Camille Van Vyve
11 Apr 2024
What are the best robo-advisors in Belgium in 2024?
The first robo-advisor to launch in Belgium in 2016, Easyvest has since been followed by others. In complete transparency, we share here an in-depth analysis of the different robo-advisors in Belgium, a simple and effective solution for beginners and experienced investors.
What is a robo-advisor?
A robo-advisor is an online platform that uses algorithms to provide investment advice and manage your portfolio in an automated way. These platforms use advanced mathematical models to analyze market data, your investor profile and your financial objectives, in order to offer you an asset allocation that is both efficient and personalized. Easyvest was the first robo-advisor to launch in Belgium in 2016.
The benefits of robo-advisors
Robo-advisors have several significant advantages over traditional methods of wealth management. Here are some of the strengths that appeal to many investors in Belgium:
1. Accessibility and simplicity
Robo-advisors provide increased accessibility to wealth management services. You can create an online account in minutes and start investing with affordable amounts. Digital players by nature, robo-advisors generally offer an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes portfolio management simple and accessible to everyone, even novice investors. That of Easyvest allows, among other things, to follow the evolution of his account in real time, to plan recurring payments and to make projections on his future pension.
2. Advice
In “robo-advisor”, there are two components: automation and advice. With the help of a robo-advisor, you are sure to set up the portfolio that corresponds to your profile, and to stay the course. You will not be guided by your emotions but by a trained professional to maximize your long-term returns. At Easyvest, we combine a state-of-the-art mobile app with hyper-personalized human advice: it is this dual dimension in particular that earned us the “Best in Test” label awarded by Test Achats Invest in 2021 and 2023.
3. Diversification
Diversification is an essential aspect of portfolio management. Most robo-advisors base their investment strategy on ETFs, which replicate the performance of stock market indices at a lower cost. ETFs allow you to invest in a very large basket of assets at once, so as to capture the growth of the global market at a reduced cost. This maximum diversification strategy reduces the risks associated with excessive exposure to certain securities or certain sectors. Numerous studies also show that the global market is unbeatable in the long term. This means that the returns offered by robo-advisors are generally higher than those of traditional managers for investment horizons greater than 5 years.
4. Reduced fees
With this ETF-based approach and significantly lower structure costs than traditional fund managers, robo-advisors typically charge much lower fees. This advantageous fee structure can have a significant impact on your long-term returns. At Easyvest, we apply decreasing management fees which range between 0,5% (for accounts over €250.000) and 1%, i.e. two to three times less than the fees generally applied by traditional banks. And we did the math: 1% less costs can give rise over 40 years to €500.000 in additional returns!
5. Automatic rebalancing
The robo-advisors constantly monitor your portfolio in order to maintain your asset allocation as you initially defined it, according to your risk profile: it is called rebalancing. In addition, robo-advisors monitor the markets continuously and select the best ETFs for their clients at any time.
Disadvantages of robo-advisors
To be completely transparent, let's also mention the disadvantages of robo-advisors, even if there are few of them. First of all, robo-advisors do not allow you to choose the stocks in which you invest. Typically, they offer a series of portfolios made up of different ETFs, with the selection and allocation depending on your risk profile. If you want to make this selection yourself, you can do it through a broker, but remember that this requires time and knowledge that is not given to everyone. Finally, the level of advice varies greatly from one robo-advisor to another, with some being more focused on automation and cost reduction. At Easyvest, we are convinced that one does not go without the other. Our team of advisers is available at all times to solve each of your wealth questions.
The best robo-advisors in Belgium
While robo-advisors share a series of advantages, each of these platforms nevertheless has its own characteristics. It is therefore essential to find the one that best suits your needs, reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of each.
| Minimum investment | Fees (including VAT) | #Available portfolios | ESG portfolio | Auto add-on | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Easyvest | €5.000 | 0,5%-1% | 10 | yes | yes |
| 2. | Birdee | €50 | 1% | 14 | yes | yes |
| 3. | Keyprivate | €15.000 | 0,91% | 10 | yes | no |
| 4. | Indexa | €2.000 | 0,4%-0,85% | 44 | yes | no |
Easyvest: pioneer in Belgium, a level of advice comparable to private banking
Launched in 2016 in Belgium by Matthieu Remy and Corentin Scavée, Easyvest was the first to offer an offer based 100% on ETFs, at very advantageous rates. The allocation of each portfolio is defined by a unique algorithm, developed at Harvard, of which Matthieu is a graduate. The Easyvest application has been greatly enriched over time, with features for pension planning and automatic payments in particular. Easyvest has twice received the “Best in Test” label in the robo-advisors category from Test Achats Invest, in 2021 and 2023. The quality of the service offered to customers is systematically highlighted in their analyses. Easyvest offers investment accounts, individual or jointly owned, for individuals and companies, and also for minors, as well as pension products for the self-employed (EIP, PLCI, CPTI). Easyvest is approved as a portfolio management company and insurance broker by the FSMA, the Belgian financial regulator.
Birdee: the BNP Paribas robo-advisor, for all budgets
Birdee is the robo-advisor of BNP Paribas Asset Management. Its offer consists of 5 ETF portfolios in which it is possible to introduce thematic variants (biotech, SME, real estate). Accounts opened via Birdee are housed in Luxembourg, which means declaring them in Belgium like foreign accounts. Belgian clients must therefore include bond capital gains in their tax return.
Keyprivate: tracker portfolios from €15.000
Keytrade Bank is well known for its trading platform, which allows individuals to invest directly in the markets. For the less experienced or those who want to build an ETF portfolio, Keyprivate is a good option… except that it is only accessible from €15,000, which is a significant barrier to entry. It is possible to add a sustainable preference to one's choice of portfolio.
Indexa: n°1 in Spain and active in Belgium at an advantageous cost
Launched in Spain in 2014, Indexa experienced exponential local growth before launching in France and Belgium in 2020. Its strong point? Very advantageous rates, even for small amounts invested. Indexa offers a wide range of 44 quite complex portfolios, available since 2022 with a sustainable variant. Indexa is approved by the Spanish financial regulator (CNMV) and is registered with the FSMA under the freedom to provide services regime.
Matti and Curvo have ceased activities in Belgium
Two players in passive investment seem to be disappearing from the Belgian landscape. Matti, the KBC robo-advisor offered on the bank's online investment platform (Bolero), no longer appears active. Although the website is still online, several sources report a cessation of activities and it now seems impossible to open an ETF portfolio with Matti. For its part, Curvo, launched in 2021 by two young Flemish entrepreneurs and focused on small portfolios, has also ceased its activities for the moment.