Getting Started with Investfora: A Step-by-Step Guide

What Investfora Is and How It Works

Investfora is a platform run by LIFT INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT SGEIC SA, authorised and supervised by the CNMV (Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores) in Spain. It lets you hold cash and put that cash into different kinds of investments, each one kept separate and shown on its own screen. Nothing happens to your money unless you tell it to.

You start by transferring euros to your account using a bank transfer. You'll see a unique reference number in your dashboard to use as the transfer reference. Once the money lands and has been matched — which usually takes one to three working days — it appears as your Investfora cash balance. From there, you decide what to do with it.

The platform is designed to be straightforward. You are not paying subscriptions or hidden fees to hold cash. You only use your cash when you choose to invest it. Each investment you make is held separately, so you can see exactly what you own and how each one is performing.

What You Can Invest In Today

Investfora gives you four main types of investment to choose from. First, there are fixed-term deposits. You place money with a bank for an agreed length of time at an interest rate agreed upfront. The bank is authorised in Europe, so your deposit is covered by that country's deposit-guarantee scheme up to EUR 100,000 per person per bank.

Second, there is business lending. Real businesses post their funding needs on the platform. Each listing shows you the risk grade, the interest rate the business is offering, how much it wants to borrow, how much funding it already has, how long the loan runs for, how often you will be repaid, and what secures the loan.

Third, you can buy and sell cryptocurrency. Investfora offers fifty coins at live market prices. You can swap euros for crypto in seconds and back to euros just as quickly. You can start with as little as one euro if you want to try it.

Fourth, there is a trading account. You can fund it from your Investfora cash and trade currencies, indices, shares, ETFs and commodities through the broker's own trading platform. You can trade on Windows, Android, or through a web trader that opens inside your account. Real estate investment is coming to the platform in the future.

Opening Your Account

Opening an account is straightforward. You provide basic details and go through a verification process. Once that is done, you will have access to your dashboard, which shows your cash balance and all the investments available to you. The minimum first deposit is EUR 250. After that, you can deposit any amount you choose.

When you have verified your account, you will see a unique bank transfer reference in your dashboard. Use this reference for your transfer so that the money is matched to your account correctly. You transfer euros from your bank account using this reference, just like any other bank transfer.

Getting Money In: The Bank Transfer

Bank transfers to Investfora work exactly like transfers to anyone else. You log into your online banking, set up a transfer to the account details shown in your dashboard, and use the reference number as the transfer reference. Send it from your own bank account in the normal way.

Your money usually appears in your Investfora cash balance within one to three working days. This is not instant, because the money has to travel through the banking system and then be matched to your account. Once it appears, it is yours to deploy as you choose.

There is no minimum transfer amount after your first deposit, so you can add small amounts at a time or larger amounts, whatever suits you. Each transfer will appear in your cash balance once it has been matched.

Choosing Where to Put Your Money

Once your cash is in your account, you choose what to do with it. The key thing to understand is that you are in control. Investfora does not make recommendations or give you advice. It shows you what is available and you make the decisions.

If you choose fixed-term deposits, you pick which bank and which term length suit you. The rate is fixed, so you know exactly what you will earn before you commit. If you choose business lending, you read each listing carefully, look at the risk grade and the terms, and decide whether you want to lend to that business and how much.

Each investment is separate. You might put some cash into a deposit, some into one business loan, some into another business loan, some into crypto, and some into trading — or any other combination. Your dashboard shows each one on its own screen so you can see what you own and how it is doing.

Before You Invest: What to Think About

Before you put money into any investment, understand that the value of investments can go down as well as up. You may get back less than you put in. This is true for all four types of investment on the platform. It is important to think carefully about how much you can afford to invest and what you are comfortable with.

For fixed-term deposits, the risk is very low — you are lending to authorised European banks and your money is covered by the deposit-guarantee scheme up to EUR 100,000 per bank — but the rate of return is modest. For business lending, the interest rates are higher, but the risk is higher too. Some businesses may struggle to repay. For crypto, prices move sharply and frequently.

Think about why you are investing. Are you putting money aside for a specific goal or length of time? Are you experimenting with a new asset class? Are you looking for regular income or capital growth? Your answers will shape which investments make sense for you. Investfora lets you mix and match, so you do not have to choose one type.

Never invest money you cannot afford to lose. Startups and small businesses do fail. Crypto is volatile. Trading can wipe out capital quickly. Only invest what you can genuinely afford to have go down in value or disappear.

Beyond Getting Started: AI ForaBot

Once you have your account open and understand how it works, you may be interested in AI ForaBot. This is a paid service that automates trading for you. You get a dedicated personal trading manager and access to a full course on trading. ForaBot is sold either as a one-year subscription contract or as a lifetime licence.

If you are interested in ForaBot, your trading manager will quote you the price. Pricing is confidential and varies depending on which option you choose and your circumstances. The manager is there to discuss what ForaBot can do and whether it is right for you.

ForaBot is separate from the core platform, so you do not need it to get started. Many people use Investfora perfectly well without it. But if automated trading with a personal manager appeals to you, it is there.