What Lendahand does

Lendahand (legal entity: Hands-on B.V.) is a Rotterdam-based online impact investing and crowdfunding platform founded in 2013 by Peter Heijen and operated under CEO Arno Hoogenhuizen since late 2024. The platform enables European retail investors to provide senior debt facilities (starting from €10) to financial institutions and SMEs in approximately 25 emerging markets across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Investee countries include Kenya, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, India, Moldova, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Colombia, Benin, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, and Bangladesh. Investors earn annual interest of 2.5-8% (average 6.28%, maximum 9%) with semi-annual repayments, selecting from EUR, USD, and local-currency denominated projects; USD projects carry ~0.5-1% higher rates to compensate for currency exchange risk.

The underlying platform is a self-service web and mobile application running on AWS cloud infrastructure with HTTPS encryption. Core capabilities include a proprietary partially-automated credit scoring model (five weighted categories yielding A+ to E ratings), an Auto-Invest automation module for 24/7 portfolio building, and Intersolve-mediated payment servicing with supervised client funds segregation. The company is the first Dutch crowdfunding platform to hold a European Crowdfunding Service Provider (ECSP) license from the AFM (August 2022), transitioned fully from MiFID to ECSP in May 2024, and is B Corp certified.

Lendahand's business model operates as a two-sided marketplace monetizing primarily through interest rate spread (transaction fees on borrower payments) and ~0.30% currency conversion charges on USD repayments. Distribution combines a product-led growth digital platform, strategic co-financing partnerships (AlphaMundi, Triodos Investment Management), grants/agency partnerships (P4G, SIDA, UK Aid Direct, BMU, ICCO), and targeted PR/media outreach via Dutch national press. The company reports cumulative originations of ~€232-240 million, 20,000 investors, 3,509 projects funded, 13,368 jobs created, and a 97.4% on-time repayment rate. Recent strategic actions include the 2022 acquisition of French platform Babyloan, the 2023 integration of food-security lender PlusPlus, and the April 2024 launch of Auto-Invest, with the CEO transitioning from co-founder Koen The to Arno Hoogenhuizen in mid-to-late 2024.

Name

Lendahand

Legal name

Hands-on B.V.

Website

https://lendahand.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lendahand is a Rotterdam-based, ECSP-regulated online impact investing platform enabling European retail investors to fund loans (from €10) to financial institutions and SMEs in 25 emerging markets, earning 2.5-9% annual interest with measurable social returns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Investing Crowdfunding Platform

NAICS

Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Venture Growth / Recurring Revenue Credit Funds (FSANAIAG)

Keywords

• Impact investing platform
• Crowdfunding lending
• Emerging market finance
• Microfinance crowdfunding
• Sustainable investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Interest Rate Spread: Lenders/investors receive interest up to 9% annually. Average return is 6.28%. Loans provided to financial institutions and SMEs in emerging markets. The spread between what borrowers pay and what investors receive constitutes core revenue.
2. Platform Transaction Fees: Currency conversion fees of approximately 0.30% charged to investors for USD project repayments. borrowers bear costs for currency conversion and exchange rate hedging.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lendahand operates an online impact investing crowdfunding platform that enables everyday investors to provide loans (from €10) to financial institutions and SMEs in emerging markets across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Investors earn up to 9% annual interest, repayments are made every six months, and projects are available in EUR, USD, and local currencies. The platform aggregates and co-finances deals sourced through partners such as AlphaMundi and Triodos Investment Management.

Product overview

Lendahand operates a unified crowdfunding platform for impact investing in emerging markets, consisting of the core Lendahand Platform supplemented by an Auto-Invest automation module. The platform offers three project types differentiated by currency: Euro (EUR) projects with no exchange risk, US Dollar (USD) projects with higher yields but currency exposure, and Local Currency projects where Lendahand manages exchange risk for borrowers. Lendahand also encompasses two acquired brands: PlusPlus (interest-free loans for food security, integrated in 2023) and Babyloan (French microcredit platform acquired in 2022), both extending Lendahand's reach into new geographies and mission areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lendahand Crowdfunding Platform Core online crowdfunding platform allowing European retail investors to provide loans (from €10) to financial institutions and SMEs in emerging markets, with annual interest returns up to 9% and repayments every six months, under ECSP regulation by the Dutch AFM.
• Auto-Invest Automated portfolio building tool on the Lendahand platform that lets investors set their project preferences and have new investments allocated automatically on a 24/7 basis without manual project selection.
• Babyloan Wholly-owned French microcredit crowdfunding platform acquired in June 2022 that provides microfinance to entrepreneurs in developing countries; operated as a retained brand under Lendahand.
• PlusPlus Impact crowdfunding platform providing interest-free loans focused on food security in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; absorbed into the Lendahand offering in 2023.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97.4% of payments made on time and in full
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Atradius DSBcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2024Partnership with Atradius DSB enables first-of-its-kind 100% guarantee on direct investment in sustainable energy project (Carabus) via crowdfunding in the Netherlands.
• BabyloancoreOthers · 8 June 2022Lendahand acquired French crowdfunding platform Babyloan, a microcredit crowdfunding organization, to expand European presence. Deal facilitated by funding from ABN AMRO, INCO, and NGO Acted. Supports Babyloan's mission to provide microfinance in developing countries.
• AlphaMundicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2021Co-financing partnership with AlphaMundi, a global impact investment company dedicated to reducing poverty and preserving the environment. AlphaMundi sources partner companies (microfinance institutions, renewable energy, fintechs) for Lendahand platform. Since 2007, invested over $80 million in 50 companies.
• P4G (Partnerships for Green Growth)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with P4G, an organization focused on accelerating sustainable development in developing countries. Lendahand partners with P4G to achieve big goals.
• SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with SIDA to support development cooperation and sustainable growth in emerging markets.
• TCX (Currency Exchange Risk)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with TCX to manage currency exchange risk for investments in developing countries.
• UK Aid DirectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UK Aid Direct supporting development projects and impact investing in emerging markets.
• BMU (German Federal Ministry for Environment)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with BMU supporting environmental and sustainable development initiatives.
• PlusPluscoreOthersPlusPlus was created by Peter Heijen together with Solidaridad and ICCO to provide interest-free loans focused on food security in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 2023, PlusPlus became part of the impact crowdfunding platform Lendahand.
• ICCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment aid organization ICCO combined forces with Lendahand in a strategic partnership. ICCO is also co-founder of PlusPlus.
• Triodos Investment ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew partnership generates more capital from individual investors for impactful entrepreneurs. Triodos is an established player in impact investing.
• Sistema.biocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerB-Corp partnership with Sistema.bio, a social enterprise providing biogas digesters to rural farmers in Latin America, Kenya, and India. Combined impact expected to reach more than 4,500 people.
• IntersolvecoreOthersPayment services provider handling investor funds. Supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) and AFM with e-money institution license. Funds held in protected secured bank account until project fully funded.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Trine: Trine is a Sweden-based crowdfunding platform focused on solar and impact lending in emerging markets, offering European retail investors debt investments with financial returns. It is the closest direct competitor to Lendahand, sharing the model of pooling retail capital for off-grid/emerging-market loans.
• Bettervest: Bettervest is a German impact crowdfunding platform that enables retail investors to fund energy efficiency and sustainability projects with fixed interest returns. It mirrors Lendahand's combination of impact narrative and debt-based retail investing in the DACH region.
• Kiva: Kiva is a US-based nonprofit microfinance crowdfunding platform that lets individual lenders provide 0% interest loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries. It overlaps directly with Lendahand's microfinance/emerging-market mission, though Kiva's loans are interest-free for borrowers.

Broad incumbents

• Funding Circle: Funding Circle is a UK-headquartered online lender originating SME loans and operating a retail/institutional P2P-style marketplace. While much larger and more SME-focused than Lendahand, it competes for European retail capital seeking yield from private debt.
• LendingClub: LendingClub is the largest US peer-to-peer lending marketplace, originating personal and small-business loans funded by retail and institutional investors. It is a broader incumbent that established the online marketplace lending category Lendahand operates within.
• Zopa: Zopa is a UK digital bank that began as a peer-to-peer lending platform and now offers savings, loans and investment products. It represents a scaled UK incumbent whose investment product competes for the same European retail yield-seeking customers as Lendahand.

Emerging players

• SunFunder: SunFunder is a solar finance crowdfunding platform that mobilizes capital for distributed solar in emerging markets. It overlaps with Lendahand's emerging-market renewable energy book (e.g., Sistema.bio, Carabus) but focuses exclusively on solar debt.
• Octopus Choice: Octopus Choice is a UK peer-to-peer investment platform (part of Octopus Group) that lends to UK property-backed businesses with target returns. It is an emerging UK competitor for the European retail-investor yield segment that Lendahand serves.
• Abundance Investment: Abundance is a UK-regulated investment platform offering debt and equity investments in sustainability/energy projects. It targets the same impact-oriented UK/European retail investor base as Lendahand with a similar dual-return narrative.

Regional players

• Funding Societies: Funding Societies is the largest SME digital financing platform in Southeast Asia (Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia), offering crowdfunding and short-term credit to SMEs. While regional rather than European, it shares Lendahand's emerging-market SME debt focus and is even a current Lendahand portfolio borrower.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lendahand
• YouTubeyoutube.com/lendahand
• Facebookfacebook.com/lendahand.eu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2207652
• Instagraminstagram.com/lendahand

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments9 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lendahand