FAQ

Why Blue Bees?

About crowdfunding regulations

About the inscription

About the loan

About the loan repayment

About taxation

About the donation

How does Blue Bees remunerate itself?

How to promote Blue Bees?

How to contact us? 

Why Blue Bees?

"Blue” because the blue color is for us the color of human ecology, the one that makes human rhymes with environment, without one taking advantage over the other. The blue economy is a challenge for our society: create jobs, activity, in order to preserve our … blue planet.

"Bees" because we are all useful, and we can all get in action, to scatter, like the bees of one hive.

About crowdfunding regulations

What is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is a way to fund your project thanks to the crowd. On Blue Bees, Projects creators from all horizons can present their project to thousands of web users and collect the necessary funds to its achievement. This process allowed tens of thousands of projects to emerge all over the world.

Is crowdfunding regulated?

On May 14^th, 2013, the French Financial Markets Authority and the French Prudential Control and Resolution Authority published two guidebooks giving a clear legislative framework to French crowdfunding. One of the guide addresses the general public, the other addresses platforms and projects leaders. We encourage you to read them!  

About the inscription

Are there any age or nationality requirements?

Inscription on the website is open to every web users, whatever their nationality and country of residence. However, the possibility to contribute to a project is only open to person over the age of majority (over 18 years old).  

Can I sign up without directly contributing?

Yes. You can sign up to discover the full description of each project and decide to contribute whenever you want!

Are my personal data kept confidential?

Yes. Respecting the applicable law, your personal data won’t ever be communicated to any third party. For more information on how Blue Bees takes care of your data, please see our General Conditions of Use.

You can access your personal data via the tab « My Account », and modify your information at any time.

I’ve lost my password, how can I find it?

If you can’t remember your password, you just need to click on the « I forgot my password » button, on top right of the website, next to the connection button. We’ll then send you by e-mail all the instructions to renew your password.  

Is the payment secured?

Of course! Our partner Mango Pay ensures the security of any bank transaction. Mango Pay is a secure payment solution, developed by the Luxembourger company Leetchi, a payment institution with a capital of 500 000 euros, registered at the Luxembourger Company Registry under the number B173459 and located at 14, Aldringen Street, L-1118 Luxembourg.

About the loan

What is the minimum amount to lend?

50 euros. The lenders deposit a minimum amount of 50 euros on their account.

Is there a maximum amount to lend for a project?

Yes. You can lend a maximum amount of 2000 € per project. But you can lend 2000 € to as much projects as you like. The objective of this limit is to encourage you to spread your risk.

If the expected amount isn’t reached, what happens?

If the expected amount isn’t reached during the fundraising period, there are two possibilities:

• Either the global amount is too low, then the amount is credited on each lender’s Blue Bees account (up to their initial loan).

• Either the total amount collected has reached 80% of the total expected amount: then Blue Bees shall extend of 4 weeks the initial fundraising period, in accordance with the Project leader.

Can I participate to several projects?

Yes, we advise you to do so, because it multiplies the number of virtuous projects funded thanks to your action.

Can I withdraw my money of the project before the closing of the fundraising?

Before the closing of the fundraising of the project you lent to, you can withdraw your participation. In that case, your participation will be credited to your Blue Bees’ pot, and you shall then be able to participate to another project or ask for the repayment on your bank account.  

What is the circuit of my money?

Blue Bees, via Mango Pay, his manager of electronic payment, gathers participation of all the web users, and keep it on an escrow account dedicated to the project. Once the fundraising is over, and after Blue Bees’ order, Mango Pay transfers the money to the project leader. Repayment of the principal and payment of the interests is done in accordance with the repayment schedule set in the loan agreement and available on your Blue Bees’ account.

Blue Bees is completely transparent about the money’s circuit. Money doesn’t pass through Blue Bees’ bank account.  

Is my investment risky?

Yes. Most of the loans are not guaranteed. Even if the company is solvent at the moment of the loan, and has positive economic indicators, zero risk doesn’t exist. So you should vary your investments to spread your non-repayment risk.

Is lending on Blue Bees adequate for me?

The money you lend is fixed and presents a non-repayment risk. Thus, we advise you to lend only the amount of money that you don’t need immediately, to keep enough available savings to handle your own maturities (rent, loans, taxes, current expenses and other charges), and to spread your loans over a great number of companies.  

Blue Bees is adequate for you if you answer positively to the 3 following questions:

• Do the loans that you are considering represent less than 10% of your whole patrimony?  
• Do you have an adequate investment horizon (for example, over 5 years) to take on the illiquid risk of the loans you are considering?  
• Do you like risk?

About the loan repayment

What’s the annual interest rate?

The annual interest rate depends on the projects, but is on average around 2%.

For a project that last less than a year, the interest rate is prorated to the period.

For example: I lend 1000 € over 6 months at a 2% interest rate, I’m going to get at the end of the 6 months 1010 €, i.e. 1% of interest.

How is the loan repayment set up?

There is a distinction between the principal repayment on one hand, and the interests on the other:

• Principal repayment is calculated following the principle of depreciable loans.  The depreciation can be monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annual, depending on the project’s needs.  
• Interests represent the annual remuneration of the remaining principal.

Let’s take the example of a half-yearly depreciation. Each semester, repayments include a part of the principal and interests. It is the same calculation as for a mortgage loan for example. If you lend 1000 € over 2 years at a 2% interest rate, the borrower undertakes to repay you 4 semesters of 256.3 € each. At the end, you must get 1000 € of principal and 25.1 € of interests.  

When you lend 1000€ over 2 years at a 2% interest rate, your repayments are distributed as follows:

You’ll be informed of your repayments by e-mail, and you can find it under the tab « My account » > « Repayment ».

You can then reuse this repayment to invest in new projects, and thus maximize your impact on development, or you can ask for repayment on your bank account.

Tip: it’s very important to lend again the repayment you receive. Indeed, your interest rate applies to the capital still to repay: you are not paid anymore on the capital already repaid, as it was reimbursed. If you lend 1000€ at a 2% interest rate, you won’t get 20€ of interest each year, as the capital lent will reduce through the repayments. To get 20€ of interests, you need to lend again to new projects the amounts you get for repayment.

Is there a document attesting of the loans’ existence?

Yes, loans agreements are always dropped in the tab « Documents » on the project’s page and are available at any time.

After funds receipt by the borrower, repayment starts following the repayment schedule provided for in the agreement. Repayment is organized by Mango Pay, Blue Bees’ partner for secure payment, and on Blue Bees’ orders. Mango Pay splits the repayment of the capital owed and its interests between each lender.

Am I ensured to win money?

No, you are not automatically ensured to be totally repaid. Loans are not guaranteed, except for some projects leaders who can personally guarantee the totality or a part of their loan.

Can a borrower repay by anticipation?

Yes, when he wants and without any fee or penalty. Lenders shall then get the amount of the capital still owed. Money they can lend to new projects.

What if the project leader dies?

In the event of a project leader’s death, repayments go on as provided for in the repayment schedule. Indeed, he didn’t subscribed the loan, his company did.   

What if Blue Bees disappears?

Repayments go on every month. Mango Pay is contractually committed to handle cash flows between borrowers and lenders in the event of Blue Bees’ liquidation.

About taxation

Can I deduct my participation from my taxes?

As it’s neither a donation nor savings nor a subscription of a company’s capital, but a project’s contribution, deduction from taxes isn’t possible.

What is the taxation of an interest-bearing loan?

Only interests are taxed. The tax rate is the same as for usual placement, such as savings accounts. Each year, Blue Bees provides every borrower with a tax declaration form (in French, IFU) in his personal account.

About the borrower

How much time does it take to fund a project?

Between 3 weeks and 3 months, depending on the amount. As soon as the objective amount is reached out, the borrower gets his money.

Can the company withdraw its project?

No. Once the project is online, the company can’t withdraw its request. 

Who has access to the information published online by borrowers?

Every website visitors have access to the project’s description. However, only those registered on Blue Bees can access the projects’ details, such as the company’s accounts and contracts.

Is it possible to borrow several times?

Yes. Borrowers can present several projects spread in time. One at a time can appear on the website.

What if the objective amount of the borrower isn’t reached out?

The project doesn’t succeed and the amount is released. The lender keeps its money and the borrower doesn’t pay any fee.

What if the objective amount of the borrower is exceeded?

The borrower only gets the objective amount. The remaining amount is repaid to the last participators.

About the donation

Do donation made on Blue Bees allow me to benefit from a tax reduction?

To benefit from a tax reduction, the project leader must be an association under the law of 1901 or declared of public utility, or an organization in the public interest or a foundation. In those cases, the contributor gets a tax receipt from the association or the organization to which he donated. The possibility to get a tax receipt is outlined in the project’s description.

What if the project that I supported doesn’t reached the asked objective?

Your participation is still transferred to the project leader. Indeed, we consider that any amount of money can be useful and help association to reach their objectives.

Donation statement by project leaders

             I am an « auto-entrepreneur » or an individual company

The revenue of the donation campaign are considered as sale of goods or services, and are thus part of income taxes under Industrial and commercial profits category, or under Non-commercial profits category when it’s an occasional revenue of commercial and artisanal activity.    

             I am an association

If the given compensation is only symbolic, and is much lower than the funds allocated, it is then a donation or a contribution (depending on the funder’ membership to the association). The corresponding income must be recorded either in the Account 754 « Collects » or in the Account 756 « Contributions ».  

If the compensation has a real cash value, then it’s considered as a sale of goods or services. The corresponding income must be recorded in the Account 70 (Sale of finished goods and services).

             I am a company

Revenues of a donation campaign organized by a commercial company subject to income tax or corporate tax are considered as either sale revenue, or other operating income subject to VAT and are part of the company’s taxable profit.

If the revenue is considered as part of the company’s business, we believe that it should be recorded in the Account 758.

If the revenue is considered as extraordinary, it must be recorded in the Account 771 « Extraordinary income on management activities ».

How does Blue Bees remunerate itself?

Blue Bees is a company and thus must pay its employees, banking fees and other operational costs to develop its activity.

In order to support itself and keep offering you wonderful projects, Blue Bees must therefore finance itself.

Blue Bees’ economic model is based on the levying of management fees on the amount raised by the project leader:

• For loans, up to 4% excl. VAT levy on the amount raised by the borrower. No interest is levy later by Blue Bees.
• For donation, up to 8% excl. VAT on the amount raised by the project leader.

How to promote Blue Bees?

You like Blue Bees, so let people know!

The website offers you several ways to communicate:

• Like a project to share it with your friends and accelerate its funding,
• Talk about us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, your blog.

For any further question, don’t hesitate to contact our team via our Contact form. We’ll answer as soon as possible.

 How to contact us?

• By phone: (+33) 7.69.44.86.79
• By e-mail : contact@bluebees.fr
• By mail: 102c, rue Amelot 75011 Paris