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Investing in Belgium is easier than you’d think. While you used to have to be physical present in the country, you can now tap into the Belgian real estate market and business sphere from anywhere abroad.
With the convenience of peer-to-peer lending, you have the option to set your money to work without the hassle of dealing with banks or brokerage firms that might charge you for their services. Though still a relatively new investment type, peer-to-peer lending has quickly become a top choice for investors looking for an easy way into the Belgian economy.
Whether you want to invest in Belgian properties or businesses, have a look at this selection of peer-to-peer lending platforms in Belgium that are on the right track to become top performers this year.
Note that most sites require language skills in either French or Dutch, and you’ll be needing a bank account within the EEA, like Revolut or Transferwise.
Peer-to-Peer Lending in Belgium: Best Platforms Compared:
1. Spreds: Leading Belgian Crowdfunding Site
Spreds is Belgium-based equity crowd investing platform based that allows people to invest in European businesses online. From startups to SMEs, the running projects at Spreds are both popular and quickly funded.
There’s a low minimum investment of only €100, making it easy to diversify across several loans without staking too much on a single project.
Spreds also offers Tax Shelter benefit that can give back your investment by up to 45% in terms of tax reduction. Therefore, all companies and their projects are carefully chosen by a team of experts.
- Type of Investment: Equity
- ROI: Varies
- English: Yes
- Security: Equity
- Secondary Market: Yes
- Auto-invest Function: No
- Minimum Investment Amount: 100 Euros
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2011
- Country of Operation: Belgium
The platform is based in Brussels and currently has over 41,000 members actively investing in businesses. There is a commission of 5% on the initial investment you make in any company. Most of the companies are startups, so the investment can be a bit risky. However, the platform provides all essential information to help investors choose the best project/business to invest in.
Unlike traditional investment instruments, with Spreds, you can start with just 100 Euros. Those who invest more than 10,000 Euros in a year qualify for premium investing reduced commission rates.
2. BeeBonds: High Rates From Belgian Real Estate Crowdfunding
BeeBonds is a new but promising peer-to-peer lending platform in Belgium with a large emphasis on real estate crowdfunding. The website, which is available in English (besides the French and Dutch original), promises high returns of up to 12% per year from corporate bonds on real estate.
As such, BeeBonds works a bit differently from peer-to-peer lending platforms in the UK and Baltics in that you invest by purchasing corporate bonds issued by the company responsible for the project. In return for your stake, you can expect fixed dividends paid by the bond-issuing company.
Bonds issued through BeeBonds functions like a debt security, which means you’ll be covered by the regulations that surround the purchasing and issuing of bonds in Belgium. Your rights as a bondholder are also contained in the contract that’s issued with each bond.
3. Look & Fin: Belgian Businesses & Real Estate Investing
Look & Fin is a Belgian real estate crowd investing and business lending platform. The site is only available in French and Dutch, but open to international investors with a European Union bank account.
Look & Fin offers high ROI rates from real estate and business crowdfunding investments. Most projects come from mature and experienced developers that use the platform to secure funding for developing new real estate projects.
The team behind the Look & Fin has a combined experience of decades in finance and information technology. There are no hidden fees, and you can start with as little as 100 Euros, depending on the project you select.
- Type of Investment: Real Estate
- ROI: Up to 12% pa
- English: No
- Security: Asset
- Secondary Market: Yes
- Auto-invest Function: No
- Minimum Investment Amount: Varies by project
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2012
- Country of Operation: Belgium
The yearly return rate varies by each real estate project, but most offer competitive rates with monthly repayments. Although the borrowing companies usually seek from 100,000 Euros up to 5 Million Euros in funding, projects usually go fast, because of the site’s popularity.
The maturity time also varies from short-term projects completing in 6 months to long-term projects completing in 48 months. The latter yields the most profit each year with higher interest rates. Default rates are extremely low, around 1.96%.
Legislation: The platform is based in Brussels and is registered as an Alternative Financing Platform with the FSMA.
4. Mozzeno: Proven Track Record
Mozzeno is a popular Belgium online crowdfunding platform for investing in business loans and real estate projects. Currently, there’s no English translation available, which is quite a shame since Mozzeno offers one of the more interesting platforms for lenders.
The way Mozzeno works is quite simple: It connects lenders to borrowers through what they call ‘notes.’ A note is basically part of the credit. You choose which project you want to invest in and give them notes.
Mozzeno moves the money to the borrower behind that project. Then they pay back the principle, as well as interest every month till the end of the contract.
- Type of Investment: Personal Loan, Real Estate
- ROI: Up to 7% pa
- English: No
- Security: Asset
- Secondary Market: Yes
- Auto-invest Function: Yes
- Minimum Investment Amount: 500 Euros
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: 2015
- Country of Operation: Belgium
The interest rates can be lower than some other crowdfunding platforms. However, Mozzeno is a unique platform that makes it easier for people to borrow money and for those investing to make a quick profit. The platform also offers Protect Insurance that guarantees the return of capital invested in the projects.
The projects are categorized by their risk level. You can invest in as many projects as you like to diversify your investment. Automatic investment is also available where you can set the rules for investing.
5. Angel.me: Invest in Belgian Start-Up Scene
Angel.me Investors Club provides crowd investing opportunities to startups in Belgium. Investors, on the other hand, can invest small amounts. They have a host of startups and scale ups looking for funding. You can join the platform, look for promising ideas, and invest your money to make the business a success and reap the rewards yourself.
You do not become direct shareholders. However, you get your shares in the company via this platform. As the company grows, so does the return on your investment.
- Type of Investment: Equity
- ROI: Varies
- Security: Equity
- Secondary Market: Yes
- Auto-invest Function: No
- Minimum Investment Amount: Varies
- Currency of Investment: Euro
- Platform Founding Year: N/A
- Country of Operation: Belgium
Once you register online, you can start looking for startups to invest in. Most projects are offering crowdfunding rewards that are set up by the business itself. Angel.me just provides the platform to do this transaction. The return on your investment varies by businesses on the platform.
The biggest benefit you can get as a Belgian citizen investing in a startup is the tax break. You can get a reduction of up to 45% on the amount you invest in the startup.
