Lucerne – Financing and donations via the Internet recorded growth of 31 percent in 2021. A total of CHF 792 million was invested in crowdfunding projects. The financing of real estate in particular gained in importance. This is shown by the Crowdfunding Monitor 2022 of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
In 2021, the crowdfunding market in Switzerland grew significantly from CHF 606.6 million in the previous year to CHF 791.8 million. This corresponds to growth of 31 percent and means another record value, as the crowdfunding monitor of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts shows. Since the first crowdfunding platform was founded 14 years ago, around three billion francs have been raised digitally in Switzerland.
Significant growth in crowdlending and crowdinvesting
The online brokerage of funds for loans to SMEs and private individuals as well as the brokerage of investments in companies and real estate grew significantly. The crowdlending market now amounts to 607 million francs (+35 percent), the crowd investing market grew to 147 million francs. This growth was driven in particular by investments in loans to real estate companies and direct investments in real estate. The volumes in the areas of crowdsupporting/crowddonating
fell slightly compared to 2020 to CHF 38 million (-16 percent), after record values were recorded in this area in the previous year due to the Corona crisis and several crowdfunding platforms that were only active temporarily.
Support for political campaigns is gaining in importance
There is significant growth in the financing of political campaigns via crowd support. In 2021, more than CHF 800,000 was invested in political crowdfunding campaigns. A year earlier it was around 90,000 francs. Crowdfunding as “funding from below”, with which many small donations can be generated, is in vogue. Thanks to crowdfunding, financing processes can also be digitized in the field of political financing. On the other hand, it can increase the legitimacy of a political cause when many people participate in a campaign.
Crowdfunding will probably break the billion mark in 2022
The HSLU study authors assume that the total volume of crowdfunding in Switzerland will grow to over one billion francs this year. “Even with this volume, crowdfunding will remain a niche financing in Switzerland,” says Andreas Dietrich, co-author of the crowdfunding monitor and banking professor at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. However, the increasing relevance could lead to accelerated growth in the long term. On the one hand, Covid-19 has accelerated the use of digital financial processes for both companies and individuals. On the other hand, larger donors such as foundations or institutional investors will probably increasingly allocate funds via crowdfunding. (HSLU/mc/hfu)
| Crowdfunding-Monitor 2022 The “Crowdfunding Monitor Switzerland” is carried out every year by the Institute for Financial Services IFZ of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts with the support of the Swiss crowdfunding platforms. The following platforms supported the study in the form of data: Acredius, Beedoo, Cashare, CG24 Group, Conda.ch, Creditworld, Crowd4cash, Crowdhouse, Crowdify, Dagobertinvest, Foxstone, Funders, Fundoo, GivenGain, I believe in you, Imvesters, Lend, Lendora, Lokalhelden, Neocredit, Progettiamo, Projectstarter, Raizers, SigImpact, Splendit, Swisslending, Swisspeers, There for you, Wemakeit, Yes We Farm und 3CircleFunding. The study can be downloaded here. |
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