Frequently Asked Questions

You can invest from as little as 50 euros. Each higher amount that you want to lend is then a multiple of 50. Your account must be validated by our payment service provider before you can invest. This happens immediately after you have completed your account setup.

The AFM's advice is: invest a maximum of 10% of the freely investable assets in crowdfunding (and spread across multiple websites). This is all the money that you own that you will not need for the next three to five years, minus your debts. In addition, we strongly advise against investing with borrowed money.

If a project is not fully funded within the period of 60 days, you will receive the full amount that you have invested back into your account. Until then, it is safe in a third-party account (wallet) with our payment service provider.

At PlusPlus you can invest from all countries if you have an EU nationality (including Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein). In addition, you need to have a bank account with IBAN.

Please note: in some countries certain legal requirements may apply to investors. It is an investors own responsibility to ensure that such requests are met.

PlusPlus positions itself more as an alternative to donating, and less as an alternative to SRI (where the investor expects a certain financial return on investment in addition to social impact). The point of PlusPlus is to keep the interest for the entrepreneur to an absolute minimum. In this way, small (agri) companies also get access to affordable financing, as they often cannot get access to a local financial institution. For example, the company is still young, has insufficient collateral or climate risks affect harvests. As a result, they receive no loan or only a loan at a sky-high and unaffordable interest rate. By paying no interest to investors, we can guarantee that we really are the cheapest alternative. PlusPlus charged an average (one-time) fee of 5.7% last year, which is much lower than what most lenders charge. This fee is used to cover PlusPlus' expenses.

Yes, that's possible. In some cases, the entrepreneur may choose to repay the loan early, for example if the business is growing faster than expected and the remaining loan is no longer needed.

If a loan is repaid early, you will get the outstanding amount back sooner.

At PlusPlus you invest directly in companies in the agricultural sector and the food value chain. This means that there is always a risk the company cannot repay the loan. PlusPlus tries to minimize this risk with a thorough assessment of our businesses, but there are always circumstances that cannot be foreseen. It is wise to always study the risks of a project in which you are considering investing. Every company is different and so are the risks.

In addition to the risks that arise on the part of the entrepreneur, operational risks may also occur at PlusPlus. It is possible that PlusPlus will no longer be able to find new shareholders or financiers to finance everything and will therefore have to stop its activities. In that case, PlusPlus will handle outstanding loans as best as possible, but the power to legally address non-payment of a local entrepreneur is then a lot less. For each project you also find a KIIS, a document with additional (financial) information on the company.

Before entrepreneurs can access the PlusPlus platform to make projects available, they will have to meet the PlusPlus access and quality requirements. PlusPlus tries to limit the risks in various ways. We do this by:

1. Keeping an eye on things. The local offices of our partners Solidaridad, Cordaid and Truvalu visit the companies, offer guidance and provide training.
2. Due diligence investigation into the expected cash flows of the entrepreneur. PlusPlus always has its own due diligence carried out when applying for funding. In addition, to provide more insight into an investment, we summarize our analysis in an investment overview that is published on our site for each project. However, the analysis does not provide a complete picture and mainly serves as a tool for your own assessment and conclusion. So please note that this analysis does not concern investment advice.

More information on our risk page.

No. With a direct investment in a local entrepreneur, this entrepreneur is responsible for the repayment. If the local entrepreneur is unable to repay the money for whatever reason, there is a chance that you have lost (part of) the money.

We adhere to strict security requirements when it comes to your personal and payment details. All sensitive data is sent via an encrypted connection (https).

Data is then stored encrypted in a protected facility offered by AWS (S3). AWS is the largest hosting provider worldwide and S3 is the largest file storage service worldwide. Customer data is only accessible via personal accounts, with secure connection and multi-factor authentication.

More information can be found in our Privacy Statement.

The bonds you have obtained (proof of money lent) qualify as financial instruments that are separate from the assets of AgriCrowd BV (with the brand name PlusPlus) and are kept and protected as such in accordance with the Giro Securities Transactions Act (Wge). The bonds in question therefore always fall outside a possible bankruptcy of PlusPlus.

If PlusPlus were to go bankrupt, transactions between our platform and Intersolve EGI would immediately cease. Intersolve, who handle our transactions, would then transfer the money that is in your personal wallet to your bank account. In consultation with a receiver, Intersolve would handle all outstanding payments, up to the final repayment of the last project.

When a local entrepreneur goes bankrupt for whatever reason, chances are that you will not get part or all of your investment back. Naturally, PlusPlus will try to recover outstanding funds, but the chance of success will be limited in such situations.

If an entrepreneur has difficulty paying you back, it is not possible to take immediate action against him or her. To spread risks, we recommend that you choose projects from different entrepreneurs.

The companies that are financed through PlusPlus have the following characteristics:

1. They work in the agricultural or food sector in Africa, Asia or Latin America
2. They are small and medium-sized companies with a maximum of 100 employees
3. They all have the potential to grow and innovate with a focus on people and the environment.

PlusPlus believes it is important to support entrepreneurs who can make a difference. That's why we're creating a movement of investors who understand the importance of jobs and food security. We often support entrepreneurs not only financially, but also with training and advice. This is how we help them to achieve sustainable growth.

Our local entrepreneurs are first subjected to professional screening. The following criteria are required:

1. The applicant must be of 'moral character': is positively appraised in the region in which he / she works, Has paid premiums and taxes properly, is not known as a defaulter.
2. The applicant’s business must be generating income for at least 1 year and should be able to demonstrate a clear long-term plan.
3. The applicant must be able to demonstrate that there is sufficient cash from the annual profit and loss account to be able to meet the repayment obligations.
4. The applicant must be able to submit a clear plan in which (in addition to substantiation for the loan) the following points are included: creation of employment, a safe work environment for employees, implementation of 'fair trade' policy, environmental awareness, and the positive impact on the environment of the organization.
5. no significant payment arrears with other agencies / government organizations.
6. Clear financial administration.
7. Access to a bank account.

We like to keep it affordable. On average, entrepreneurs pay 5.7% per year in euro fees and interest to us. Often agricultural entrepreneurs do not qualify for financing from banks or microfinance institutions. The requirements of such parties are usually unrealistic. They charge up to 50% interest and require 110% collateral. In the absence of options with banks and microfinance institutions, entrepreneurs regularly turn to loan sharks, who can easily charge more than 100% interest per year.

The interest that agricultural entrepreneurs pay to PlusPlus is low compared to the risk. This underlines our mission. With affordable financing, our entrepreneurs can grow and innovate. And that means more jobs and food supply: 1 +1 = 3!

PlusPlus gives entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector and food chain in Africa, Asia and Latin America direct access to affordable loans. This allows them to grow their business and make it more sustainable. And it is precisely these companies that are an important driver for food production and employment for both women and men. This way, PlusPlus contributes directly to food production and food processing for the local and international market, creating local jobs and improved incomes for employees and small-scale farmers. In this way we indirectly contribute to food security, sustainability, better living conditions for employees and small-scale farmers as well as the reduction of poverty.

By sharing knowledge and partnerships at a local and international level, PlusPlus wants to contribute to sustainable change in the system. By setting a good example, we want to encourage both local banks and other financial institutions to develop affordable financial products for companies in the agricultural sector and the food chain.

In relation to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, PlusPlus actively contributes:

• SDG 2 No hunger
• SDG 8 Fair work and economic growth

In addition, our work also affects the following goals:

• SDG 1 No poverty
• SDG 5 Gender equality
• SDG 10 Reduced inequality
• SDG 17 Partnership to achieve goals

We work together with a growing network of partners to achieve PlusPlus social objectives. Currently, the following partners support our work:

• P4G, or the Partnership for Green Growth & the Global Goals 2030, supports innovative solutions for sustainable growth worldwide. In 2019 we were selected as one of the seven partners. P4G contributes to the construction and growth of our platform.
• The Dutch Postcode Lottery has also contributed to the founding of PlusPlus.

PlusPlus invests in agricultural entrepreneurs in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We are active in countries where our partners Solidaridad, Cordaid or Truvalu work. In many countries they have local offices and an extensive local network. We are therefore well informed about the local market and developments. View our project page for all countries where PlusPlus is active.

PlusPlus is the European crowdfunding platform that invests directly in entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector and food value chain in developing countries. The companies are too large to qualify for micro-credit and too small to meet the high demands of banks. PlusPlus provides a solution for affordable financing through crowdfunding for this group of companies.

Curious about our agricultural entrepreneurs?

To enable investments through the PlusPlus platform, bonds are issued to the crowd. The investor who issues the bonds is called the "issuer". These are entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector and food chain in developing countries who therefore directly raise capital as an issuer via the PlusPlus platform.

The bonds issued are kept by Lendahand, the owner of PlusPlus, in a so-called collective deposit. These pieces qualify as financial instruments, are kept in accordance with the Securities Book-Entry Transfer Act, are separated from the assets of PlusPlus and Lendahand and are therefore protected. The issued bonds are always excluded from a possible bankruptcy of PlusPlus or Lendahand.

PlusPlus has a remuneration policy based on the Remuneration Policy for Financial Enterprises Act. The policy applies to all employees of PlusPlus and is aimed at ensuring that employee rewards do not pose any undesirable risks or behavior with regard to the specific services provided to clients and / or with regard to the solidity of PlusPlus.

PlusPlus pays all employees a fixed monthly salary that is not dependent on targets. We do not work with guaranteed variable remuneration.

The remuneration policy is drawn up by the management. Because PlusPlus is a relatively small company, no remuneration committee is set up, nor is there (yet) a Supervisory Board. For this reason, the remuneration policy is coordinated with the Compliance Officer.

At least annually, the remuneration policy is reviewed to see whether the policy meets the requirements of the board of management, applicable laws and regulations and the interests of investors. This involves examining which forms of remuneration can encourage undesirable behavior and how the remuneration policy provides for appropriate measures.

Please use the complaint form of PlusPlus’ owner Lendahand to file your complaint and email it to info@lendahand.com. A first response to the complaint will be given within five working days, and the response will indicate possible follow-up measures. Lendahand will then make every effort to respond to the dissatisfaction as soon as possible. All follow-up communications will be by email, with the email address on file in our system, unless otherwise specified. This is to ensure a reproducible digital archive of communications. Complaints are investigated in accordance with Dutch law as well as our terms and conditions. The filing of a complaint and the corresponding measures taken by Lendahand are of course free of charge for the investor. As a licensed investment firm, Lendahand is also a member of KiFiD, a Dutch foundation whose main objective is to deal with complaints within the financial services industry. If we are unable to resolve the complaint, we will follow KiFiD's advice.

Download the complaint form.

Klachtenformulier

In case of a personal account:

Identification document (ID)
The ID must be a clear copy of passport, EU identity card or EU driving license, on which all personal data is fully readable and visible (including the BSN number). The BSN number will not be stored.

In case of a business account:

1. Co-owner identification documents
In the case of a BV, a passport or identity card is required for every person with more than 25% interest. In the case of an association or foundation, a passport or identity card is required for all board members.

2. Chamber of Commerce registration document or registration number.
The document may not be older than three months