Luxembourg-based property developer Qubic Group is raising €1.35m through Belgium-based real estate crowdfunder BeeBonds for the construction of four semi-detached three-bedroom houses in the quiet village of Lintgen, situated near Mersch just north of Luxembourg.
They join in Kirchberg, , a which have all turned to the lucrative crowdlending market to finance project construction and land purchase in recent years. All in all, Founder and CEO of BeeBonds Joel Duysan .
“There’s huge demand in Luxembourg to raise money in real estate because the banks can only lend as far as the ‘prix solde’ meaning that you can only receive that bank money when you’ve sold 70% of the promotion,” he said.
The early upfront capital used to come from investors, friends and family. However crowdlending has now entered that mix. In exchange for the lock up of their capital for two years, investors will receive gross interest of 9% per annum on their capital for the Lintgen project, Duysan said.
And, at a minimum investment of €500, it’s also valuable exposure for retail investors into the Luxembourg real estate market.
“Investors can invest in real estate in the Luxembourg country. The risk for investor is less than in Belgium [because all of Luxembourg real estate projects tend to get sold]”, said Duysan.
“In this time of high inflation and uncertainty, BeeBonds allows investers both a good return and flexibility – the lock-up is for two years only.”
The targeted €1.35m is accompanied by a bank financing from Raiffeisen and a loan from the project’s shareholders. Investors can be based anywhere in the European Economic Area and hold a personal or corporate account.
Crowdlending in Luxembourg
Crowdlending, where pooling a large crowd of investors’ or supporters’ funding in order to finance a specific project has been recognised by the European Commission as a crucial mechanism to support start-ups and entrepreneurs.
In 2020, the European Parliament published the European Crowdfunding Service Providers for business Regulation to establish a common approach.
And, the Luxembourg regulator the CSSF appears to anticipate an increase in crowdlending platforms in the grand duchy.
In June 2022 it published a press release inviting crowdlending platforms to assess whether their activity falls within the scope of the ECSP regulation and whether it is subject to an authorisation granted by the CSSF. It also provided a dedicated .