EFMA & Accenture Innovation Award 2015
BOLERO CROWDFUNDING WINS EFMA & ACCENTURE INNOVATION AWARD 2015
Thursday, October 29, 2015 — Bolero Crowdfunding wins EFMA's 'Best New Product or Service Innovation' award (see enclosed EFMA press release). The EFMA Awards seek out and give recognition to the most innovative projects in retail financial services across the world.
first bank and online broker with its own crowdfunding platform
In September 2014, Belgian bank-insurer KBC started up its own crowdfunding initiative, called Bolero Crowdfunding, making it the first bank and online broker to set up a platform of its own where investors could provide financial support to promising start-up businesses. This international EFMA award now also gives recognition to the innovative character of the Bolero Crowdfunding platform.
Innovative Bolero crowdfunding platform: one year on and over 10 000 members
As a newcomer, Bolero Crowdfunding was immediately able to mark itself out as a value proposition in the crowdfunding landscape. Six months after being announced, the platform went live. Relative to the Belgian market, quite large sums were raised by crowdfunding from the start, clearly illustrating that the platform responds to a market need. In less than one year's time, 350 requests have come in from businesses and more than 10 000 people have signed up as platform members.
'The Bolero Crowdfunding team is extremely proud of this award,' says Koen Schrever, CEO of Bolero Crowdfunding. 'We draw great satisfaction from the fact that we're able to bring our members and business start-ups together via our platform and thus stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship in Belgium.'
'Maintaining face-to-face contact with both business people and investors, and meeting them at our events and info sessions and in webinars, is also important for us. They inspire us to continuously improve the Bolero Crowdfunding platform. This award will therefore certainly give encouragement to all start-ups. They know what it is to start out from nothing and to give their all for innovation.'
| KBC Bolero Crowdfunding |
| KBC was the first bank and online broker in the world to start up its very own crowdfunding initiative. KBC facilitates contact between Belgian business and Belgian investors as fully as possible in a bid to create more innovation and enterprise. In 2013, KBC was the first to start its own incubator (Start-it), and since then more than a thousand applications have come in. Together with its partners, KBC has already given guidance to over 150 start-up businesses. Alongside this, KBC provides an online securities platform in the shape of Bolero, where experienced investors are on the look-out for good opportunities for placing their assets. With the launch of www.bolero-crowdfunding.be, KBC bridges the gap between investors and young people venturing into business. Learn more at www.bolero-crowdfunding.be.
|
| EFMA |
| EFMA (European Financial Management and Marketing Association) is a non-profit organisation set up in 1971 by banks and insurers specialised in retail financial marketing and distribution. Currently, over 3 300 brands in 130 countries are members of the EFMA, including more than 80% of Europe's largest retail financial institutions. EFMA offers the retail financial service community exclusive access to a wide array of resources, databases, studies, articles, news feeds and publications. It also provides numerous networking opportunities by means of working groups, online communities and international meetings. Learn more at www.efma.com.
|
