subsidiary of Tikehau Capital since 2017.
WeShareBonds
WeShareBonds is a crowd investing platform that helps finance French SMEs. The platform uses strict analysis guidelines to select companies for financing. They finance up to 31% of a project’s financing. The rest usually comes from banks and big investors. You can select companies and projects manually or use the WeBot® tool to allow the platform to automatically invest money for you across a diverse range of businesses. The businesses have credit ratings based on risk.
- Type of Investment: Loan
- ROI: Up to 8%
- English: No
- Security: No
- Secondary Market: No
- Auto-invest Function: Yes
- Minimum Investment Amount: Euro 50
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2015
- Country of Operation: France
There is no fee for investors and also no maximum investment cap. Repayments are made quarterly, starting from the day you invested the money. The online system is also very easy to manage your investments and finances. Interest rates start at 2.3% and can go as high as 8%. Usually, the higher the return rate, the higher the risk is. However, looking at the past record of projects on this platform, the default rate seems considerably low. People outside France can invest too as long as they have a bank account in an EU country.
Finple
Finple is a crowd investing platform for investment in companies in France. They offer two types of investments: capital and bond. The bond can either be an SME bond or a real estate bond. Regardless of whichever investment route you take on the platform, it offers high returns. However, risks of default or insolvency are there. Diversification of investment portfolio is recommended to micro investors. Most projects selected offer highly innovative solutions and a promise to boost the country’s economy.
- Type of Investment: Capital, Bonds
- ROI: Up to 9.5%
- Security: Equity
- Secondary Market: Yes
- Auto-invest Function: No
- Minimum Investment Amount: Euro 5000
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2018
- Country of Operation: France
Investing in capital loans has a fee of 5% VAT. However, when buying bonds, there is no fee for the lenders. When you invest in the capital of a company, you get a return by selling your shares to other investors in case of a new capital increase or when the company goes public. Most securities are medium-term i.e., lasting from 3 to 6 years. The platform also offers a premium service called Fintup Premier to investors putting in over 100,000 Euros capital each year.
