Maclear projects map: breaking down the full cycle from Open to Funded and Repaid

We went through every project on Maclear since launch. Here is the full picture as of September 2026:

• 2,238 projects, including all stages
• 17 countries where borrowing projects come from
• €155,617,526 invested by our community
• €55,822,326 in interest paid out to investors
• 280,183 individual investor participations

There are also two numbers that are worth special attention. On average, a project moves from Open to Funded in 2.45 days, and a loan runs for 12.1 months before it is repaid. Below, we follow a project through each step, compare these numbers with other investment options, and look at what they mean for the small and medium-sized businesses our investors finance.

The map: 2,238 projects in 17 countries

The 2,238 projects on the map cover every stage of the cycle. They come from 16 European countries and Kenya, grouped into five regions:

Three insights stand out from the map:

• Central and Eastern Europe carry the core. Most countries on the map sit in the EU's central and eastern part, where SMEs grow fast and many of them still struggle to get bank credit.
• The range reaches beyond the eurozone. Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, the UK and Kenya run their own currencies and credit cycles. Investors get exposure to economies that move at different speeds, while every loan on Maclear is denominated in euros.
• Geographic range adds to a diversified portfolio. Projects from 17 countries let investors spread capital across economies with different growth and credit cycles. That adds a layer of diversification on top of industries and borrowers.

Project economics: €68,186 on average

The average Maclear project stage raises €68,186.

• Low concentration. The largest project ever, at €300,044, makes up about 0.2% of the €155 million invested. No single borrower carries a large share of the portfolio.
• Broad participation. Investors have made 280,183 participations in projects, about 125 per project.
• Room for every strategy. Investment sizes on Maclear vary widely, starting from a €50 minimum per project stage. Some investors put that minimum or a little more into dozens of project stages to spread their risk. Others commit larger sums to the borrowers they know best. On average, this comes to roughly €540 per investment, so investors of any size can build a portfolio that fits their goals.

See a portrait of the average Maclear investor

Year-by-year dynamics: from 13 projects to 1,232 in nine months

Over three years Maclear has grown steadily, entering new regions and bringing in new investors. In the first nine months of 2026 the platform opened 1,232 projects, already 37% more than in all of 2025.

Growth has not lowered the bar for borrowers. Every applicant goes through three defined stages before approval, including checks of its financial obligations, creditworthiness and payment history (Maclear FAQ). Each approved project receives a credit rating from AAA to D, and monitoring continues for the whole loan term.

14 industries behind the projects

Services companies account for 28% of all Maclear projects, and the top six industries cover 84% of the portfolio. The rest spreads across eight more sectors. Combined with 17 countries, this mix lets investors tilt their allocation toward the sectors and markets they understand best.

2.45 days from Open to Funded

On Maclear, a stage goes from Open to fully Funded in 2.45 days on average. For convenience, loans are split into stages: each stage is a separate tranche of the loan with its own terms, so the borrower gets money in steps that match its actual needs.

Once a stage is funded, investors receive interest every month. Regular payouts let them plan their budget and reinvest the interest for a compounding effect.

Each project draws 108 to 134 investors on average. Across 2,238 projects that adds up to 280,183 individual participations (the total number of investments made), or roughly 125 investors per project.

For investors, fast funding has two practical effects:

• Less idle cash. Money committed to an Open stage waits a couple of days before the loan starts and interest begins to accrue.
• Broad participation. With 100+ investors per project, typical tickets stay small, so you can build a diversified portfolio from a €50 minimum per project.

12.1 months: the average loan term

The average Maclear loan runs 12.1 months. That places most of our portfolio in short-term business lending, where investors get their principal back within about a year.

Short terms help investors in three ways:

• Faster capital turnover. Investors see their principal return within about a year and can put it to work again in new projects, at the rates on offer at that time.
• Shorter exposure to each borrower. A company's position can change a lot over three years. Over twelve months, the business plan investors assessed at the start stays closer to reality.
• More flexibility. Investors can review their strategy every year as loans mature, without selling positions early. Those who need to exit sooner can use the Secondary Market.

How 12.1 months compares with other investments

Maclear loans return capital faster than most private-market investments available to retail investors. Across European SME crowdlending, maturities run from six months to five years, and most loans fall between one and three years.

Why speed matters to the businesses investors finance

European SMEs face a persistent financing gap, so the speed and certainty of funding weigh heavily in how they choose a lender. SMEs make up 99% of EU businesses, yet the European Commission estimates their unmet debt financing need at about €39 billion a year (European Commission).

Bank credit keeps getting tighter. In the ECB's July 2026 survey, euro area banks tightened credit standards for firms again in Q2 2026, reported a higher share of rejected loan applications, and expected to tighten further in Q3 (ECB).

Borrowers compare platforms just as investors do. About 73% of Maclear borrowers name funding speed as a key strength and a main reason they chose the platform, on a par with the loan terms.

On Maclear, an approved borrower gets a funded stage in 2.45 days on average. That gives SMEs three advantages:

• Predictable timing. A business can plan purchases and payroll around a funding date it can rely on.
• Money in steps. Staged loans let a borrower draw capital as the project moves forward, instead of borrowing the full amount on day one.
• Terms that fit the use. An average 12-month loan matches working capital, inventory and seasonal cycles, so a business does not carry a five-year debt for a one-season need.

What helps borrowers also protects investors. A business that gets its money on time can execute the plan it presented, and that plan is what investors assessed when they invested.

Repaid: 529 projects closed, €55.8 million in interest

529 projects, or 23.6% of all 2,238, have completed the full cycle and closed with loans fully repaid. The other 1,709 projects (76.4%) are still in progress.

Most projects in progress started in 2025 and 2026. With a 12.1-month average term, a large wave of repayments lies ahead, and investors will have that capital free to reinvest in new projects.

Investors have received €55,822,326 in interest across the platform so far. Because interest is paid monthly, this figure grows with every active loan, not only with projects that have closed.

What this means for investors' portfolios

1. A wide range to choose from. 2,238 projects from 17 countries and 14 industries let investors spread risk across many borrowers from a €50 minimum.
2. Money starts working within days. Stages fill in 2.45 days on average, so committed cash spends little time idle, and interest arrives monthly.
3. Capital comes back within about a year. A 12.1-month average term is shorter than the one-to-three-year norm in European SME lending, and it lets investors reinvest at current rates.
4. Investors back real businesses. Every project funds an SME with a concrete need, at a time when banks keep tightening credit.