Beehive Blog

As Business leaders, it is likely that you will think of crowdfunding in terms of raising investment for business, but have you ever thought of it as a way of investing your own money?

We speak to Mark Tylor, a Dubai based investor to find out from him why this method of investing is so interesting to him.

Why did you choose crowdfunding as your method of investment?

I’ve seen the huge success that Peer-to-Peer lending has had in the UK and US and I’ve also seen the high returns that that can be made as an investor!

 » Read more about: Crowdfunding – The investor perspective…  »

The European market for online alternative finance grew by 144 per cent last year to almost €3bn and could hit €7bn this year as companies look to tap new sources of capital, according to a new report.

The analysis, published on Monday by the University of Cambridge Judge Business School and professional services firm EY, reveals how what was once a niche market has become a small sector that is still experiencing rapid growth.

 » Read more about: European market for online alternative finance surges  »

Innovative P2P financing platform tackles central cash flow challenge
Dubai: Beehive, the UAE’s leading online marketplace for peer-to-peer finance, has launched its SME Invoice Financing product to help the thousands of small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the country ease cash flow issues and reach their full potential.

The new Invoice Finance solution helps SME businesses boost their working capital and improve cash flow, by unlocking the value of their accounts-receivable to ease the dual challenges of rising inflation and late payments.

 » Read more about: Beehive launches SME Invoice Finance for UAE businesses  »

Beehive, an online marketplace that matches small and medium-sized businesses looking to bypass high-interest bank loans with investors hunting returns, said that it is now arranging short-term loans for cash-strapped SMEs that face payment delays.

Under its invoice financing scheme, SMEs can access loans for periods as short as 60 days for as little as 0.75 per cent per month, said Beehive founder and chief executive Craig Moore.

Beehive makes money through its fees for arranging the transactions.

 » Read more about: Dubai-based Beehive sets up short-term loans for SMEs waiting for payments  »

If the discussions conducted at the Entrepreneur Middle East Enterprise Agility Forum in November last year were any indication, then one of the biggest problems that SME owners in the region face is raising capital to grow and develop their respective businesses. This is especially true in the economic ecosystem of the UAE- a recent survey of 157 SME owners, founders and CEOs in the country by souqalmal.com found that only 28% of respondents had taken financing from a bank,

 » Read more about: The Buzz About Beehive: Peer-To-Peer Lending Makes A GCC Entrance  »

It’s been only 3 months since we launched the Beehive platform and we’re very proud of the growth rate we’ve achieved to date. We’re happy to announce that the hundreds of investors on our platform have provided AED2.7 million in cost effective finance to the 10 businesses that requested financing through our marketplace.  Investor returns were very strong, ranging from 8% to more than 16% APR.  We’d like to thank all our investors and businesses for being active members of our community.

 » Read more about: Our first three months…  »