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Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers investments listed on the Ethex website to be high risk.

What are the key risks?
  1. You could lose all the money you invest
    • Most investments on the Ethex platform are either withdrawable shares in community benefit societies, known as community shares, or bonds issued by them.  Ethex also offers bonds issued by charities and other social purpose businesses.  Some of the businesses raising finance with Ethex are start-ups and you need to be aware that most start-up businesses fail.
    • Some of these investments can be held in an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA). An IFISA does not reduce the risk of the investment or protect you from losses, so you can still lose all your money. It only means that any potential returns will be tax free.
    • Ethex undertakes due diligence on businesses looking to raise investment.  This covers the intended use of funds, governance, financial viability and social & environmental impact.  While this due diligence process is conducted in good faith it should not be relied upon and you should do your own research before investing.
  2. You won’t get your money back quickly
    • Even if the business you invest in is successful, it is unlikely that you will be repaid sooner than set out in the offer materials.
    • If the business you invest in does not meet its targets, it may not be able to pay you on the scheduled dates. You may find that you do not have access to your money until later than expected.
    • Currently, Ethex does not operate a secondary market for investments made via the website.  Although bonds qualifying for the IFISA must be transferable, there is no Ethex mechanism provided for you to sell these bonds, nor is there any guarantee you will find a buyer at the price you are willing to sell, or at all.
  3. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
    • Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well. A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments.
  4. The value of your investment can be reduced
    • The value of community shares cannot increase, however under certain circumstances, the directors of a community benefit society have the power to write down the value of community shares, which means you will lose part or all of the money you have invested.  This may occur where the value of assets of a society fall below the total value of money invested into shares of the society.
  5. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
    • Ethex is exempt from regulation by the FCA . Learn more about our regulatory status here.  Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) only considers claims against failed regulated firms. Learn more about FSCS protection here.
    • The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) will not be able to consider complaints related to this firm.
If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here.

For further information about investment-based crowdfunding, visit the FCA’s website here.