About Zero-Kap

Zero-Kap has been founded in 1989. The starting capital was put up by our founder Frans Spierings, who deceased in 2005.  Mr. Spierings worked all his life in the money market. He started his carrier as a controller, to become an independent investment advisor and stock broker.

The working capital of Zero-Kap is maintained because loans are paid off. In addition donations by private persons, companies and funds support running costs and the expansion of the capital and the increasing number of projects being funded.

Zero-Kap does supply (groups of ) people in developing countries with low interest loans. Those receiving our credit are people that used to live in structural poverty, but demonstrated economically viable plans and ideas to break out of their prison of poverty. Zero-Kap offers access to financial means that are not available to them. 
A Zero-Kap credit does include the credit proper and the credibility that does go along with that. Zero-Kap does challenge those who apply for a credit, by appealing their qualities and ambitions.

Zero-Kap does focus its credit at groups of relatively poor that are organized in societies, cooperatives, village units and other entities where all participants may contribute to decision making.

Those applying for a credit are fully aware that  the credit is money that will work for them for a limited time, money that should be paid back. Local representatives or organizations help them to manage the funds and their projects. Zero-Kap does supervise those projects.

Zero-Kap also connects people and their enterprise in developing countries with people, companies and other organizations in rich countries that are willing and able to support their ambitions.

Zero-Kap also does challenge the creativity and ambitions of its own board members, advisors and co-operators to materialize its unique concept. 

Zero-Kap does focus the projects that are too small for the traditional NGO’s (such as the Dutch NOVIB and Cordaid). Our’s is a very risky market! The target group is poor, does not have any securities, does not have a credit record and the mere small size of the loans does not leave space to visit, see and talk to the recioients of our loans. Though even in the unfortunate case that a loan was not returned, the impact was durable and we made an effective contribution to local development. A typical Zero-Kap credit is between € 12.000 and € 50.000. The credit is interest free (giving Zero-Kap its name). As a consequence interst rates are not a limiting factor. The risk of exchange rate changes is covered because the loans are in Euro and loans are paid back in Euro’s.