Observatoire du Crédit et de l'Endettement / Observatorium voor Krediet en Schuldenlast

What Observatoire du Crédit et de l'Endettement / Observatorium voor Krediet en Schuldenlast does

The Observatoire du Crédit et de l'Endettement (OCE), also styled Observatorium voor Krediet en Schuldenlast, is a Belgian non-profit association (asbl/vzw) founded in 1994 and headquartered in Marchienne-au-Pont (Charleroi area), Wallonia. Its mission is research, prevention and education on consumer credit, household debt and over-indebtedness, primarily serving Wallonia and Belgium more broadly. The organization runs an annual statistical survey of debt mediation services accredited by the Walloon Region, publishes the recurring report 'Prévention et traitement du surendettement en Wallonie' (most recently covering 2023-2024), and contributes to policy analysis on consumer credit and debt-recovery legislation at federal and regional levels, including auditions before the federal Justice Commission.

OCE's product surface is mission-driven and largely free: JuriObs, an online legal database on credit and collective debt settlement; a toolbox of financial calculators (seizable portion, interest, payments, amortization); the Walloon over-indebtedness portal 'Régler son compte au surendettement', managed by OCE since 2012; free legal consultations (by email and phone on Wednesdays and Fridays); sensitization animations delivered at partner structures; and a webinar series. Paid offerings are the Manuel de la Médiation de Dettes (€50 paper / €20 PDF / €60 bundle), the annual practical guide 'La médiation de dettes en question' (sold via Politeia.be), and specialized training programs for debt mediators and social workers.

The business model is a hybrid of public-subsidy and fee-for-service non-profit operations. Core activities (legal consultations, sensitization animations, the Walloon portal, the JuriObs database, budget tools, prevention brochures) are free to end users; the European Social Fund and the Walloon Region co-finance prevention programs and the managed portal. Revenue is generated through publication sales and training fees, with training partly supported by public funding. OCE is a member of the European Consumer Debt Network (ECDN) and co-organizes colloquia with the Belgian Anti-Poverty Network (BAPN), the Centre d'Appui – Médiation de Dettes (CAMD) and Flemish partner Steunpunt Mens en Samenleving (SAM).

Name

Observatoire du Crédit et de l'Endettement / Observatorium voor Krediet en Schuldenlast

Legal name

Observatoire du Crédit et de l'Endettement asbl

Website

https://observatoire-credit.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Belgian non-profit (asbl) founded in 1994 that researches and prevents household over-indebtedness in Wallonia via annual surveys, the JuriObs legal database, free legal consultations, the Walloon over-indebtedness portal, training, and publications, funded by the European Social Fund and the Walloon Region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Debt Advisory Services

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Literacy, Debt Counseling & Default Prevention (EDALAJAK)

Keywords

• Debt mediation services
• Financial education programs
• Over-indebtedness prevention
• Consumer credit research
• Legal consultation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Marchienne-au-Pont

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Publication sales: Sale of practical reference manuals and guides on debt mediation. The Manuel de la Médiation de Dettes 2026 is sold in paper (€50) and PDF (€20) formats. Additional publications include 'La médiation de dettes en question' (2026 edition) available via Politeia.be.
2. Training services: The Observatory provides specialized training programs for debt mediators and social workers, offered as customized sessions and scheduled modules across multiple dates in Charleroi, Liège, Namur and via videoconference, partially supported by public funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Observatoire du Crédit et de l'Endettement is a Belgian non-profit organization that researches credit, debt, and over-indebtedness and provides free legal consultations to individuals in financial difficulty, paid training programs for debt mediators, and published reference manuals on debt mediation procedures. It also manages the Walloon regional portal on over-indebtedness, conducts annual statistical surveys of accredited debt mediation services, and contributes to European-level research through its membership in the European Consumer Debt Network (ECDN).

Product overview

Observatoire du Crédit et de l'Endettement operates as a non-profit organization providing a suite of interconnected services focused on credit, debt, and over-indebtedness in Belgium. The core offering includes JurObs (online legal database), a toolbox of financial calculators, training programs, publications, free legal consultations, and the Walloon over-indebtedness portal. The organization also conducts prevention actions and publishes annual guides such as the Manuel de la médiation de dettes and La médiation de dettes en question. All services are free or low-cost, supported by the European Social Fund and Wallonia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• JuriObs Legal Database
• Boîte à outils (Financial Toolbox)
• Free Legal Consultations
• Portail Wallon sur le Surendettement
• Manuel de la Médiation de Dettes
• La Médiation de Dettes en Question
• Training Programs (Formations)
• Annual Statistical Report on Over-Indebtedness in Wallonia
• Prevention Actions (Actions de prévention)

Quantifiable outcome

• Provides annual statistics on debt mediation in Wallonia covering 2022-2023 and 2023-2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Centre d'Appui – Médiation de Dettes (CAMD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2026Co-organizer of the 'Endettement et détention' colloquium on 13 October 2026 and of the over-indebtedness prevention colloquium on 16 September 2026.
• BAPN - Réseau Belge de Lutte contre la PauvretécoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2026Co-organizer of the Colloque sur la prévention du surendettement on 16 September 2026, along with the Centre d'Appui – Médiation de Dettes (CAMD) and Steunpunt Mens en Samenleving (SAM).
• Steunpunt Mens en Samenleving (SAM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2026Flemish partner co-organizing the September 2026 prevention colloquium; also a partner in joint press releases on debt collection reform.
• ECDN (European Consumer Debt Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Observatory is a member of the European Consumer Debt Network (ECDN), acting at the European level to contribute to and disseminate research on consumer over-indebtedness.
• Centres de référence en médiation de dettes (Wallonia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of provincial reference centers in Liège, Hainaut, Luxembourg, and Namur that the Observatory collaborates with for data collection and outreach.
• Grepa - Centre d'Appui aux services de Médiation de Dettes (Bruxelles)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrussels-based support center for debt mediation services, listed as a key actor in the Belgian debt prevention ecosystem.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Réseau Belge de Lutte contre la Pauvreté (BAPN): Belgian anti-poverty network that co-organizes the September 2026 prevention colloquium with the Observatory and is a recurring press-release partner. Operates in the same over-indebtedness policy and advocacy space at the federal level.
• NIBUD (National Institute for Family Finance Information): Dutch national institute conducting research, education, and policy advice on household finances and over-indebtedness. Closest international peer to the Observatory's role: a publicly-supported national body producing surveys, training, and tools to improve consumer financial behavior.
• European Consumer Debt Network (ECDN): European-level network of consumer-debt research and policy organizations. The Observatory is an active member and contributor; ECDN operates at the same intersection of research, advocacy, and cross-border knowledge sharing on over-indebtedness, making it the closest peer at supranational level.
• Centre d'Appui – Médiation de Dettes (CAMD): Walloon support center for accredited debt mediation services. Co-organizes colloquia with the Observatory on prevention and detention/debt, sits within the same Walloon debt-prevention ecosystem, and provides training and practitioner support in a directly overlapping role.
• Grepa – Centre d'Appui aux services de Médiation de Dettes: Brussels-based support center for debt mediation services, listed as a key actor in the Belgian debt-prevention ecosystem. Performs the same practitioner-support and training function for the Brussels-Capital Region that the Observatory performs for Wallonia.
• Steunpunt Mens en Samenleving (SAM): Flemish policy support center focused on poverty, debt, and social welfare. Co-organizes prevention colloquia and joint press releases with the Observatory; functions as the Flemish counterpart for research, training, and policy advocacy on over-indebtedness.

Broad incumbents

• National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC): US national non-profit coordinating credit-counseling agencies, providing financial education, debt counseling, and policy advocacy. Functions as a US analogue of the Observatory's role at a much larger scale and across multiple US states.
• StepChange Debt Charity: Large UK debt advice charity combining direct consumer counseling, research, policy advocacy, and training on over-indebtedness. A larger-scale incumbent operating across the same functional stack (research + advice + policy + training) as the Observatory, but at UK retail scale.
• Citizens Advice: UK consumer-advice network offering free debt advice alongside broader consumer rights support, with research and policy publications. Comparable to the Observatory on the free-advice and policy-research axis, but operates across all consumer issues rather than specializing in debt.

Others

• JustRestart: Belgian technology platform for amicable debt mediation whose new legal framework the Observatory has built dedicated training modules around. Not a peer in mission but a structural ecosystem partner whose adoption drives training demand for the Observatory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/observatoire-credit-endettement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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