bettervest and Triodos Bank Germany have joined forces to bring sustainable investments out of their niche and into the mainstream and advance the global energy transition. The goal: to motivate people to use their money to affect positive change.

The demand is there and the market potential is high. Almost 40 per cent of Germans are interested in sustainable investments, but, so far, only 5 per cent have invested. There are many reasons for this discrepancy, but, above all, lack of advice from borrower’s banks and inadequate information on sustainable investments are to blame. It is here that our strategic partnership puts its focus.

bettervest and Triodos Bank want to achieve more transparency and increase direct access in this area. Our sustainable energy projects offer Triodos Bank clients an exciting opportunity to expand their investment strategies. Triodos Bank, on the other hand, offers our investors a complementary and diverse range of products, with which they can further increase their impact.

The strategic partnership aims to jointly approach private and business customers. Another goal is the joint development of innovative financial products, that combine the strengths of a bank with the possibilities of a digital platform. While Triodos Bank thereby succeeds in entering the German crowdfunding market, bettervest can expand its market position.

Environment

bettervest and Triodos Bank both pursue the goal of advancing the global transition towards clean, low-carbon energy production. The cooperation intends to convince even more people of the effectiveness of sustainable investments in the energy sector

Social Impact

Both Triodos Bank Germany and bettervest believe it is time to invest money in a way that benefits more and more people. Whether through solar energy access for off-grid households in Namibia or dignified and humane nursing homes in Germany.

Background

Two Pioneers with One Goal

People are becoming increasingly aware of the real power that money exerts. When arbitrarily placed in a generic bank account, it may just finance oil drilling in the arctic or the construction of a coal-fired power plant here in Germany. However, when used in a targeted and future-oriented way, it can improve the world. To help people put this awareness into practice, we launched bettervest.com in 2012.

The same reasons led to the foundation of Triodos Bank in the Netherlands in 1980. Since then, Triodos has become the leading sustainability bank in Europe with around 700,000 customers, over 14 billion euros in total assets and an impact reach in more than 45 countries. Its mission is to lend credit for social, ecological and cultural change.

A Well-rounded Offer

Here at bettervest, we have never sought to compete with (sustainable!) banks. Instead, we see ourselves as a complementary player. Ethical and ecological banks like Triodos, offer a wide range of products enabling people to transact payments around the clock as well as save or invest money. Their customers effect change indirectly and passively.

Crowd-investing, on the other hand, requires active engagement. On our platform, investors decide on a case-by-case basis which projects they are willing to support. With the help of these citizen investors, smaller sustainable projects that would otherwise not see the light of day, receive the financial backing they need. These projects usually have a higher social and ecological impact, paired with a higher risk profile.

Triodos’ work begins where we reach our limits as a crowd-investing platform. We close the financing gap for smaller projects and offer Triodos customers the opportunity to actively expand their portfolio. Our investors, on the other hand, find in Triodos Bank Germany a bank that ensures that every cent is used to make the world more sustainable and effect positive change.

Triodos Foundation holds a share in bettervest

In addition to the cooperation, the Triodos Sustainable Finance Foundation, a foundation managed by Triodos Investment Management (a wholly owned subsidiary of Triodos Bank), has purchased shares in bettervest. The stake is less than 25 percent. The Triodos Sustainable Finance Foundation finances initiatives that contribute to the transition to a more sustainable world and has, for example, already participated in the Dutch investment platform “Duurzaaminvesteren.nl”.