Bondster is an investment marketplace where you can invest in consumer and business loans originated by multiple lending companies. Instead of buying shares or ETFs, you earn interest from loan repayments. For European investors, one of the main advantages is that Bondster supports investments in euros, which currently carry no platform fee on the invested amount.
In this review I looked at the latest returns, fees, minimum investment, automated strategies, secondary market, buyback guarantees, regulation and user experiences. I also focus heavily on risk, because P2P/P2B lending can offer materially higher potential returns than a savings account, but the probability of delays, defaults and capital loss is also substantially higher.
Quick summary
I see Bondster as an interesting satellite investment for experienced investors, not as a substitute for an emergency fund. The platform currently reports an average annual return of about 9.9%, more than 5,000 investment opportunities and a 0% platform fee for investments in EUR. The biggest risks remain borrower defaults and, importantly, the financial health of the loan originators.
My overall rating is 7.8/10. I like the low minimum investment, automated strategies, fee-free EUR investing and broad diversification options. On the downside, investors must accept credit risk, potentially long recovery processes and the fact that a buyback guarantee is an obligation of the loan originator, not a guarantee from Bondster itself.
Risk warning: Investing in loans is risky. Returns are not guaranteed and you can lose part or all of your investment if a borrower or loan originator fails. This article is for information only and is not personalised investment advice.
What is Bondster?
Bondster is a Czech online investment marketplace that connects investors with lenders offering already originated loans. Investors purchase a participation in a receivable and receive a share of principal repayments and interest. The platform has operated since 2017 and offers investments denominated in both euros and Czech koruna from loan originators in several countries.
Unlike a conventional broker, you do not buy stocks or ETFs. You invest in loans previously issued by a partner lending company. Bondster acts as the marketplace and administrative layer between the investor and the loan originator.
According to Bondster’s current statistics, the platform has about 24,969 investors. Since 2017, more than €283.7 million has been invested and approximately €14.5 million has been paid out in interest. Bondster currently reports an average annual return of around 9.9%.
Pricing and fees
Bondster currently charges a 0% platform fee for investments in EUR and 1% per year on the amount invested in CZK. Opening and maintaining an account, incoming payments and making an investment are free. For international investors, EUR is therefore usually the most straightforward currency when their bank account is already euro-denominated.
| Action | Current fee |
|---|---|
| Opening and maintaining an account | Free |
| Investments in EUR | 0% |
| Investments in CZK | 1% per year of the invested amount |
| First 2 outgoing payments per month | Free from Bondster |
| Additional outgoing payment | CZK 50 |
| Sale on the secondary market | 0.5% for the seller after a successful sale |
The 1% fee on CZK investments is calculated daily from the amount invested at that time and charged monthly. The current rate for EUR investments is 0%. Bank charges and foreign-exchange costs outside Bondster can still apply, especially if your home bank account is not denominated in EUR or CZK.
Bondster supports investing in EUR and CZK rather than every local European currency. If you live outside the euro area, compare your bank’s conversion costs before transferring money and avoid converting currencies unnecessarily for small incremental yield differences.
Tip: You can find current promotions and coupons in the deals section.
Features and parameters
Bondster offers manual and automated investing, EUR investments from €5, a secondary market and several types of collateral or protection mechanisms. Loans can be filtered by yield, maturity, originator and security type. More passive investors can use preset or custom automated investment strategies.
Returns
Bondster currently advertises loan opportunities with yields of up to about 12% per year and reports an average realised annual return of around 9.9%. A higher quoted interest rate usually comes with higher credit, originator or liquidity risk, so I would never select loans solely by the headline yield.
The rate shown on a loan is not a bank-guaranteed return. Your actual result depends on borrower repayments, the financial condition of the loan originator, delays, recoveries and the amount of time cash remains uninvested.
Minimum investment
The minimum investment is €5 for euro-denominated loans and CZK 100 for loans in Czech koruna. The low entry amount makes it possible to spread a relatively small portfolio across many loans. In P2P investing, I consider diversification one of the most important tools for managing single-loan risk.
For example, a €1,000 portfolio can theoretically be split into as many as 200 positions of €5. That does not mean all loans carry the same risk. Diversification should also cover different loan originators, countries, loan types and forms of collateral.
Automated strategies
Bondster lets you use a preset or custom automated strategy that continuously invests available cash according to your rules. Automation is particularly useful when you hold many small loans because you do not need to manually select new investments and reinvest repayments every month.
A custom strategy gives you more control over diversification criteria. Automation does not remove credit risk, however. If you configure filters too aggressively or focus only on the highest yields, an automated strategy can actually concentrate risk.
Buyback guarantee
A large share of loans comes with a buyback guarantee, but this is not a guarantee from Bondster. The obligation to repurchase a delinquent loan belongs to the specific loan originator. If that company experiences financial difficulties or becomes insolvent, the existence of a buyback promise may not result in a quick or complete repayment.
Bondster currently states that about 98.1% of loans in its offer include buyback. It is a useful risk-mitigation mechanism, but it is only as strong as the provider’s financial ability to honour the obligation.
Asset-backed loans
Some Bondster loans are secured by real estate, vehicles or other assets that may be used to satisfy the receivable if the borrower defaults. Security can reduce loss severity, but its quality depends on the valuation, LTV, legal structure and success of the recovery process.
A secured loan is not automatically a safe investment. Enforcing and selling collateral can take months or years and the realised value can be lower than the original estimate. I would therefore review both the collateral and the strength of the lender.
Secondary market
The secondary market allows selected loans to be offered to other investors before maturity. A seller pays a one-off fee of 0.5% of the value of a loan after a successful sale, while the buyer pays no secondary-market fee. Liquidity is not guaranteed and distressed or significantly overdue loans may be difficult or impossible to sell.
I therefore do not treat the secondary market as a substitute for cash savings. If you need your money on a specific date, there is a risk that no buyer will be available or that you will need to offer a discount.
Regulation and safety
BONDSTER Marketplace s.r.o. is registered with the Czech National Bank as a small-scale payment service provider. This status should not be confused with deposit insurance or a guarantee against investment losses. Investors still bear the credit risk of borrowers and loan originators.
When assessing safety, I would focus not only on the marketplace itself but also on the financial health of each originator. Bondster displays its own Bondster Score and evaluates factors such as profitability, portfolio quality, liquidity, capital and reporting transparency.
Advantages
Bondster’s main advantage is the combination of attractive potential returns, a very low minimum investment and broad diversification options. EUR investments currently have no ongoing platform fee, while automated strategies reduce the amount of manual work needed to manage a portfolio containing many individual loans.
- 0% platform fee on EUR investments,
- minimum EUR investment from €5,
- reported average return of about 9.9% per year,
- more than 5,000 investment opportunities,
- preset and custom automated strategies,
- secondary market,
- real-estate and other asset-backed opportunities,
- buyback on a large share of the offer,
- detailed loan-originator information and scoring.
Disadvantages
Bondster’s biggest disadvantage is credit risk, which can result in long delays or a loss of capital. A higher interest rate is compensation for taking risk, and a buyback promise is valuable only if the originator remains able to fulfil it. Problem cases can remain in legal or enforcement proceedings for years.
- borrower and loan-originator default risk,
- buyback is not a Bondster guarantee,
- problem investments may remain tied up for years,
- the secondary market does not guarantee an immediate exit,
- investments are not bank deposits and are not covered by deposit insurance,
- CZK investments carry a 1% annual platform fee,
- investors are responsible for their own tax reporting.
My experience
What I like most about Bondster is the low entry amount and the ability to build a broadly diversified EUR loan portfolio without an ongoing platform fee. The interface and automated strategies also make sense for investors who do not want to manually select dozens of loans and reinvest every repayment.
I would nevertheless pay most attention to the loan originators. With Bondster, it is not enough to look only at the advertised interest rate or the word “buyback”. Every guarantee is an obligation of a specific company, and recovery can become slow and uncertain if that company gets into financial trouble.
I would therefore use Bondster as a supplement to a diversified investment portfolio, not as its foundation. I would not place emergency savings here. For long-term investing, I would combine any P2P/P2B allocation with more liquid assets such as diversified ETFs.
User reviews
User experiences are clearly mixed, which is a useful reminder of the risks involved in P2P investing. Trustpilot had 147 Bondster reviews and a TrustScore of 3.4/5 when I checked this review. Positive comments mention usability, automated strategies and achieved returns, while critical reviews repeatedly mention long-overdue loans and lengthy recovery processes.
Recent reviews include investors reporting multi-year returns of around 10–11% per year and positive experiences with support. At the same time, other users say they have been waiting for the resolution of defaulted investments for several years. Understanding this downside risk is essential before registering.
Bondster itself also points out in responses to complaints that the buyback obligation belongs to the loan originator rather than the marketplace. I consider this distinction fundamental when evaluating the actual level of protection.
Alternatives
If the credit and originator risk of P2P lending does not suit you, a regulated multi-asset broker or mainstream financial platform may be a better fit. eToro is a closer alternative for investors who want stocks and ETFs, Revolut is convenient for people who want investing alongside everyday finances, and Binance is relevant mainly to users focused on crypto assets.
eToro
eToro is more suitable if you want to choose stocks, ETFs and other market-traded assets yourself rather than invest in loans. Compared with Bondster, you gain access to more liquid public markets, but you also face market volatility and, in the case of CFDs, substantially higher complexity and risk.
You can read my eToro review or go directly to eToro.
Revolut
Revolut makes more sense for users who want basic investing, payments, cards and currency exchange inside one app. Bondster is a specialised credit-investing marketplace, while Revolut is a broader financial application. It can be a simpler starting point, although it does not replicate Bondster’s P2P loan exposure.
If you value the convenience of keeping everyday finance and investments together, you can check Revolut.
Binance
Binance is an alternative only if your priority is crypto rather than loans, stocks or ETFs. It gives access to a large digital-asset ecosystem but brings a completely different risk profile, including high volatility and crypto-specific regulatory and custody risks.
If you specifically want exposure to cryptocurrencies, you can explore Binance. I would not consider it a direct substitute for a diversified loan portfolio, but it is a relevant alternative asset platform.
Support and contact
Bondster provides phone and email support on business days. The current phone number is +420 283 061 555, with phone support available Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00. The international support email is info@bondster.com.
The platform is operated by BONDSTER Marketplace s.r.o., U Libeňského pivovaru 63/2, 181 00 Prague 8 – Libeň, Czech Republic. If a specific loan becomes problematic, I recommend keeping written records of communication, the loan originator, contract details and recovery status.
Summary and rating
I rate Bondster 7.8/10 and recommend it mainly to experienced investors who understand credit risk and want to add loans to a broader portfolio. The platform offers attractive potential yields, investments from €5, automated strategies and fee-free EUR investing. The trade-off is meaningful default and liquidity risk.
I recommend Bondster if you already have an emergency fund, invest in other asset classes and want to diversify a smaller part of your portfolio into loans. It suits investors who are willing to analyse originators rather than simply chase the highest interest rate.
I do not recommend Bondster if you need guaranteed returns, immediate liquidity or do not want to deal with defaults and recovery risk. It is not a substitute for a savings account or emergency fund.
Investment risk: Past returns are not a guarantee of future results. Loan investing can involve delays, borrower or originator defaults and the loss of part or all of your investment.
Frequently asked questions
The most common questions about Bondster concern minimum investment, returns, fees, safety and buyback guarantees. The platform allows investing in EUR and CZK, with EUR investments currently carrying no ongoing platform fee. Returns are not guaranteed and investors bear credit risk.
What is the minimum investment on Bondster?
The minimum investment is €5 for a euro-denominated loan and CZK 100 for a Czech-koruna loan. The low minimum makes it easier to diversify across many loans and originators, but you should also diversify by country, loan type and security rather than relying only on the number of positions.
How much can I earn on Bondster?
Bondster currently reports an average annual return of about 9.9% and offers selected loans with yields of up to around 12% p.a. These are historical and advertised figures, not guaranteed future returns. Actual results depend on repayments, defaults, recoveries and how efficiently your cash stays invested.
What fees does Bondster charge?
The current platform fee is 0% for EUR investments and 1% per year for CZK investments. The first two outgoing payments each month are free from Bondster. A seller pays 0.5% after a successful sale on the secondary market.
Is Bondster safe?
Bondster uses several mechanisms intended to reduce risk, but investments are neither risk-free nor guaranteed. Some loans are asset-backed and many include buyback. Investors can still lose money if a borrower, loan originator or recovery process fails.
What does a buyback guarantee mean?
A buyback guarantee means the loan originator commits to repurchase a delinquent investment under specified conditions. It is not a Bondster guarantee or government protection. If the originator lacks sufficient funds or becomes insolvent, fulfilment can be delayed or incomplete.
Can I withdraw my money at any time?
You can withdraw only cash that is not currently tied up in investments. Some loans provide early-exit mechanisms and selected positions can be offered on the secondary market, but a sale is not guaranteed. Bondster is therefore unsuitable for money you need on a fixed date.
Do I have to pay tax on Bondster income?
Bondster does not automatically settle your personal tax liability, so investors are responsible for reporting income according to the rules of their tax residence. Because treatment varies between countries and circumstances, I recommend checking the classification of interest, recoveries and losses with a local tax adviser.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute personalised investment, tax or legal advice.
