LANDE funded €7.8 million in Q1 2026, nearly three times the same period last year. Here's the full picture.
Prefer video? Watch Nikita Goncars walk through the Q1 review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EihkvoUMb3I
Q1 by the numbers
The first quarter of 2026 was Lande's strongest on record. Funding volume reached €7.8 million — almost three times the figure from Q1 2025 — while investors collectively earned €500,000. The average annual return came in at nearly 12%, with rates running slightly higher than usual due to peak farming season and stronger demand for agricultural financing.
Over 85 projects were published in March alone, giving investors more opportunities to diversify across loans, regions, and collateral types than ever before.
"Our lending policy remains focused on low loan-to-value loans — an average LTV of 40% — backed primarily by machinery and land. This approach has proven resilient through multiple economic shocks."
Poland joins the portfolio
One of the biggest drivers of Q1's volume spike is the successful launch of the Polish market.
Entering a new market always carries higher risk, so the team took deliberate precautions: intensive due diligence, a focus exclusively on land-backed loans with low LTV, and notarial deed agreements (Article 777) from day one. These deeds make debt collection faster and more enforceable than standard loan agreements. An operations director with over ten years of agricultural lending experience was also brought on board specifically for the Polish launch.
Even during the COVID crisis, the Ukraine war, and the fertilizer price spikes, agriculture land-backed loans across Lande's existing markets continued to perform. That track record informed the conservative approach taken in Poland.
Portfolio performance by market
Looking at all-time data across five years of lending activity, here is where each market stands:
Lithuania's turnaround is particularly noteworthy. Early struggles gave way to a learning curve, and by 2025 it has become the standout performer. Romania is on the same trajectory, as credit scoring policies are tightened and the local team gains experience.
On macro risks: fuel prices and geopolitics
The most common question from investors right now concerns rising fuel costs and their impact on farmers. It's a reasonable concern — but context matters. The current environment is significantly milder than the stress experienced during the Ukraine war and the 2022 fertilizer price spike. During that period, Lande's land-backed loans still performed well.
Across all markets where Lande operates, governments have introduced subsidies, tax reliefs, and support programs for agricultural businesses. A detailed analysis of these measures is available https://lande.finance/blog/agricultural-resilience-under-pressure-government-support-measures-amid-the-fuel-crisis
"There is also a structural reason for confidence: borrowers who have available assets to pledge as collateral tend to have stronger overall balance sheets. Collateral is not just a recovery mechanism — it signals that a borrower is more resilient to economic shocks than a more leveraged peer."
What's coming in 2026
The 2025 audit is nearing completion — this will be Lande's third consecutive year of audited financial reports, all showing profitability. Once published, it will appear in the transparency section https://lande.finance/transparency
On the product side, a mobile UX overhaul is underway to make the platform easier to use on a phone. The bigger project in development is a high-liquidity product — a structure that requires careful legal, technical, and financial implementation. No launch date yet, but updates will follow.
The annual funding target for 2026 is €30 million. Q1 alone came in at €8 million, slightly ahead of plan. With Romania and Lithuania maturing, Poland ramping up, and more investor campaigns planned throughout the year, the momentum is real.
A detailed portfolio review broken down by vintage, country, and collateral type is expected to be published within the coming weeks.