PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Qredits is now providing microloans to entrepreneurs on St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius, with an interest rate of only 2%. The Qredits office, located in Miss Lalie Commercial Center, is ready to assists entrepreneurs with microloans up to $25.000, personal mentoring and business development tools.
2% loans for entrepreneurs
With the help of the Dutch Recovery Fund, Qredits is now able to provide loans with a low-interest rate of just 2%. On top of that, once the loan is approved, will only pay back the interest rate for the year, not the loan. This means that the first year applicants’ monthly fees will not exceed $50.
“This gives persons a chance to rebuild or start a new venture during these difficult times,” says loan officer Mariah Constant, Qredits Sint Maarten. “Qredits wants to help aspiring and existing entrepreneurs that have a sound business plan but cannot get a loan or mentoring through regular channels,” she adds.
Rebuilding with Qredits
Qredits is a private foundation, which started on 1 January 2009 by a group of public and private partners. Qredits’ vision was to build a strong and independent entrepreneurship culture in the Netherlands by providing financing, mentoring and tools for micro-entrepreneurs that have a viable business plan, yet are unable to obtain credit facilities from conventional lending institutions.
As the success of Qredits grew, the foundation also wanted to share its knowledge and experience to foster entrepreneurship in the Dutch Caribbean. In 2015 Qredits opened its first Caribbean branch office in Bonaire.
On September 1st, 2017, Qredits opened their doors on Sint Maarten. Hurricane Irma, devastated the island shortly after. Due to this, Qredits not only is in the position to help new entrepreneurs who want to start a business but also existing businesses that need a boost to rebuild.
Easy application process
Any persons who are legally registered and/or can legally operate a business on Sint Maarten, Saba or St. Eustatius can apply for a microloan via Qredits. An applicant can be someone who has been working for 30 years or someone who does not have any work experience; someone who is unemployed or who previously had a business of their own; someone who is well off or someone who does not have any savings.
Constant and her colleagues encourage persons take a look at the http://stmaarten-en.qredits.com or their Facebook page for more information. Applying for a loan can be easily done online, through the website. “There is a procedure that everyone has to follow to get approved. It is easy and we will help you through it, step by step,” explains Constant.
Interested persons will meet with a Qredits officer, whom will assess their business and financial plan. Qredits also offers educational material and coaching to create a proper business and financial plan. Depending on these plans, that proper paperwork is in place, and the personal commitment the applicant exudes, Qredits will assess the applicants’ loan-request.
Workshops and coaching
Qredits is also planning to hold regular workshops to aid entrepreneurs in growing their business. Some workshops that are in the works include information sessions about Qredits and entrepreneurship, marketing skills and other business development techniques that Qredits noticed a demand for.
Another important aspect of Qredits is that they aim to create a ‘coaching pool’. All branches of Qredits have a group of mentors whom have an affinity with entrepreneurship and want to voluntarily use their knowledge and experience to help others with their business. As this voluntary group grows, Qredits will link them to entrepreneurs who can benefit from their guidance.
Entrepreneurs can apply now
Qredits would like to invite entrepreneurs to take advantage of the low 2% interest rate they are offering. Whether you are an existing or new business you might be able to benefit from any of Qredits services such as microloans up to $25.000, personal mentoring and business development tools.
Qredits St. Maarten, Saba & St. Eustatius is located at Miss Lalie Commercial Center. Check out more information on Qredits Facebook page ‘qredits st. maarten – st. eustatius – saba. Eustatius, Saba’ or http://stmaarten-en.qredits.com. For further questions contact Qredits at: st.maarten@qredits.com or +1-721-587-3427.
Qredits is part of the early recovery projects financed by the Dutch Reconstruction Fund for Sint Maarten, under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. For the early recovery phase, a total of 7 million euros in total has been made available for all participating projects that have a direct impact on the population of Sint Maarten.
