Belgian insurer Ethias has acquired a 10 percent stake in Creafin NV, an independent non-bank mortgage provider, and has also granted the company a corporate loan to support its rapid growth.
The move deepens an already successful partnership between the two firms and paves the way for Ethias to become the preferred insurance provider for Creafin customers when signing their mortgage contracts.
Since 2022, Ethias has financed more than 230 million euros in mortgage loans originated by Creafin through its broker network. Since last year, Ethias has also been the exclusive partner for fire and credit balance insurance linked to around 95 percent of Creafin’s loans.
“This partnership fully aligns with our ambition to combine financial performance with sustainable value creation”, says Joris Laenen, Chief Investment & Life Officer at Ethias. “By increasing our exposure to non-bank mortgage lending, we diversify our assets, optimize returns and strengthen our life insurance business.”
Creafin, active since 1995 and regulated by the FSMA, has provided over 2.5 billion euros in loans to date and ranks fourth in Belgium’s broker-based mortgage market. In 2024, Australia’s Macquarie Bank also took a 19.5 percent stake in the company.
Creafin Chairman Herman Bruyland called Ethias’ investment “a reinforcement of the successful partnership built over the past three years.” CEO Marcel Berkhout added that the collaboration would continue to expand, offering attractive mortgage solutions to consumers along with Ethias-linked insurance products.
