Swave

What Swave does

Swave is a Belgian mobile loyalty platform operator, headquartered in Kortrijk and founded in 2019, that runs the consumer-facing Beleef application to connect local retail spend with hospitality rewards. The platform enables consumers who spend €50 at partnered local shops to receive free consumptions at nearby restaurants or cafes, plus free parking benefits (€5-10 value) and entry into prize draws that have included a Tesla. Reward detection is automated through integration with bank card payments and Payconiq, with receipt scanning available as a fallback when automatic detection is not supported.

The underlying technology centers on a mobile application with open banking or card-linked payment integration, a merchant-facing onboarding and promotion module, and a city-level network of partnered retailers and hospitality venues. Disclosed integrations are limited to Payconiq and bank card payments, with no API or SDK offerings and no AI, machine learning, or computer vision components described. The platform is registered under the Beleef brand identity and is distributed via iOS and Android app stores.

Swave's business model is primarily freemium for both retail and horeca merchants, who join at no cost in exchange for offering rewards to consumers and gaining visibility in the app, newsletter, and social media. Monetization is layered on top through a paid social media advertising add-on (Facebook and Instagram video campaigns with 750,000 impression budgets per merchant package) sold on multi-year contracts. The go-to-market motion is self-serve, with merchants signing up through dedicated online registration links and city-level marketing partnerships (notably Stad Kortrijk and Pluxee) driving awareness across eight Belgian cities: Aalst, Antwerp, Ghent, Hasselt, Kortrijk, Leuven, Mechelen, and Roeselare.

Name

Swave

Legal name

Swave

Website

https://swave.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Swave operates the Beleef mobile loyalty app, connecting Belgian local retail spend with automatic hospitality rewards (free drinks, food, parking) across eight cities, monetized via a freemium merchant model and paid social media advertising add-ons for SMBs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Loyalty Rewards Platform

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAMAGAH

Price Comparison, Deals, Cashback & Loyalty Shopping Platforms

Business & Public Services/Web, Mobile & Digital Platforms/E-commerce Marketplaces & Shopping Platforms

SECONDARYFSAMAEAH

In-App / Online Checkout Wallets

Financial & Insurance/Payments & Transaction Processing/Digital Wallets & Mobile Payments

Keywords

• Mobile loyalty rewards
• City commerce platform
• Automatic cashback app
• Local shop rewards
• Hospitality foot traffic

Headquarters

HQ city

Kortrijk

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Partnership Fees: Local retailers pay to participate in the Beleef loyalty program, gaining visibility in the app and social media promotion to attract more customers to their stores.
2. Hospitality Partnership Fees: Hospitality businesses (restaurants, cafes) pay to be featured in the platform, gaining guaranteed foot traffic from nearby shoppers with pre-spending minimums.
3. Social Media Marketing Services: The platform provides paid Facebook and Instagram advertising services to merchants, with budgets for impressions (e.g., 750,000 impressions per campaign).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Swave operates the Beleef mobile loyalty rewards app, which automatically grants consumers free consumptions (food and drinks at hospitality venues) and €5–10 of free parking when they spend €50 or more at partnered local retailers in Belgian cities. Reward delivery is automated via linked bank cards or Payconiq transactions, with receipt scanning as a fallback. On the supply side, retail shops and restaurants/cafes join free of charge and pay for higher-tier promotional packages including paid social media advertising.

Product overview

Swave operates Beleef, a unified loyalty rewards platform comprising a consumer mobile application and two business-facing services. The core Beleef app enables consumers to earn free consumptions and parking rewards by shopping at partnered retailers in Belgian cities, with automatic reward delivery via bank card or Payconiq payments or receipt scanning. The platform connects two business modules: Retailer Services (Winkels) allows retail shops to reward customers with complimentary hospitality perks, while Hospitality Services (Horeca) enables restaurants and cafes to attract shoppers through promotions and guaranteed revenue per visit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beleef App A consumer-facing mobile application that automatically rewards users with free consumptions (food and drinks) at nearby hospitality venues and free parking (€5–10 value) when they spend €50 or more at partnered local retailers. Users link their bank account and pay with their bank card or Payconiq for automatic reward crediting, or scan physical receipts as a fallback. Available in seven Belgian cities: Aalst, Antwerp, Ghent, Hasselt, Kortrijk, Leuven, Mechelen, and Roeselare. Available on iOS and Android via onelink.to/rs8ct9.
• Retailer Services (Winkels) A free service enabling retail shops to reward customers who spend €50 or more with free food or drinks at nearby partnered hospitality venues, plus entry into prize draws (including a Tesla). Includes visibility inside the Beleef app, newsletter promotion, and access to promotional materials. Self-serve onboarding via an online registration form (t.ly/winkels).
• Hospitality Services (Horeca) A service that enables hospitality venues (restaurants, cafes, coffee shops) to attract nearby retail shoppers through promotions such as 1+1 deals or complimentary items. Includes guaranteed revenue per visit (minimum €18 spend), access to app and social media exposure, and an optional paid Facebook & Instagram video advertising package with 750,000 impressions per campaign on a multi-year contract. Self-serve onboarding via t.ly/horeca.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 new customers acquired within days for KOP Koffiezaak through platform, averaging €18 spend each

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stad KortrijkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial partnership with the city of Kortrijk municipality. The city supports local commerce through the Beleef platform, featuring Kortrijk shops and hospitality venues in the app and promotional materials.
• imec.istartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology accelerator program by imec. istart is listed as a partner/supporter, indicating Swave participated in or was associated with the accelerator.
• BirdhouseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner/supporter in the Beleef ecosystem, nature of partnership not specified in detail.
• BoardplusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner/supporter in the Beleef ecosystem, nature of partnership not specified in detail.
• PluxeecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployee benefits company co-marketing with Beleef on city discovery campaigns. Instagram posts promoting local shopping in Aalst, Roeselare, Kortrijk, and Ghent feature both Beleef and Pluxee branding together.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Payconiq: Payconiq is a Benelux mobile payment network integrated into the Beleef app for cashless payments. While primarily a payment rail, its merchant-consumer rewards and proximity to local commerce position it as an emerging competitor and adjacent platform.

Direct peers

• Pluxee: Pluxee (formerly Sodexo Benefits & Rewards) is a global employee-benefits and engagement platform offering vouchers, cards, and merchant discounts. It is already a co-marketing partner of Swave and competes directly in the Belgian merchant-loyalty and consumer-rewards space.
• Stamp Me: Stamp Me is a digital loyalty and rewards platform for SMBs that lets merchants run stamp-card, coupon, and reward programs via a mobile app. It is directly comparable to Beleef in serving local retail and horeca SMBs with a self-serve loyalty product.
• Thanx: Thanx is a digital loyalty and engagement platform for restaurants and retailers, capturing payment-linked behavior to drive repeat visits. It shares Swave's 'automatic transaction detection' approach and SMB customer base.
• Belly (by Bridg): Belly, now part of Bridg, is a tablet-based and mobile digital loyalty platform for independent retailers and restaurants. It targets the same independent SMB segment as Beleef with digital stamp cards and rewards.
• Loyaltek: Loyaltek is a Belgian-based loyalty, gift card, and payment platform serving retail and hospitality merchants. It is a direct competitor in Flemish SMB loyalty and rewards with overlapping technology, geography, and customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Square Loyalty (Block): Square Loyalty is the SMB-facing loyalty program from Block, embedded in a full point-of-sale ecosystem. It targets the same retail and hospitality SMBs that Swave serves, but at vastly larger scale and with a broader commerce platform.
• Yotpo Loyalty: Yotpo is a broader commerce-marketing platform with a built-in loyalty and referrals product for retail and hospitality merchants. While much larger and more diversified, it competes for the same loyalty budget at SMB and mid-market merchants.

Regional players

• CashbackDeals / Heycado: Heycado and similar Benelux cashback and local-deals platforms aggregate merchant offers and cashback for consumers in a similar geographic footprint. They overlap with Beleef's local shopping and rewards proposition but typically focus on online rather than in-store transactions.

Others

• Birdhouse (Gobirdhouse): Birdhouse is a Flemish marketing and merchant-engagement platform and is listed as a partner in Swave's ecosystem. It is adjacent rather than directly competitive, providing complementary marketing tooling for the same SMB base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SwaveTeam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swave-app
• Instagraminstagram.com/beleef_byswave

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Swave