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True Cost of Borrowing
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Your bank quotes a headline rate. The real cost includes dossier fees, annual management charges, and the way amortisation compounds over time. This calculator shows you the number your bank prefers you don't calculate.

Your loan details
Loan amount€50K – €10M
€50K€5M
Annual interest rateBE market: 3.2–4.8%
%
0.5%12%
Loan duration1–15 years
years
115
FeesOPTIONAL
Dossier / origination feeBE market: 0.5–1.5%
% of loan
Annual management feeBE market: 0–0.3%
% / year
What your loan actually costs
Monthly repayment€ 9.096principal + interest
Advertised rate: 3.50%
True all-in rate (incl. fees)
3.91%
+0.41%
Cost composition
Principal repaid
Total interest
All fees
Principal repaid
€ 500.000
90.78%
Total interest paid
€ 45.752
8.31%
Dossier fee (upfront)
€ 5.000
0.91%
Annual management fees (total)
€ 0
0.00%
Total cost (all-in)
€ 550.752
100%

Is this rate and fee structure typical for a Belgian SME loan?
The calculator shows you the cost. Credia's analysis shows you how it compares to the market — and exactly where you can push back.

Monthly repayment uses standard French amortisation. Dossier fee is treated as an upfront cost. Annual management fee is applied to the original loan amount each year (conservative — some banks apply it to the outstanding balance). True all-in rate is the IRR of all cash flows. No market assumptions are used in the calculation.

Why the headline rate isn't the real rate

Belgian banks are required to disclose the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on consumer loans. For commercial SME loans, there is no such legal requirement. The bank quotes you an interest rate. The fees are listed separately. Almost no borrower adds them together correctly.

01

The dossier fee problem

A 1% origination fee on a €500.000 loan is €5.000 paid on day one. On a 3-year loan at 3.5%, that fee alone adds ~0.6% to your true annual rate. On a 7-year loan, it adds ~0.2%. Duration matters — and most borrowers don't know this.

02

Annual fees compound quietly

A 0.25% annual management fee sounds trivial. On a €500.000 loan over 5 years, that's €6.250 in additional costs charged each year on top of your interest. Most SMEs notice it on their statement but never account for it in total cost.

03

The true rate is what you negotiate on

When a bank quotes 3.5%, their credit committee approved a deal priced at 4.1% all-in. They know the true cost. Now you do too. The negotiation isn't just about the rate — it's about reducing the fee load to bring the all-in number down.