The project

Dinora's company, Maikit, specializes in supplying products for creatives. It offers a wide range of textile and craft materials, as well as printing machines.

As her business grew, Dinora saw the potential to expand and reach even more customers by opening a second store. However, she faced the challenge of securing the necessary financing to support this growth. Traditional bank loans were not a viable option due to stringent requirements and lengthy approval processes.

During her search for alternative funding solutions, Dinora discovered Creze, a financial institution dedicated to helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) like hers. For the past six years, Dinora has worked closely with Creze, obtaining the essential funding needed to purchase inventory and sustain the growth of her business.
 

What social return could your investment make?

Mexico has 4 million SMEs, representing 60% of the country's formal productive employment. However, more than half of these SMEs do not have access to the financing they need. Financial institutions like Creze help them overcome this hurdle by offering fast and flexible lending solutions through their digital lending platform.

With this specific loan, Creze will be able to finance around 15 SMEs in Mexico active in the retail, industrial, technology, construction, transportation, and telecommunications sectors. Of the companies Creze finances, 25% are owned by women, who typically face greater challenges than men in obtaining business credit. Investing in Creze will contribute to reducing the SME financing gap, creating jobs and improving the livelihoods of Mexican entrepreneurs.  

What financial return could your investment generate? 

• Annual interest: 8%
• Maturity: 36 months
• Principal grace period: 18 months. This indicates that the principal amount you lent won't start being repaid until after 18 months. However, even during this period, you'll earn interest. This interest will be paid to you monthly, starting from the first month
• Monthly repayments: Repayments will be paid to you on a monthly basis. Given the 18-month grace period for the principal, your initial repayments will consist solely of the monthly interest. Starting from the 19th month, you will receive monthly payments of both principal and interest
• Please consider that although you invest in EUR, the loan is in USD, so there is a risk of exchange rate fluctuations between dollars and euros. For more information please visit our currency page.

The story of Creze

Creze (officially Prestadora de Servicios Ciclomart, SAPI de CV) is a balance sheet lender founded in 2015 and based in Mexico City, originating loans to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) across Mexico. As of April 2021, Creze had disbursed over $68 million USD, with an outstanding book of just over $17 million USD. The average loan amount is $19,500 USD, with a term of 12 months, and nearly 90% of loans are paid biweekly.

The company provides working capital loans to SMEs in various industries through a fully online application process, with approval times between 24 and 48 hours. Two renowned family offices in Mexico back Creze and has attracted several institutional lenders.

Creze employs over 60 people, and its founding management team includes experienced entrepreneurs and former finance and microfinance sector employees.

Creze in numbers

• Founded in 2015
• 60 employees
• Disbursed 5,042 loans for a total of USD 160,000,000 since inception
• Current outstanding loan amount USD 48,000,000
• About 25% of their borrowers are female