- 18/06/19 (blog article)
Groep Caenen Capital Fund raises a record sum in just one hour and forty-five minutes!
- 14/06/19 (video)
Kanaal Z: GCCF seeks to raise 1 million EUR through crowdfunding
- 13/06/19 (press release)
Press release: GCCF and KBC's Bolero Crowdfunding partnership
Real estate fund seeks to raise 1 million euro through Bolero Crowdfunding network
GROEP CAENEN CAPITAL FUND (GCCF) will partner with Bolero Crowdfunding to launch its first ever crowdlending campaign on 18 June 2019. The campaign sits within a wider framework of further expansion and diversification of the fund’s activities and investment portfolio. GCCF has already successfully completed multiple bond issues amongst its own network of real estate professionals. GCCF is now seeking to attract new, individual investors through the Bolero Crowdfunding platform by offering them the chance to invest in the fund’s diversified portfolio. Groep Caenen Capital Fund aims to raise at least 1 million euro through the issue of a bond with a sixty-month term and returns of five percent. Thanks to its extensive network and reputation, the real estate fund already is the first point of call for the best opportunities in Belgium and the Netherlands. To supplement its current portfolio, the fund is prioritising the main urban centres in Flanders and the major cities of the Netherlands, including The Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
“Any individual investor can sign up (you don’t even have to be a KBC customer), and you’ll receive an annual interest of five percent for five years. You can start by investing just 500 euro, and you can go up to 25,000 euro.”
Real estate fund aims for five percent annual revenue growth
Groep Caenen Capital Fund has been around for five years and can boast a profitable and greatly diversified track record. GCCF is now seeking to drive further growth of its activities and real estate portfolio by continuing to invest and by aiming to increase its revenue by at least five percent per year. To finance this expansion, Groep Caenen Capital Fund has started a crowdlending campaign.
Double Bolero Crowdfunding scoop: first real estate campaign to target 500,000 euro
The Groep Caenen crowdlending project is not only the first real estate deal on the platform; it is also the first project aiming to raise more than 500,000 euro and the first project in which investors can pledge between 500 and 25,000 euro.
The campaign was made possible by the more flexible Prospectus Act introduced mid-way through 2018, which stipulates that campaigns between 500,000 euro and 5 million euro no longer require a prospectus, but an information document instead.
About Groep Caenen Capital Fund
Groep Caenen Capital Fund is a bond fund established in 2014 by the Caenen real estate company, which has been active on the property market since 1966. The main purpose of the fund is to invest in land that is immediately sold on with building rights to creditworthy contractors or project developers. The building rights (“recht van opstal”) system enables one party to own buildings, works or plantings on, above or underneath all or part of another party’s property.
In addition, Groep Caenen Capital Fund invests in hotel real estate, leased real estate (logistics, offices and retail) and, as of recently, in private equity.
Partnership with contractors and project developers
Before acquiring land with building rights, GCCF always enters into a partnership with creditworthy contractors and project developers who intend to act as a builder. GCCF then purchases the development land and grants building rights to the builder for a maximum term of five years. Once this term has expired, the builder is obliged to purchase any unsold parts of the land. This formula presents a win-win situation for both parties. The builder does not need to commit to any initial investment in the land for the duration of the building rights contract, and GCCF generates a profit on the sale of parts of the land.
Strict selection criteria for land
The risks to investors are limited. The intake of land is always conducted on the basis of strict selection criteria. Crucial elements during the selection process include development potential, the location of the land, the creditworthiness of any partners and the diversification of the portfolio. Once a plot has passed the strict selection criteria, the case is presented to the Board of Directors, who are supported in their decision by the Advisory Board. Dun & Bradstreet has given GCCF a risk score of 1, which constitutes minimal risk.
Focus on the Belgian and Dutch property market
GCCF is mainly focusing on Belgium and the Netherlands for the further expansion of its real estate portfolio. Within Belgium, the fund mainly focuses on Flanders, as the real estate market in this region has been stable for many years. A few years ago, many forecasters were predicting a dip, but real estate prices have continued to rise uninterrupted since 2015, and the number of transactions also continues to increase. The Netherlands also offers plenty of potential for GCCF. The available supply of real estate has dropped sharply in the Netherlands, causing prices to skyrocket.
You can find everything you need to know about this crowdlending campaign on the Bolero Crowdfunding platform.
Bolero Crowdfunding
In 2014, KBC was the first bank and online broker in the world to set up its own crowdfunding initiative. Through the Bolero Crowdfunding platform, KBC is connecting Belgian entrepreneurs and Belgian investors as effortlessly as possible, with the aim of driving innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2018, 2.8 million euro was raised through Bolero Crowdfunding for twelve local SMEs and growing companies.
More information
How can individuals/investors sign up? You do not have to be a KBC customer. We recommend that you register for KBC’s Bolero Crowdlending platform in advance to ensure you are the first to hear about the launch of the campaign. Details on how to do so can be found on the campaign page:
- 06/06/19 (newspaper article)
Groep Caenen Capital Fund turns five
more info: https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20190531_04440046