Technicals & fees

Why is there a minimum investment amount of €100?

It's very important to us to make sustainable investing accessible to everyone, this is why we have a low minimum investment amount. Given the transaction costs associated with each investment we require at least €100 for each investment.

I have used a bonus code. When will I receive the payout?

20 days after a project is fully funded we will process your bonus payment directly to your bank account.

What if a project is not fully financed?

While the majority of ecoligo's projects are fully funded by crowdinvestors, occasionally a project is not fully financed. In these cases, we always find ways to finance the projects, whether through capital directly from ecoligo or other sources.

How does ecoligo define the term of a loan and how long does it last?

A loan term is the length of time it will take for a loan to be completely paid back. Based on the project, funding can run for several months, resulting in a different term in months for each investor. For simplicity, we do not state the process amounts of mounths or days but display the loan term instead as the amount of years.

We define the loan term in years as the difference between the first payment date (of interest) of a project and its last payment date. In case the first payment date of a project is more than one year later (e.g., the funding starts on 15.10.2020 and the first payment date is on 31.10.2021), then the current year is also included in the calculation.

The interest is calculated to the day; hence the information about the loan term on our projects page is exemplary.

About ecoligo invest

Is ecoligo or ecoligo invest a bank?

ecoligo is an impact-driven company leading the clean energy transition around the world. We are not a bank and don't provide standard banking services, such as financial advice or account management.

ecoligo invest is the operator of the online platform and thus enables the direct lending of investors to the respective project promoters.

What does ecoligo invest mean?

Glad you asked! ecoligo is our creation made up of "eco" and "ligo". "eco" stands for the English terms "ecology" and "economic development," while "ligo" means "to connect" as well as "to unite"in Latin.

ecoligo combines sustainable investing with economic development in the target countries. Further, it reflects our vision to unite people worldwide, bringing private investors and companies in emerging markets together to make an impact in reducing CO2 emissions, generating valuable returns, and bolstering local economies.

ecoligo invest is the company that manages the investments into ecoligo's projects.

Who operates the ecoligo invest crowdinvesting platform?

ecoligo invest is a crowdinvesting platform, initiated by ecoligo GmbH, for effective renewable energy projects focusing on developing and emerging countries. ecoligo GmbH cooperates with the portagon GmbH - https://www.portagon.com/

We are the first generation to feel the effects of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it. Thats why ecoligo GmbH brings solar solutions with environmental impact to businesses in emerging markets. Creating opportunities for the public to invest in impactful projects, in close collaboration with it's crowdinvesting platform operator - ecoligo invest GmbH (100% a subsidiary of portagon GmbH).

A detailed overview of what we do and how can be found here.

Investing

How safe is my money with an ecoligo invest loan?

Your investments make each of our projects possible and we take the security of your investments seriously. Our business model keeps us accountable by giving us total oversight and control over each stage of each project.

The money you lend goes directly into clean energy projects. As we own these projects, we are accountable for their performance and have a high level of control over what happens with each one.

We work with two models of subordinated loans: 100% crowdfinanced and part-financed by senior lenders. The senior lenders model has a slightly higher risk, as senior lenders would be repaid first in the event of a project default.
That's reflected in higher interest rates.

For both models, ecoligo takes investment security seriously.

You can find more on our investment security page.

Who determines the terms of a loan?

The project manager (ecoligo GmbH) determines the loan conditions.

Is it possible for companies to invest with ecoligo invest?

Everyone is welcome to invest in ecoligo's projects and take action to stop climate change in its tracks. All legally recognised entities can invest in ecoligo's projects. Businesses should create a business account to begin investing.

When does the project manager receive the crowdinvested funds?

All payments go directly into an escrow account and are then transferred to the project manager under the condition that the project funding threshold (€100) and the 14 days cancellation period have passed.

When should I transfer my investment amount?

Once the loan allocation process is completed, the requested
amount must be transferred to the account specified in the investment process within 3 business days. Investors start earning interest as soon as the funds are received.

What happens if I do not transfer the invested amount within the deadline?

If the invested amount isn't transferred within the 14 days period your investment will be automatically canceled. You will receive an email confirmation if this happens.

If the project you invested in is still running and has not yet reached the final funding volume then it is possible for you to submit a new investment.

What is a bullet loan and how does it work?

With a bullet loan, you receive your interest payments on the entire loan amount in each year of the term. At the end of the term, you will receive your investment amount and the final payment of your interest back in one payment.

As an investor, this means that you will receive more interest in comparison to a loan that is repaid on an annuity, but your capital won't be accessible to you for a longer period of time.

What is an annuity loan and how does it work?

With annuity loans you receive the same payment amount each year over the entire term, consisting of an interest payment and a pro-rata repayment. This means that you also receive a portion of your investment amount back each year and not just at the end of the term (compared to a bullet repayment profile).

That way, the annual net profit that you can earn on your investment is lower (compared to a bullet repayment profile with one big repayment at the loan end), but you can dispose parts of your profits earlier on.

What is an installment loan and how it works?

Installment loans let you receive constant repayments evenly distributed over the loan term (e.g. for a 10-year term, 10% repayment every year) including your interest on the outstanding loan amount.

At ecoligo invest, we rarely use this repayment scheme as it does not fit the solar revenue streams well.

How does a 50% annuity & 50% bullet repayment model work?

ecoligo's projects often use a hybrid repayment model. This means 50% of the loan amount is repaid as an annuity over the term of the loan and the remaining 50% of the loan amount is repaid at the end of the loan term.

Can minors invest in projects?

We welcome minors to invest into a more sustainable future; their future. But in order to do so, certain conditons should be met:

- The minor must be at least seven years old.
- The minor needs an own user account with an individual email address (one email address cannot be used for more than one user account at ecoligo invest).
- The bank account for repayments must be registered to the minor child.
- The investment contribution can be transferred from another bank account.
- The limit for investments is €14,950 due to the Money Laundering Act.

You can learn more on this topic on our blog.

What is a cashback bonus?

On special occasions or for referring your friends and family, we like to say thanks with a cashback bonus. This means that you get a certain amount of cash when you invest - either a percentage of your investment or a fixed amount. You earm this bonus by entering the bonus code you have received into step 1 of the investment process. The amount will be paid to your bank account 20 days after the project which you have invested in is successfully funded.

How it works

How can I invest on ecoligo invest?

Investing in ecoligo's solar projects is easy, fast and fee free.

On the ecoligo.com homepage please navigate to "Projects" where you can find a list of all investable projects. Once you have selected a project you would like to invest in simply click the Invest Now button. This button can be found at the bottom of the project preview on the projects page or on the right hand side of the project information page.

This will take you to the investment form. If you are a new user you'll need to create an account. Please follow the steps by filling in the required information at each step. Once you have created an account you can fill in the required information to set up your investment. Each stage of the investment process is required by BaFin, the regulating body, to keep our investors safe. You will receive confirmation of your investment by email.

Can I make an investment in cash onsite at ecoligo's offices or at a project location?

Cash deposits on site are not possible for security reasons. Capital granted as loans associated with each investment must be sent by wire transfer to provide a secure process. For this you need an account with an IBAN number.

Can I still make an investment when lacking internet access?

Investments can be only made digitally and funds must be delivered by bank transfer.

Can I withdraw from granting an investment?

Investments may be canceled or withdrawn only within a fixed 14 day period.

What is a subordinate loan and why is this the only loan type used when investing in open projects?

Subordinated loans are loans paid after the primary lender has been paid in the event of a default. These loans often have higher interest rates to offset the additional risk taken by the subordinated lender compared to primary lenders.

German legislation provides strict regulations when granting loans. In order to satisfy these legal requirements we use subordinated loans which allow us to enable broad groups of investors to fund projects in return for equity.

Institutional lenders

What is an institutional lender and how do they affect my investment if they have also invested in a project portfolio?

Our institutional lenders are development banks or impact funds that, like us, are committed to using finance as a means to fight climate change and save our planet.

When you invest in a project that is part of an institutional lender's portfolio, your risk as an investor increases as in the event of a project failure or underperformance, the sinstitutional lender will take priority in repayments. This is reflected in an increased interest rate for your investments in these projects.

No matter the project structure, investment security is a top priority. Learn more about the steps we take to protect every investment here.

Which projects are financed by institutional lenders?

Projects financed by institutional lenders are larger projects, where bringing another investor onboard empowers us to build these projects faster, creating more impact.

Our investment structure with institutional lenders, doesnt affect our solely crowdinvesting projects, and we will continue to offer many projects that are 100% financed by crowdinvestors.

Learn more about how we work with institutional lenders here.

Why do you finance projects through institutional lenders?

Additional capital from institutional lenders helps meet the high demand for solar energy across the many markets ecoligo is active in. This capital empowers us to implement projects faster, scaling the impact of our efforts to fight climate change - as well as the impact of our crowdinvestors.

More information available on our designated blog.

Tax & interest

Is the interest from a loan taxable?

All of your investment interest gains are subject to taxation.
As of 2021, this tax is already deducted from the interest paid to our investors.

Please find more information here.

Should you choose to be exempt from tax on investments on ecoligo invest, you are responsible for the correct taxation of the investment income.

Who is paying back my interest and when should I receive it?

ecoligo invest, the operator of the investment platform, coordinates the investment payments, which come from the project owner ecoligo GmbH. Repayments are delivered according to the payment schedule for an individual project, as can be found on our Conditions page.

Can I submit an non-assessment certificate/exemption order?

Non-assessment certificate

You can submit a non-assessment certificate at any time, only if your total income does not exceed the statutory basic tax-free amount.

Exemption order

Unfortunately, it is not possible to submit an exemption order, since ecoligo invest is not admitted to the exemption order control procedure. Therefore, you will receive your interest minus the tax.

How does the payment of church tax (KiSt) work?

Issuers who offer projects on ecoligo invest pay out net investment income, i.e. minus taxes, also minus the KiSt.

On the reporting date of 31/08 of each year, a so-called regular query is carried out between 01/09 and 31710. For this purpose, the church tax characteristics are queried in accordance with data protection regulations at the Federal Central Tax Office and transmitted to the platform. The information received can generally be used for the entire following year and forms the basis for tax payment. As a result, only the investor data can be taken into account as of the data reconciliation. Investors whose church affiliation was not recorded must declare the income tax to be paid in the course of the income tax return. In principle, only natural persons are queried as potential creditors of investment income.

Data

Can anyone see that I am making a investment?

All investments through ecoligo invest are kept private and information on our investors or their investment behavior is not publicly available.

What data do I have to share when I make an investment?

We collect the following data:

- Name
- Address of residence
- Date of birth
- Landline or mobile phone number (optional)
- E-mail address
- Bank details of a credit institution based in Germany.

How secure is my data on ecoligo invest?

Privacy, transparency and trust are part of our DNA. This is why we secure all data transmissions to ecoligo.investments with a encrypted connection, ensured by our SSL certificate which encodes your data with up to 256-bit encryption (also recognizable by the green address line in your browser). Through this secure connection we prevent the misuse of your data by unauthorized third parties.

Where can I find my documents, such as tax documents?

All documents relevant to your projects and investments can be found in the inbox of your user account. You can log in to the user account at any time here.

All new documents are automatically filed in the Inbox. As soon as you have viewed documents, they are automatically moved to the Inbox archive. There you can access the documents again at any time and also download them. It is not possible to delete the documents in the archive.

You can use the dropdown filters to display only certain documents.

Can I change the e-mail address tied to my account on ecoligo invest?

Yes, you can change the e-mail address of your ecoligo invest user account yourself. To do so, log into your user account with your previous email address and click on 'Einstellungen' (Settings) in the navigation menu on the left. Within the settings you can then click on the tab 'E-Mail-Adresse' (email address) and link your user account with a new e-mail address. Shortly afterwards, you will receive an e-mail to the new address with a request for confirmation.

How can I delete my user account on ecoligo invest?

You can cancel your account at any time by sending us an email or letter stating that you wish to close your account. You can reach us via email at [email protected] or by post at ecoligo GmbH Invalidenstraße 112 10115 Berlin.

If you still have a current loan with outstanding interest and redemption payments, then the cancellation of your account is only possible after the full repayment of the loan.

Why do I need to provide a reference bank account?

If you are new to our platform, you will need to provide your bank account when you register so you are able to invest in our projects.This information allows us to send interest payments and redemption installments from your loan directly to you when they are due.

Is it possible to use a bank account from another country?

You will need a bank account at a European credit institution (from which you can make a SEPA transfer) to invest in ecoligo's projects.

Can another person be the bank account holder?

Yes, the bank account holder may be different from the loan holder, but it is important that you (as the loan holder) are the beneficiary of this bank account.

What should I do if my bank details have changed since my investment?

You can change your bank details independently in your ecoligo account.

To do so, log in to your ecoligo account, click on "Settings" in the left menu bar and then go to "Payments". Here you can now change your bank details by entering your new IBAN as well as your password for confirmation and click on "Save".

Please note that last changes to your bank details can only be considered by us up to 30 working days before a payout. Please contact our support via [email protected], if you need to make last minute changes before a payout.

Can I pass on my investments in my will?

Yes, your loan claim is fully inheritable. The heir needs to legitimize themselves at ecoligo invest with a certificate of inheritance or a notarized will and apply for the transfer of the claim to their name.

Security

How do you make sure that companies will pay for their solar energy?

Whether it’s a flower farm, a manufacturing enterprise, a university, or a hotel, our customers are committed to achieving our mutual goals of reducing energy costs and the amount of CO2 entering the atmosphere. To ensure this is possible together all of our customers customers go through a due diligence and KYC process before contracts are finalized between customers and ecoligo.

Through this process, we ensure that the end customers have a valid business model and can pay the receivables from the SaaS (Solar-as-a-Service) contract.

In addition to this, most of the clients are saving money every month in our solution compared to buying power from the grid. As the clients need to meet their energy needs one way or another they are incentivized to pay their bills with us on time as the alternative energy sources would be more expensive.

How do you ensure that projects will perform safely and effectively to meet the needs of customers?

We have a performance guarantee with each client, which ensures the system will meet their needs. To make sure this is the case, each system is carefully tailored to the client's needs.

The system installation is done by our trusted partners and supervised by our own engineer. Then the system is continuously monitored and maintained to ensure that any issues that may arise are dealt with quickly and effectively.

Are all projects insured?

All of our solar facilities are insured with Asset All Risk Insurance. The insurance covers property damage due to environmental catastrophes and other natural acts. If technical problems lead to a loss of electricity generated, this is covered by our EPC partners.

How do you deal with currency risk?

To protect crowdinvestors from currency risk, all of our contracts with customers and partners are in EUR or USD. In the case that a client only wants a contract in a local currency, the currency risk is carried by ecoligo.

What is your default rate?

So far, there have been no defaults in payments to the crowd, so all interest and redemption payments have been made on time and in full. With our commitment to quality, we want to ensure that this remains the case.

CO2 emissions

How do you calculate CO2 savings?

We calculate CO2 savings of our projects based on the official methodology of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/conveng.pdf
We use as baseline the avoided electricity purchased from the national grid - resulting in less costs for our clients and more CO2 savings - calcuated via the kWh of electricity generated per year from the solar system. This CO2 avoidance factor (so-called grid emission factor) varies by country as the power mix of different countries has a different CO2 intensity.

For Kenya for example, the grid emission factor is 0.6191 kg CO2 / kWh (source: https://pub.iges.or.jp/pub/list-grid-emission-factor).

You can learn more about our process here.

Impact

What is the overall impact the projects have besides CO2 savings?

Our projects are part of a global movement to change the energy landscape across the world and tackle climate change, while directly impacting local economies. Each of our projects meets Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7, 8 and 13 as defined by the United Nations.

Learn more about our impact and how we're fighting to save the planet.

Process

How does ecoligo use the capital from my crowdinvestment?

Every euro raised from our crowdinvestors fights climate change through the installation and development of renewable energy systems in emerging markets. We use these funds to buy and transport the components of the solar system and to cover the infrastructure and installation work needed to install the system.

Who installs the solar systems?

Our systems are installed by our Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) partners: local, experienced companies that we trust to build our systems at the high level of quality we need. Every EPC partner is thoroughly evaluated through our qualification process before we begin working together.

What happens if the crowd finances an existing system or one that is already under construction?

Some of our projects are pre-financed by the project owner or another investor or are fully realised projects that are purchased by ecoligo. In this case, the crowdinvestors are financing a project that is already in operation or construction. The project is then refinanced by crowdinvestors. In either case, the funds are used for the same purpose.

For you, that means that you can invest in a completed, functioning plant that is already producing electricity, reducing CO2 emissions and generating income to repay your loan.

Business model

Which markets are you active in?

We're active where we can have the most impact: emerging markets where energy prices are high and the fast-growing economies are creating a new demand for energy.

We provide solar for commercial and industrial businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America and Southeast Asia.

Get in touch

If you have questions and can't find the answers or have something to share with us just reach out and we'll get back to you right away.