Monaco Bridge Loans

• Offers for bridging loans in Monaco in less than 24 hours
• Use any residential or commercial property as security
• No minimum or maximum loan amount
• Release equity from Monaco property
• Rates from 0.75% to 1.1% per annum
• No minimum term
• Specialist in brokering high-value and cross-border deals 

At the most basic level, the principles of a Monaco bridge loan will be very similar to how a domestic bridging loan works in the UK: a lender will offer you a short-term loan secured against property in Monaco.

As with any kind of international finance – whatever the vehicle – it's important to remember that local laws and regulations can be different than in your home country or place of residence. To ensure that bridging finance is a good option for you, it's important to understand what these differences are and how they will affect you. Things to consider include how Monaco property transactions take place, taxation, ownership, liabilities and responsibilities, and the legal system. Your broker will walk you through all these elements and, if needed, connect you with the advisers you will need to work with if you do not already have a team in place. Enness will always be working on your side to deliver a bridging loan and will liaise with all the partners involved in the transaction to ensure it moves at pace and everyone delivers the plan on time. 

Bridging loans in Monaco are secured against either commercial or residential real estate, although residential bridging is more typical. It is always a short-term lending vehicle, lasting from just a few weeks at minimum up to three years at maximum. 

You can use Monaco bridging finance to:

• Complete property transactions in the Principality quickly
• As an alternative financing method to a mortgage or other types of property finance
• To finance a property purchase if you stand to lose a deposit
• To create liquidity to allow you to purchase a home in Monaco before another property has sold
• To release equity against a residence you own in Monaco 

A bridging loan won't always be the best option for you – it is a financing vehicle that is best used in certain scenarios or to achieve specific outcomes. Enness will always walk you through all your options and the alternative financing methods, so you can decide if this type of financing is the right choice for you.

You can use bridging loans in different ways: if you want to buy a new property in Monaco quickly or raise liquidity to purchase a property in the Principality before you have sold other real estate (in Monaco or abroad), for example. They can also be used if you wish to release equity from a property in Monaco. Whatever your motivation for pursuing this kind of financing and whatever you want to achieve, one of the most important elements of this type of loan is your exit strategy – in other words, how you will repay the loan. A clear strategy of how you will manage the funds is also key. 

A bridge loan is nearly always more expensive than a long-term mortgage or traditional property finance since it is a more flexible financial product that can be utilised more broadly, including to release equity that will allow you to invest, consolidate existing debt, or to inject into a business to grow it, buy out a partner and so on. However, Monaco bridging loans are always competitively priced based on your intended use for the loan, the amount you wish to borrow, and the speed at which you may get the money. How ambitious your plans are can also affect what you will pay, but it is worth noting that there are lenders that can finance such projects and will consider aggressive plans and exits.

How much you can borrow will depend on a number of factors. Ultimately, the value of your Monaco property, how you will use the loan and your exit plan will influence what a lender will let you borrow. Some lenders operate on the basis of offering a maximum LTV of around 60 or 65% for a Monaco bridge loan. Other lenders will have a lower limit as standard or will offer lower LTV if you have particularly ambitious plans. Your financial background, net worth and income can also affect how much you can borrow.

Not every lender offers international bridging loans, and not every lender can offer loans against Monegasque property. However, those that do can offer large loans against high-value real estate in Monaco, including a single asset. Loans of a million euros or more are a distinct possibility in Monaco. 

The lenders that operate in the Monaco bridging market can usually provide loans structured via entities and various ownership structures. You will also not need to reside in Monaco on a full-time basis to be eligible for this type of finance, and your nationality or country of residence are not usually barriers to your ability to access this type of finance as long as you meet compliance and AML requirements. Whatever your nationality, country of residence and plans, Enness will approach Monaco bridging finance lenders and negotiate with them to secure the highest possible LTV and most competitive loan terms for you.  

Bridging finance is prevalent in the UK but less so abroad, and in Monaco, it is a relatively niche area of expertise, given the property valuations are so high and the Principality is so small. In recent years, however, there has been an increased demand for lenders to provide Monaco bridging loans. This has been driven, in part, by UK nationals that are residents in Monaco who want to use bridging finance. Monaco has a significant number of foreign nationals that live full or part-time in the Principality, and many of these individuals also want to use bridging finance, given they understand its benefits and the flexibility it offers.

Although many lenders are active in the UK bridging sector, Monaco bridging finance is a very niche market. Only specialist lenders can offer Monaco bridging finance, and these lenders have a great deal of expertise working with sophisticated borrowers, high-net-worth individuals, non-resident property owners and various nationalities. Most of these lenders can offer bridging loans in deals that include international structures. 

When it comes to Monaco bridging loans, you will almost always need a tailored loan instead of a packaged product – especially in high-value deals, as is usual in the Principality. Whatever the scenario, Enness will approach the lenders that will offer you the most competitive bridging loan. Your broker will also approach the lenders that can structure the loan using any entities you or your advisers want to include in the deal. Naturally, your broker will also be able to negotiate LTV, terms and loan size. Your broker will always work to maximise what you can borrow and negotiate the most affordable rates. Enness will also work with all the parties involved in the loan to ensure everyone is working towards the same goals and all players come together to complete the transaction as quickly as possible.  

You can use Monaco bridging loans in various ways. You may use them to buy Monaco property quickly. Alternatively, you may be seeking an alternative financing arrangement to a Monaco mortgage, or you may wish to release significant equity from property you own in the Principality. You can use Monaco bridging finance to achieve all these outcomes.

Other advantages of Monaco bridging finance include:

Speed

Many borrowers want to explore the possibility of getting a Monaco bridging loan because of how quickly you will be able to draw down loan capital. Bridging lenders, including those that offer loans in Monaco, move at pace, and you will be able to draw down funds very fast – sometimes in as little as two weeks. Because of the speed with which lenders can deliver these loans, you may find it is a much faster way to finance a Monaco property purchase than via a mortgage which will take much longer to arrange. A Monaco bridging loan can be particularly useful if you need to complete a transaction quickly or if you face losing a deposit on a property in Monaco.

No Requirement For Assets Under Management

Most international private banks require assets under management (AUM) as a requirement of a Monaco mortgage. Usually, you will need to place a significant amount of assets under management to secure the mortgage, which may not be beneficial to you. The lenders that offer Monaco bridging loans will not require that you place AUM, which may be advantageous to you for a number of reasons.

Flexibility

Bridging is a versatile financial tool; you can use these loans to realise various ambitions and solve problems. Where you can only use a mortgage to buy property, for example, you can use bridging loans in a range of ways which include: 

• Buying Monaco real estate 
• Purchasing international property using a loan secured on Monaco real estate 
• Raising liquidity quickly
• Consolidating debt in Monaco or abroad 
• Invest in securities, stocks, shares, bonds or a business
• Buy other assets

Whatever it is you want to achieve, you will need to approach lenders with a defined plan of action which includes details of what you will do with funds and how you will manage them. If you wish to release equity from a property or use the loan to finance cross-border projects (i.e., you will use loan capital outside Monaco), you will find these plans are especially important to lenders. 

Large Monaco Bridging Loans

Bridging lenders tend to specialise in one area of the market and either large or small loans. How much you want to borrow will influence which lenders your broker will approach. There is no limit on how large or small a bridge loan Enness can broker. It is also worth noting that some lenders will provide significant bridging loans secured against Monaco property – loans of €1-€10 million are possible if your property and your financial background support this – larger loans are also an option.

Price

Any international bridging loan will be more costly than a domestic UK bridging loan. This is because lenders usually need more technical skills to operate internationally than lenders that operate exclusively in the UK. The cost of a Monaco bridge loan will usually be higher because of the international element. You will also find that lenders need more technical ability to deliver these types of loan, which comes at a cost. Lenders also consider bridging loans as riskier (compared to conventional finance options, like a mortgage) given the loan is short-term, and this also affects price.

Monaco bridging loans are almost always more expensive than longer-term finance vehicles. That said, this doesn’t mean these loans are prohibitively expensive or overpriced: they are simply more costly than other types of finance – sometimes only marginally.

It is also worth noting that bridging finance is only ever used when you want to achieve a specific outcome and the benefit of being able to access capital to achieve your goal will often (easily) outweigh the cost of the loan. In many cases, a bridging loan may be one of the only ways you can access finance quickly. Many borrowers are happy to pay a slightly higher fee to benefit from the certainty that they can borrow quickly to make something happen

You can use Monaco bridging loans to release significant equity from Monegasque real estate, buy additional property in Monaco or abroad, consolidate debt and create liquidity to solve problems quickly. Your broker will carefully talk you through all the costs, benefits and potential drawbacks of this type of finance, so you can understand what you will pay, if there are other options you should explore and what the tangible benefits of bridging finance are. 

Fees

As well as the cost of the loan itself, bridging finance will also incur other fees, usually including legal costs, lender fees, valuations, arrangement fees and other liabilities. In some cases, you may also need to consult tax advisers and other experts, depending on your financial background and the complexity of the deal. Enness will walk you through all the fees you will incur if you take out a Monaco bridging loan upfront, so you understand exactly what you will need to pay and what the whole finance package will cost to deliver. 

Risk

Bridging finance is a type of secured loan. You may lose your property if you can't keep up with repayments. Having a plan of how you will manage the loan and exit is imperative to ensuring your Monaco bridging loan is a success.  

You can use a Monaco bridging loan to release equity from unencumbered Monaco real estate. Your lender will secure the bridging loan against your property in the Principality. 

Equity release against Monaco property is very niche – first because not every lender is able to operate in Monaco and secondly because Monegasque real estate tends to be high-value, and therefore loans are usually large. That said, many of the lenders that will offer Monaco bridging loans also offer equity release. Here, they will be open to lending in cases where you will invest in securities or private stock, purchase assets, acquire real estate in Monaco or abroad, consolidate debt or solve short-term cash-flow issues. One of the benefits of bridging loans in Monaco for equity release is that you are not obliged to deploy the loan capital in Monaco – you can utilise the funds abroad.

When it comes to equity release, having a well-thought-out plan for managing the funds and exiting the loan is essential. Above all, your lender must be confident in your ability to manage the capital you borrow and pay back the loan successfully at term.

Bridging finance is a short-term financing mechanism, and therefore, the repayment is different than with a product such as a mortgage, for example. With long-term and conventional lending, you will pay back the capital (and often the interest) over time, but this is not the case with bridging loans, where the loan will effectively be due as a lump sum. Because you will need a significant amount of capital to settle your liability, lenders will want to understand precisely how you plan to do this. 

There are plenty of options for paying back a bridging loan – this process is also called your exit. These will include:

Refinancing

Refinancing is one of the most common methods of repaying a Monaco bridge loan. Here, you refinance with another lender, and you will usually switch to a longer-term (and therefore less expensive) finance package. Refinancing to a mortgage is usual, but you can do so via other types of financing products, too. Your new lender will pay off your bridging loan. If you wish, Enness can arrange a refinance package at the same time as brokering your bridging loan, which will help you present your exit to lenders. 

Sell Property 

You can also pay off a bridging loan by using the proceeds generated via the sale of the property the loan is secured against or other property in your portfolio. Usually, lenders are open to whether this property is located in Monaco or abroad. 

Use Other Assets/Capital 

You can also plan to repay a Monaco bridging loan by using capital from another source, for example, the sale of other assets, the sale of other property in your portfolio, or a liquidity event. A liquidity event can be anything from an inheritance, capital generated via the sale of a business, sale of securities, luxury assets and so on. Here, details of how and when you will receive the capital you will use to pay off the loan are imperative – expect lenders to examine these elements in detail.  

The lenders that offer Monaco bridging loans are usually international players that tend not to be based in Monaco. They have an international outlook and approach to lending, which will be beneficial, given most lenders will consider loans that are secured against Monaco property but where loan capital will be deployed outside the Principality. This opens the door to you being able to use bridging finance to buy property abroad, invest internationally (in securities or a business), consolidate international debt or create liquidity for a project outside Monaco. If you are planning to use the loan outside Monaco, you may want to borrow in another currency – pounds sterling, Swiss francs or US dollars are very normal, and many lenders offer these as standard.