Florence Finance is an RWA protocol focused on connecting the real-world with DeFi. By lending to SMEs (small & medium sized enterprises) we are able to provide a safe and stable yield onchain to crypto users.
Lending to SMEs through platforms like Florence Finance carries inherent risks, as with any investment. However, the risk is somewhat quantifiable; the average default rate for SMEs in Europe stands at approximately 2% per year. Should a default occur, it's notable that the average recovery rate of defaults is about 75%, which can provide some reassurance to lenders. This suggests that while the risk of default exists, the potential for partial recovery of funds is relatively high. Nonetheless, lenders should consider these statistics within the broader context of their investment portfolio and risk tolerance.
Florence Finance was not set up to lend directly to SMEs. Our concept is based on lending to/through existing credit providers and lending platforms in an intermediate step. Generally, we provide funding on terms similar to – or actually even slightly better than – existing funding mechanisms. Competing with legacy funders (or banks, that is) on price is not our goal. We want to create an alternative source of funding in order to reduce dependence on TradFi for both lenders and borrowers whilst aiming to drive the adoption of crypto on the whole.
Florence Finance has fully KYC- and AML-compliant funding partners. All of the loans are underwritten and backed by them. Loan-vault tokens – we're talking about tokenized loan vault participations here – can be gained by third parties in the secondary market through Camelot FLR/USDC liquidity pool.
It's as easy as pie. Simply apply online and share your necessary compliance information. Apart from that we'll only need to know about the size and nature of your credit request. Leave everything else to us – we look forward to your application!
Your capital will be transferred to the borrower of the loan vault. The borrower will set up and redistribute your capital according to their business model and the loan agreement with the vault or, respectively, with Florence Finance. Upon maturity of the loan, Florence Finance may redeem loan vault tokens, however, there is no guarantee of redemption as long as funds can still be utilized within the vault mandate. This basically means: if you wish to exit your position, you are primarily dependent on the secondary market – alternatively you can choose to wait for vault expiry or maturity.
There are two ways to get exposure to the Loan Vaults and start earning real-world yield:
- Become a primary funder (+€100,000), reach out to us directly to find out more info
- Or use the secondary market, find out how here
Florence Finance is not a bank and has never been designed to be a bank. We explicitly don't take custody of your digital assets. However, Florence Finance is a clever and future-forward alternative in that it represents a decentralized platform that enables the transformation of digital assets (stablecoins, that is) into real-world loans (credit assets) through its customers (SME lending platforms). The Florence Finance loan vaults exchange stablecoins for credit exposure (loan vault tokens) with a yield – whether in stablecoin and/or in FFM tokens – that is proportional to the credit risk that is taken. Given this, all happens on-chain and all the yield is used to either reward funders or to grow and improve the platform, there is no safer, better, or more efficient way to create, administer and get access to this kind of credit exposure.
The Florence Finance protocol has undertaken sevaral smart contract audits and published them once complete. On top of that, the platform is relatively safe as there is no "money” in custody on the platform (as the funds go directly to real businesses).
The Florence Finance protocol is a limited-liability company (LLC) registered in the DMCC (commodity-free trade zone and designated crypto sandbox) in Dubai, UAE. The lending operations are administered through a limited-liability sister company under the name of Florence Finance Europe BV that is registered in the Netherlands.
As Florence Finance focuses on B2B-lending activity, which is unregulated in the EU and funds its activities in crypto (which are not deemed deposits or money by the regulator), it is currently not subject to financial or banking regulation in either Dubai or the EU. Given the nature of our business and our customers, however, our aim is to upkeep industry standards proactively with respect to governance, ethics, KYC and AML – should our business become regulated to comply with any of these regulations in the future.