Best Business Loans in the Netherlands

Compare the best options on the market and choose the one which best adapts to your day-to-day needs.

Further Below: Our Guide To Business Loans in the Netherlands, Everything you need to know.

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Business Loans in The Netherlands, All You Need To Know:

We conduct an in-depth analysis of the current market conditions affecting consumer credits and equip you with all the useful information you need before contracting a business credit including the types of credit or grants, which documents to submit, to how to get the best business loans at the moment:

What economic measures has the Government implemented for companies through covid-19?

During the heat of the pandemic, the Dutch Government rose to the occasion to cushion SME entrepreneurs, large companies, and self-employed workers from the adverse effects of the pandemic. On March 17, 2020, the government established some economic measures to ensure that every sector of the economy survives the crisis. 

• The government introduced the Overhead Compensation SMEs where SME entrepreneurs in sectors that were hardly hit by Covid-19 would be exempted from tax. Companies or entrepreneurs would also be compensated € 50,000 (maximum) for four months.
• SMEs would also be protected by a credit guarantee scheme that sees an increase in credit guarantee (up to 90%) and a decrease in the percentage (from 3.9% to 2%) attached to the premium due. 
• The government put in place a 6-months delay in Qredits microloan repayment for small businesses and firms. The interest rates were also reduced to 2%.
• The government extended the Growth Facility Scheme to July 2021. The scheme made it easier for SMEs to raise capital.
• The government also had the export credit insurance running to the end of 2020.
• The government also introduced the Corona Bridging Loan for start-ups where eligible applicants would enjoy low interest rates and longer repayment periods.
• The extension of the Corporate Financing Guarantee Scheme for both big firms and SMEs where the government would stand in as guarantor covering a bigger percentage – 80% for big companies and 90% for SMEs.
• The Dutch Trade and Investment Fund (DTIF) also came in to offer loans and facilitate companies that wished to grow their scale of production and operation to the international level.

Distinguishing types of company profiles

Getting finance for your company or business depends on a few factors including your business profile. The characteristics of your business profile are a great determinant of the type of financing you get and the processes involved. There are different types of business profiles:

Companies

1. Entrepreneurs: this type of company has yet to materialize. Instead, it’s only imagined, probably planned for, and awaiting financing to materialize. 
2. Start-ups: this type of business may not always qualify for funding as there are many parameters attached to business loans that might hinder that. Start-ups are physical businesses that are yet to gain ground. They may still have sustainability problems.
3. Consolidated companies: these companies will easily get business loans because they have a stable system of operation, stable income, and have been running for some time. This gives lenders some sort of confidence in financing them.
4. Large companies: their level of operation is either national or international. The financing needs are also huge, mostly in millions of Euros if not billions. For instance ING Group Bank, Rabobank, ABN Amro, among others.

Self-employed

• As legal entities: these are owned by professionals who work independently and may require some financing for their companies. Their entities may either be classified as start-ups or consolidated companies depending on their level of operation. However, the loans their business receives will be characterized as that of a single person.
• As natural persons: this group of professionals receive personal loans to fund their projects, say buying a car, a home, or making other purchases. They draw their income from other sources besides employment.

Characteristics of business loans

As aforementioned, your business profile will determine the type of financing your business qualifies for. Despite the uniqueness of the loan option you settle for, below are some of the characteristics to look out for as they cut across every loan option.

1. Cost: the cost of a loan will vary with an entity. That calls upon you to think out of the box and compare as many options as possible so you can get the friendliest option of them all. The banking and financial systems in the Netherlands are somewhat stable, making it a good place to get a business loan. According to Statista, the lending rate by the third quarter of 2021 was 2.1% which makes it less costly compared to other countries. 
2. Loan amount: get to know the amount of loan you need for your business and look for just that. However, your type of business profile will also determine the amount of funds you receive. Big companies tend to receive more funds than SMEs.
3. Purpose: why do you want the loan? It could be to expand your business, make purchases, consolidate other business loans, clear arrears with your distributor, finalize major projects among other reasons. 
4. Linkage: Your lender may want all the loanees to hold a business account with them, savings account, insurance, or any other related products for you to qualify for a loan.
5. Term: the time you take to repay a loan will vary with an entity as well as the amount of the loan. Generally, big loans tend to have longer repayment periods, running up to 10 years while small loan amounts may have shorter repayment terms, probably 3-months.
6. Grace period: This is a period when you can stay without paying back the loan without attracting any penalties. It’s mostly granted in the initial stages of the loan repayment process.
7. Guarantee: Most lenders will require some form of security for the loans they offer (especially with big loans). Hence, the lender will require “payment insurance” mostly if the loan amount is big.
8. Concession: You might require urgent money, hence knowing beforehand how fast the funds will be released will help you decide on whether to take the loan or not. Some lenders may take days or hours to deliver the cash while others may take weeks or months.
9. Repayment: Your loan type may require you to make payments in monthly installments, quarterly, or yearly while in other cases, you may have the option of repaying the whole loan amount plus the interest and commissions accrued at the end of the term.

Where to get business loans

The Netherlands has a robust banking system that has seen tremendous growth with the emergence of online loans, mobile banking, and loan apps. The country has more than 90 established banks whose assets cover a big percentage of the country’s GDP. Meaning, the banks have well-facilitated business loans. 

• Banks: There are more than 90 banks in the Netherlands that provide different products to their own unique standards. To qualify for a business loan, your business will require a high level of solvency as most banks opt to finance consolidated companies.

• Companies and private capital lenders: Getting funds from entities under this category just got easier and more convenient as the loan processing happens online. In the Netherlands, people looking for loans prefer these types of lenders because they have fast concessions. Additionally, their financial products and offers are often lower in cost than those of banks.

• Alternative financing platforms for crowdlending: these are online platforms where companies connect us with private investors. Once we request a business loan, it’s upon these investors to decide on whether to contribute capital to your business or not. The whole process is done through the internet and it might take two days to receive feedback.

Business loan conditions

Business loan conditions will vary with an entity. Here are some of the common conditions you’re likely to meet:

• National registration: entities will need to draw confidence from the registration of your business and whether you meet all the legal requirements (according to Dutch law) for running a business in Austria, either as an expat or a native. 
• Annual income: Dutch law requires businesses to keep account records, annual financial statements, and annual reports. Your lender might need this information to tell the solvency of your business before approving your loan application.
• Seniority of the company: your loan application may not be approved if you have been running the business for less than a year. Nonetheless, you might find alternative financing options if you’re just starting up a business or it’s a few months old.
• Credit history: many lenders will check with the BKR to see if you have a poor credit history. Poor credit history will automatically disqualify you for a loan.

You might meet less or more stringent conditions depending on the entity from which you seek financing.

Documents needed to get funding

1. VAT return from the previous year and the current year.
2. Income tax return.
3. Bank statement (if in another bank).
4. An updated balance sheet of the company’s turnover.
5. Proof of payment of Corporate Tax.

The lender will have you send the documents online via mail, courier, or delivering them in person. Depending on the entity, you might require fewer or more documents.

Other forms of financing for companies

Business credit lines

With business lines of credit, the borrower can tap the money whenever needed until they reach their borrowing limit. The borrower will only repay the amount they have withdrawn and the interest attached and not the whole amount of the loan that’s granted. Many lenders in the Netherlands offer this product.

Factoring

This is a type of financing for SMEs where the lender pays for our invoices to one or more suppliers. We’re then left to clear the bill with the supplier either in full (the interest included), in part, or installments.

P2B or crowdlending loans

Through an online platform, a private lender may decide to invest in our business or not. With the emergence of different crowdlending platforms, you’ll receive different services as you move from one platform to another in terms of the loan amount and terms and conditions.

Loans with mortgage guarantee

With these types of loans, we’re only funded if we are able to present property (mortgage) to be used as a guarantee. The concession of these loans takes longer because of the appraisal processes involved.

Products to invest in your company

Equity crowdfunding

This is a platform where an investor is linked to a borrower. The private investor invests in our business until it’s stable. It’s important to note that once the investor invests in your business, they’ll get a share of your business and a share in profits.

Business Angels

Business angels are similar to equity crowdfunding only in that a group of investors come together and select a business in which they want to invest. Just like in crowdfunding, the investors will get a share of your company. 

3F (Family, Friends, Fools)

The conditions of getting financing from each of these parties are dependent on the agreement between you and the lender.

Aid for the financing of companies

Capitalization of unemployment

You’ll best benefit from this option if you’re self-employed and want to start a business. 

Subsidies

The Covid-19 pandemic brought about a surge in federal subsidies and government grants in the Netherlands. 

Crowdfunding

Through these online platforms, you may get a private investor who’s interested in sponsoring your business or project.

About this page, our methodology

What is this page for: we present all you need to know about the best loan for your business that’s currently available in the market, which entities and platforms can solve our business’s financial needs, and what to do to obtain liquidity without overpaying.

Source: information about business loans interest rates has been drawn from Statista, while information about conditions of business registration has been sourced from Dutch Law.

Methodology: all the information about the financing products has been collected through online research and mystery shopping.

About FUNDGECKO: we’re a team of professionals who are committed to helping you have an easy financial decision process, where you get a chance to compare the best financial products in the market and select the one that best suits your needs and peculiarities.

Note: All our services are free of charge as FUNDGECKO obtains its income from advertising and its featured products