OPP helps Collin Crowdfund achieve compliance with the Crowdfunding Regulation

OPP and Collin Crowdfund partnered to bring Collin’s payment flows in line with the European Crowdfunding Regulation. OPP took over the payment processing and the licensing requirement, while Collin kept its own onboarding and the personal contact with its investors.

Collin Crowdfund connects entrepreneurs and investors. Since its founding in 2014 the platform has facilitated over €1 billion in business financing, with the help of more than 50,000 investors. For a market leader in a sector where large sums are involved, the systems handling the money have to be beyond question.

The partnership: compliant payment flows without a banking licence

Before the regulation, Collin used a separate foundation to handle payments between lenders, borrowers and the platform. That worked, but it was no longer allowed. Rather than apply for a licence from De Nederlandsche Bank, Collin engaged OPP as its payment service provider: OPP processes the payments and carries the licence, Collin runs the platform.

The challenge: a stable partner that understands the regulation

Collin Crowdfund handles large sums for tens of thousands of investors, so choosing who would process that money was not a decision to take lightly. Collin’s first requirement was stability. Its second was expertise: robust control mechanisms, knowledge of the rules, and the ability to handle payments the way a crowdfunding platform needs them, such as paying one loan out to many investors.

“We wanted to take a step forward and be certain that the systems handling our payments had robust control mechanisms. During talks with various providers, Online Payment Platform (OPP) stood out for its solid reputation, extensive knowledge of legislation and regulations, and its expertise in platform payments, such as multi-split payments. Moreover, OPP was the only party able to offer the flexibility we needed in the onboarding process.”

Roel van de Plas, Manager Operations at Collin Crowdfund

Our solution: a guided migration, multi-split payouts and onboarding Collin stays part of

A customer success manager at OPP guided Collin through the migration. Collin mapped all its payment flows in detail and tested extensively during and after implementation. With OPP’s multi-split payments, each borrower’s repayment and interest is split across all the investors in that loan in one go, and OPP’s onboarding was set up so that Collin remains part of it and keeps the personal connection with its users.

One detail shows how the partnership works. Setting up the new payment platform would normally have meant every borrower signing a new direct debit mandate. Together with OPP and the bank, Collin found a solution that made this unnecessary, with no major changes and no inconvenience for the user.

The impact: compliant today, ready for Germany tomorrow

Collin is compliant with the regulation without having become a payment institution itself. OPP carries the licence and processes the payments, borrowers kept their existing direct debit mandates, and Collin kept its own place in the onboarding of its users. With that settled, Collin is expanding into Germany and exploring other European markets, and OPP, with an office in Berlin and experience in the German market, expands with it.

What this means for you: why crowdfunding platforms need a licensed payment partner

If you run a crowdfunding or lending platform, the regulation leaves you three routes: an exemption, your own licence, or a payment service provider that carries the licence for you. The third keeps your team on the platform instead of on compliance.

With OPP, the money between investors and projects stays separate from your own, multi-split pays many investors from one repayment in one go, and onboarding can stay as personal as you want it.

Want to see how OPP could take the payment processing and licensing off your plate? Get in touch to learn more.