Investing in P2P through your company: which platforms accept a GmbH, and when it pays off

If your company holds cash it doesn't need right now, P2P lending can be one place to put it to work. Several platforms open accounts for companies, and the paperwork is manageable. Whether it pays off depends mostly on one question: is the money already in the company, and will it stay there for a while?

This guide covers which platforms accept companies, what they ask for, and how the numbers work for a German GmbH. Tax rules differ by country, so if your company is registered elsewhere, the platform part still applies and the tax part is a starting point for a talk with your adviser.

Which platforms accept companies

Everything here comes from each platform's own help pages or terms:

• Mintos: companies registered in the EU, or in a country with equivalent anti-money-laundering standards, with a bank account in the company's name and a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI).
• Twino: companies established and registered in the EU or EEA. A legally authorised representative completes the registration.
• Nectaro: companies registered in the EU with an EU bank account.
• EstateGuru: companies registered in the EEA, signed up through a representative who first registers as a private user. One person can represent several companies.
• Monefit SmartSaver: a business account with the same 7.5% a year on the main account as the personal one. The company needs a bank account in the EEA or Switzerland.
• PeerBerry: companies can invest, deposits must come from the company's own bank account, and you can hold a personal and a company account side by side.
• Indemo: offers a business account type at sign-up.

For Bondora, Lande and Debitum we couldn't find a clear statement either way, so ask their support before you plan around them.

What you'll need

Most platforms ask for the same set of documents:

1. 1A commercial register extract, usually a recent one. Monefit asks for one from the last three months.
2. 2Details of the beneficial owners, meaning anyone holding 25% or more, with ID.
3. 3ID and proof of authority for the person opening the account.
4. 4A bank account in the company's name, from which all deposits come.
5. 5An LEI on platforms that are investment firms under MiFID, as Mintos states. Applying costs roughly €100 and renewing about €80 a year, according to the law firm CMS.

Crowdfunding platforms with an ECSP licence, such as EstateGuru, run their entry test for companies too. Larger companies that meet the size thresholds in the EU crowdfunding regulation can ask to be treated as sophisticated investors.

How the interest is taxed in a German GmbH

A GmbH pays three taxes on interest income:

• Corporate income tax: 15%.
• Solidarity surcharge: 5.5% of that, so 0.825% of the profit.
• Trade tax: 3.5% times the local multiplier (Hebesatz), which each municipality sets, at least 200%. At 400% that makes 14%. A GmbH gets no trade-tax allowance.

At a multiplier of 400%, the company keeps about 70% of its interest; at 200%, about 77%. Privately you would pay the 25% flat tax plus solidarity surcharge, 26.375% in total plus church tax where it applies, once your €1,000 allowance is used.

Two more things are worth knowing:

• A holding structure doesn't change this. The well-known 95% exemption applies to dividends and share sales, not to interest. The extended trade-tax reduction for asset-managing companies requires owning real estate, so a GmbH that only earns interest doesn't qualify.
• Corporate tax is coming down. It falls from 15% to 14% in 2028 and by one point a year to 10% from 2032. At a 400% multiplier the total then comes to about 24.6%.

A worked example: €1,000 of interest

Assuming a 400% multiplier and no church tax:

• Inside the GmbH: €150 corporate tax, €8.25 solidarity surcharge and €140 trade tax. The company keeps €701.75.
• Privately, with the allowance already used: €263.75 tax, so you keep €736.25.
• In the GmbH, then paid out to you: the €701.75 is taxed again at 26.375% when distributed, which leaves €516.66.

So per euro of interest, the GmbH isn't cheaper at a 400% multiplier. Where it helps is in how much money you can put to work.

When it pays off

The case is strongest when the money is already in the company and would stay there anyway, as a reserve or for later business needs. Paying it out first to invest privately costs 26.375% before a single euro is lent. Kept in the company, the whole amount earns interest, and it's taxed again only when you eventually distribute it.

Three more things work in a company's favour:

• Losses are business expenses. A loan that defaults can generally be written down as an expense in the company's accounts. Privately the gap is smaller than it used to be, since the 2024 Annual Tax Act removed the €20,000 yearly cap on losses from bad debts.
• A low multiplier. At 200% to 250% the GmbH pays less tax on interest than you would privately.
• Clear separation. Company money, company account and company statements keep your bookkeeping tidy.

It's usually not worth it if the money would otherwise be paid out to you anyway, or if the amounts are small: the LEI, the bookkeeping and the tax return all cost something every year.

Getting started

1. 1Ask your tax adviser how interest and write-downs from P2P platforms should be booked, and whether your multiplier makes it worthwhile.
2. 2Apply for an LEI if you plan to use Mintos or another MiFID-licensed platform.
3. 3Open the account through the platform's business sign-up and upload the documents.
4. 4Deposit only from the company's bank account, and download each platform's annual statement for your books.

The usual risks apply to companies just as to private investors: there is no deposit guarantee, returns are not guaranteed, and money can be lost. Our risk guide explains how, and our methodology shows how we score each platform. This article explains general rules and is not tax advice.

Sources

• Mintos: can companies invest
• Twino: who can invest
• Nectaro: can companies invest
• EstateGuru: user terms, clauses 2.2 to 2.6 and 4.1
• Monefit: opening a SmartSaver business account, SmartSaver Business
• PeerBerry: who can invest, personal and company accounts
• Indemo: FAQ
• CMS: the LEI requirement and its cost
• German law: corporate tax rate, § 23 KStG, trade tax base rate and allowance, § 11 GewStG, minimum multiplier, § 16 GewStG
• KPMG: corporate tax cuts 2028 to 2032 approved, 11 July 2025
• REB Steuerberatung: the extended trade-tax reduction
• Lohnsteuer kompakt: the €20,000 cap removed