Kameo AI Overview on 11/2025

Kameo Crowdlending Platform Overview 🚀

Kameo is a Nordic online platform (Sweden-based) for peer-to-peer lending focused on secured loans to property developers and small businesses. It was founded in 2014, licensed as a payment institute in 2016, and serves investors across Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Denmark). The model: investors fund loans and receive monthly interest (5–15% annual expected returns) and principal at maturity. Key advantages include diversification into real estate debt, low minimums (500 SEK), and regulation by Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen). Main risks are credit defaults, illiquidity (no secondary market), and losing part or all of invested capital.

Highlights: Thousands of investors (≈65 000) participate, with ~7.86 billion SEK funded into 1 402 loans as of mid-2025. The platform is backed by Nordic banks/investors (ABG Sundal Collier, Incore Invest, Ilija Batljan Invest) and offers EU-wide access under new crowdfunding regulations. 🙌

Key risks: No deposit guarantee or investor-protection fund – investors bear full credit risk. Loan allocation recently sparked user criticism (e.g. new “success fees” in 2022). Default rates have been modest (~3–5%), but illiquidity means exits are difficult.

Kameo Investment Products 💼

Kameo offers loan-based investments (no equity or bonds). It specializes in secured, project loans for real estate and SMEs. Loans have collateral (typically property liens or guarantors) and flexible terms; typical durations are 6–24 months (average ~13–17 months). Investors choose individual projects, funding from 500 SEK/minimum, and earn monthly interest. Borrowers repay interest per schedule and principal at loan end.

• Returns: Target ~5–15% p.a., averages ~9–10%. (Actual past: ~9.5% in 2024.) Returns come from borrower-paid interest (there are no hidden investor fees).

• Structure: Loans are made by Kameo Investment Platform AB (Sweden) via SPVs and are off Kameo’s balance sheet. Investor funds are held in segregated trust accounts (at DNB Bank) separated from company assets.

• Geography/Sectors: Focus on Scandinavia’s property market (residential/commercial development) and Nordic SME growth. Projects mainly in Sweden (largest share) and Norway; Denmark operations began 2018. (Cross-border regulatory passport allows EU participation.)

• Metrics: Average loan ~SEK 10–15M; LTV typically ≤75%. Examples: Kameo has funded ~1,400+ loans totaling ~SEK 7.86 bn by mid-2025. Minimum invest = 500 SEK; no stated max (institutions can fund much larger tranches).

• Major risks: Borrower default/insolvency, construction/market risk, interest-rate and currency swings. Kameo does not guarantee repayment – if collateral falls short, investors can lose capital. There is no buyback or insurance. Illiquidity is a risk (no secondary market, hard to exit).

Kameo Company & Management 🏢

Kameo Investment Platform AB (org. no. 559434–0456) is a Swedish firm headquartered in Stockholm (plus branches in Oslo and Copenhagen). Sebastian Martens Harung is CEO and co-founder Key leaders include General Manager Fredrik Källgren (Sweden), General Counsel Linn Hoel Ringvoll (Norway), and CTO Eric Jonsson. Major backers/owners: ABG Sundal Collier (leading Nordic bank, anchor shareholder since 2019), Swedish growth fund Incore Invest, and Ilija Batljan Invest (founder of SBB).

• Legal structure: Operates under Kameo Investment Platform AB (Swedish parent) and Kameo Investment Platform AB NUF (Norwegian branch). A Danish subsidiary is licensed in Denmark.

• Regulation: Regulated by the Swedish FI: Kameo holds EU Crowdfunding Service Provider and payment-institution licenses (granted Oct/Nov 2023). Funds and transactions are overseen by Finansinspektionen. In Norway, Kameo NUF is registered as a loan broker with Finanstilsynet. It also holds a Danish Finanstilsyn license (passported via Sweden).

• Partners: Partners include DNB Bank (client fund custody), payment integration (Neonomics open banking), and investor relations (R&D partnerships with academic fintech groups). Institutional capital partners like pension funds can co-invest.

Kameo Funding Volumes & Results 📈

Kameo’s growth has been strong. By mid-2025 it had facilitated ~1,400 loans totaling ~SEK 7.86 billion (~€700M). According to Kameo, ~7.86 billion SEK was loaned in ≈1,402 projects (July 2025). The investor base is ~65,000 (as of 2024). Kameo reports ~500 million SEK already paid out as interest to investors.

For recent performance: H1 2025 showed strong growth – NOK 971M (~€85M) loan volume (32% YoY↑) and profitability. In that half-year, revenue was NOK 40.4M and pre-tax profit ~NOK 3.8M. Total cumulative loans since 2016 exceed NOK 8 billion (~€700M). Investor returns have averaged about 9–10% over time, with 2024 net avg ~9.5%.

Defaults/Non-payments: Historically Kameo’s default or loss rate has been modest (crowd data shows ~3.2% default). No official numbers yet for 2025, but delinquency is monitored and covered by security enforcement.
Investors: Active lender count ~40,000+ in Sweden and Norway as of 2024 (65k including passive, per ABG).
Avg & Max Returns: The platform advertises up to 15% yields, though actual rates vary by risk class. Highest loans have offered ~14–15%; average ~9–10%.

Kameo Risk Management 🛡️

Kameo uses strict credit evaluation: Each loan undergoes due diligence on the borrower, project, financials and collateral. It assigns loans a risk class (A–E) based on overall risk. Loans typically have LTV ≲75% and often require pre-sales or completion covenants (for developments). The platform mandates robust collaterals (e.g. land/property liens and personal guarantees).

• Credit process: Analysis follows EU regulatory standards – Kameo’s proprietary model evaluates factors like borrower strength, project viability, and security value. A consolidated “rating” (A-E) guides the interest rate. Kameo publishes a detailed info sheet for each loan, outlining key risks.

• Portfolio monitoring: Kameo tracks project progress and payments. Late/incomplete payments trigger reminders and, if needed, security enforcement. Investors get monthly portfolio statements. Kameo does not insure loans or guarantee repayment. Client funds are segregated, so if Kameo fails, loan contracts stay enforceable.

• Risk limits: By law, individual crowdinvestors are capped at ~1M EUR/year under EC rules. The platform encourages diversifying across projects and uses auto-invest to spread risk.

Kameo Platform Features 🎛️

Kameo’s web platform (also mobile app) provides:

• Investing tools: Browsable loan marketplace with loan details and ratings. An auto-invest feature lets users automatically bid on new loans based on criteria (min return, risk class, etc.).

• Dashboards: Real-time portfolio view of active loans, payments, and balance. Customizable alerts (e.g. bid won, interest payment).

• Secondary market: None. Loans cannot be resold on platform; liquidity is limited to waiting for repayments. Investors trade informally off-platform if needed.

• Diversification: Users easily split funds across many loans; automatic reinvestment (the “compound interest” effect) is highlighted in Kameo’s education.

• Insurance/Guarantees: No deposit or capital guarantee. Investor funds are kept in a trust account with DNB Bank in Sweden (for SEK/NOK) to protect against Kameo’s insolvency.

• Languages & Currency: Kameo sites support Swedish, Norwegian, Danish. Accounts can hold SEK or NOK (with in-platform currency exchange at no fee). An English info site exists, but investment actions require Nordics bank connectivity (via Open Banking integration).

• Reporting: All interest and principal payments are reported to tax authorities for Swedish accounts. Kameo automatically files Swedish tax forms for interest income.

Kameo Pricing & Fees 💰

Investors: Kameo charges no platform fees to investors. There is no account fee, deposit fee (except standard bank transfer charges), or bidding fee. Investors may incur normal international bank fees if funding in a foreign currency (DNB charges 50–100 NOK on small deposits). The platform does not charge a success or management fee on returns. (Note: A controversial “success fee” was announced in 2022, provoking backlash, but official terms now state zero lender fees.)

Borrowers: Companies pay origination fees negotiated per loan (often ~2–5%). Additional fees include SEK 6,000 security handling, SEK 7,500 tranche fee, etc.. A late-payment interest penalty (2% above base) applies to defaults. All fees are transparently listed in the loan agreement.

Overall, investor pricing is transparent: interest rates embed Kameo’s costs, and Kameo publicizes any changes (e.g. bank transfer fees) in advance.

Negative Publicity & Critiques 🚩

Kameo has generally positive press, but some issues merit note:

• Fee controversy (2022): In late 2022 Kameo introduced a small fee (“succéavgift”) on loan repayments, sparking strong investor criticism on forums (Trustpilot reviews lamented a new charge reducing returns). Kameo’s management responded by clarifying fees are minimal, but the incident hurt sentiment.

• Allocation changes: Some long-term lenders complained (2025) about a new loan-allocation method (pre-allocation or lottery) that reduced their chance to invest in popular loans. Kameo said changes were to make bidding fairer when loans fill quickly.

• Delinquencies: A few widely reported loan delays have occurred (difficult construction sites), but details are rare. No regulatory sanctions or fraud cases have emerged as of 2025.

• Industry criticism: Analysts note that interest rates are now lower (8–10%) than earlier (12–15%), reflecting market conditions. This may disappoint some expecting “high yield”.

• Customer sentiment: User reviews (Trustpilot, forums) rate Kameo around 3.9/5; praise ease of use and service, but frequent questions arise about fees, exit options, and tax.

Success Stories & Milestones 🌟

• Rapid growth: Since first loan in 2016, Kameo has financed thousands of Scandinavian projects. In 2024–25 its loan volume doubled, supported by a £1.1M (£2.26M total) equity injection from Incore Invest and others.

• Profitability: Kameo reached positive EBITDA and pre-tax profit in H1 2025 – a rare feat for a crowdfunding startup, validating its business model.

• Partnerships: Kameo partnered with Neonomics (2024) to launch “Nello Pay,” an open-banking payment app for fast deposits. It works seamlessly across Swedish, Norwegian, Danish banks, enhancing the UX.

• Industry recognition: ABG Sundal Collier, a leading Nordic investment bank, made a strategic investment (2019) and regularly highlights Kameo as a “prominent fintech”.

• Scaling: Key milestones: Expanded to Norway (2017) and Denmark (2018); onboarded >60k investors by 2024; and handled a record ~NOK 1B loans in 2025. The goal is to double annual funding by end-2025, underscoring high ambition.

Is Kameo safe and regulated?

Yes – it’s licensed by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority for crowdfunding and payment services. Investor funds are held separately (in a bank trust account) and loan contracts continue even if Kameo fails. It operates under EU crowdfunding rules for extra protection.

What returns can I expect?

Historically ~9–10% p.a. is average, with some loans offering up to ~12–15%. Target advertised range is 5–15%. Actual yield varies by loan risk. (Past performance is no guarantee.)

What are main risks?

You can lose all invested capital if a borrower defaults with insufficient collateral. Projects can face delays or insolvency. Property market drops can reduce collateral value. The platform itself could fail (though contracts still stand). Also: currency risk if investing across SEK/NOK. (Refer to Kameo’s own risk disclosures for details)