Hive5 Review

Is Hive5 Safe?

Safety is a major concern when it comes to P2P platforms like Hive5, and it should be stated upfront: Hive5 is not a “safe” investment in the sense of a bank savings account or a regulated investment fund. It involves substantial risk, and potential investors need to be comfortable with that. Here are the key points regarding Hive5’s safety:

Regulation and Oversight

Hive5 is not regulated by any financial authority. The company is registered in Croatia, but it does not hold a crowdfunding license or other investment license there (Croatia’s regulator HANFA does not oversee Hive5’s activities)​.

This means Hive5 operates in a legal gray zone using contract law and has obtained legal opinions to justify that it can operate without a license​. 

The platform has expressed plans to apply for a European Crowdfunding Service Providers (ECSP) license (which would bring it under EU-wide regulation), but so far this has been deferred and not realized​. 

Without regulatory oversight, there’s no external monitoring of Hive5’s conduct or finances. If Hive5 were to misuse investor funds or become insolvent, there’s no regulator that would step in proactively, nor any investor compensation scheme to reimburse losses. In contrast, a regulated platform (for example, those with an ECSP license) must meet capital requirements, segregation of client funds, regular audits by authorities, and adhere to certain transparency rules.

Hive5 voluntarily does some of these (as we discuss below), but that’s not the same as the assurances of formal regulation. In essence, investors bear more risk on an unregulated platform like Hive5​.

Investor Protections

Since Hive5 isn’t regulated, it is not part of any deposit guarantee or investor protection fund. Any money you invest is not insured by the government or any third party. Hive5 does use certain mechanisms to enhance safety: they perform thorough KYC/AML checks and claim to keep client funds separate (though details aren’t public).

They also underwent independent audits – Hive5 states it gets quarterly financial audits by an external firm (FBP Advise) and that it adheres to GDPR and ISO standards for data security​.

While these measures are good to see, they primarily protect against fraud and data breaches, and ensure the company’s financial statements are reviewed. They do not eliminate the fundamental risks: if loans go bad or if Hive5’s management makes poor decisions, investors can still lose money.

There is also no segregated client account protection law like you have with stock brokers – typically P2P platforms hold uninvested funds in separate accounts at a partner bank, but those might not be protected if the platform fails (depending on the account structure). Always remember that when you wire money to Hive5, it’s leaving the safety of your bank and entering an investment subject to risk.

Operational Transparency:

A concerning aspect of Hive5’s “safety” profile is how the company has handled transparency and criticism. A truly safe and reliable platform is usually one that is very open about its operations and welcomes scrutiny. In Hive5’s case, there have been instances where the platform attempted to suppress negative information – for example, by forcing the removal of a critical review that detailed certain risks​.

Moreover, Hive5’s aggressive solicitation of positive reviews (essentially buying high ratings)​ suggests that the outward image of safety (“4.7 stars on Trustpilot” etc.) might be manufactured rather than earned.

From an investor protection standpoint, these practices are worrisome. They imply that Hive5 may prioritize its reputation over fully candid communication. If a platform isn’t completely transparent during good times, can it be trusted to be upfront during bad times (like if loans start failing or if it’s in financial trouble)?

This erosion of trust is itself a safety issue – not in the sense of hacking or tech, but in the sense of whether you can trust the steward of your money. As one analyst put it, Hive5’s business entanglements and behavior “are not adding to the reputation and ethics of a new P2P platform”​

Loans Safeguards

On the positive side, Hive5’s loans do have the buyback guarantee which is a form of safety net for each individual loan (the originator will compensate you if the borrower defaults)​. Also, most of the loans on Hive5 are unsecured consumer loans, but since they are small and short-term, the historical default rates at least so far appear manageable (and originators have been covering them).

Hive5 does not currently offer additional guarantees like a provision fund or asset collateral on most loans – so the primary safety net is still the originator’s buyback commitment.

Some platforms have extra layers (for example, some real-estate P2P loans are secured by property, or platforms like Income Marketplace have reserve funds for each originator); Hive5’s model keeps it simple: high-interest, short-term loans with a promise from the lending company to cover defaults. That simplicity can work as long as all parties perform, but it lacks a Plan B if an originator fails.

Company Background Check

Another way to gauge safety is to see the background of the people and entities behind Hive5 (discussed in detail in the next sections). There are some red flags in Hive5’s background, including connections to a failed platform and potential conflicts of interest. This doesn’t directly mean Hive5 will fail, but it suggests caution.

The fact that Hive5 felt the need to threaten legal action to hide those connections​ is itself telling. A platform that’s safe and confident in its management should be able to address concerns openly rather than silence them.

Who is Behind Hive5?

Hive5 is operated by a company called Hive5 Marketplace d.o.o., which is part of a broader Hive Finance Group based in Lithuania. The platform was co-founded by two main individuals: Andrius Rupšys and Ričardas Vandzinskas, who also serve as the principal owners. According to official information, Andrius Rupšys holds 65% ownership of the company, and Ričardas Vandzinskas holds 35%​. Here’s a bit about each:

Andrius Rupšys (Co-Founder, majority shareholder): Andrius is a Lithuanian entrepreneur. He is notable for having founded Ruptela, a successful Lithuanian IT/telematics company specializing in fleet management and GPS tracking solutions​. Under his leadership, Ruptela grew into a thriving business (Andrius even earned an award as CEO of the Year in Lithuania).

This background suggests that Andrius has experience in building and scaling a tech company. At Hive5, he is a key stakeholder (though not the CEO).

It’s mentioned in some sources that Andrius’s involvement brings a passion for technology and innovation to the platform​. It’s also worth noting that Andrius Rupšys is relatively young and is the son (or close relative) of a figure we’ll discuss later, Juozas Rupšys, who has been influential in Hive5’s formation​.

Ričardas Vandzinskas (Co-Founder and CEO): Ričardas has a strong finance background, with over 15–17 years of experience in multinational finance, investment management, and corporate governance​.

Before co-founding Hive5, he served in roles like Supervisory Board member and Audit Committee member in financial institutions, which implies a deep understanding of financial oversight and risk management. He also mentors students in finance, indicating a reputable professional standing​. At Hive5, Ričardas is the CEO, handling day-to-day operations and strategy.

Given his background, one would expect Ričardas to emphasize sound financial practices and corporate governance at Hive5. It was Ričardas who often represents Hive5 in interviews and communications to investors.

For example, he has provided information on Hive5’s use of technology and originator partnerships, and he publicly stated in early 2023 that the Hive5 group was on a path to profitability (though that statement turned out premature)​

In terms of reputation, the team on paper has the credentials to run a legitimate P2P platform. However, as we discuss next, there are influential figures behind the scenes and past ventures that cast a shadow. It’s been reported that Juozas Rupšys, a Lithuanian businessman, has been a key figure in the background of Hive5’s creation​.

Juozas is actually the father (or godfather) of Andrius Rupšys and is known for developing Creditonline, a software solution for lending platforms. 

Hive5 is said to utilize Juozas’s software and expertise. While Juozas does not appear as an official director or shareholder of Hive5 now, his involvement is significant enough that it’s part of the discussion around who’s behind Hive5. This is important because Juozas has a controversial history in the P2P space.

Relationship Between Hive5, Juozas Rupšys, and Credon

One of the most critical aspects to examine is the connection between Hive5 and a person named Juozas Rupšys, as well as a defunct P2P platform called Credon. These relationships raise questions about potential conflicts of interest and the background of Hive5’s management.

Who is Juozas Rupšys?

Juozas Rupšys is a Lithuanian businessman and the father (or possibly godfather, as some sources put it) of Hive5’s majority owner, Andrius Rupšys​. Juozas is known in the fintech lending industry as the developer of Creditonline, a white-label software platform used by many lenders and P2P sites for loan management​.

In other words, he builds the backend systems that can run a P2P lending marketplace or a loan originator’s operations. Juozas has been something of an advisor/mentor in the creation of Hive5 – the Hive5 platform reportedly uses Creditonline’s software, and Juozas’s expertise likely influenced Hive5’s setup​. 

Additionally, Juozas had direct ties to Hive5’s ecosystem: he is the godfather of Andrius Rupšys (the main owner of Hive5) and was even listed as a former shareholder in one of Hive5’s partner loan companies (Argentum Capital in Poland)​. This indicates Juozas was not only technically involved but also financially intertwined with businesses related to Hive5.

What was Credon?

Credon was a P2P lending platform launched in late 2021 (operational in 2022) in Croatia, which turned out to be a fiasco. It was operated by Credon P2P d.o.o. (a Croatian company), and importantly, Juozas Rupšys owned 100% of Credon through a Lithuanian holding company. Credon was marketed as a P2P marketplace similar to Hive5. However, Credon’s life span was very short – it has been described as a semi-professional P2P platform with scam-like characteristics​.

By early 2023, Credon effectively collapsed: the platform stopped allowing withdrawals, citing software maintenance issues, and eventually investors couldn’t get their money out​. It came to light that the CEO of Credon was basically a figurehead who hadn’t been paid for months​, and the company was in financial disarray.

In March 2023, the Croatian Commercial Court opened bankruptcy proceedings against Credon due to unpaid debts​. Credon’s website went offline for a while in May 2023 and later reappeared with a notice that it wasn’t taking new investments​​. Ultimately, Credon was declared insolvent and ordered to be liquidated in mid-2023​.

During the meltdown, Credon sent out bizarre communications to investors from a Gmail address, offering to transfer their funds manually via a shareholder’s personal bank account (a sign that the platform’s accounts were likely empty or frozen)​. This was, in a word, chaos – investors faced losing money, and the entire operation looked highly unprofessional and deceptive.

How does this involve Hive5? The critical link is Juozas Rupšys. Juozas was the owner and orchestrator of Credon, and he is also the behind-the-scenes architect of Hive5. Essentially, Hive5 appears to be a successor or “rebrand” of the Credon venture, involving some of the same people.

The timeline is telling: Credon launched, floundered, and by the first half of 2023 was being wound down. Hive5 launched in late 2022 (while Credon was still technically around) and then started growing in 2023.

It’s almost as if the efforts shifted to Hive5. Indeed, Hive5’s operational company was established by Andrius and Ričardas, but with support from Juozas’s software and connections​. Juozas himself had a stake in Argentum (one of Hive5’s lenders) years back, and his relative is the owner of Hive5 – so the overlap is significant.

This raises a potential conflict of interest and risk: the same person (or family) that was responsible for a failed platform (Credon) is heavily involved in Hive5. If Credon was run in a problematic way, one has to question if Hive5 might suffer a similar fate or at least if the business ethics are questionable.

Hive5’s Response to the Connection: Rather than openly addressing these ties, Hive5’s management tried to distance themselves from Juozas and Credon. Notably, when an independent blogger uncovered and published the cross-connections between Hive5, Juozas Rupšys, and Credon in a review, Hive5 attempted to take legal action to have that information removed​. They specifically wanted to erase mentions linking Juozas (and his Credon history) to Hive5.

They even went so far as to get two YouTube videos discussing these links taken down via reports​. Such actions suggest Hive5 is very wary of being associated with Credon publicly – which, paradoxically, only heightens concern. If everything was above board, one would expect them to acknowledge Juozas’s involvement and explain how “this time it’s different.” Instead, the knee-jerk reaction was to threaten and censor, which is not a reassuring sign.

Conflicts of Interest:

The relationship between Hive5, Juozas, and Credon also extends to the loan originators on Hive5. All the lenders on Hive5’s marketplace are either founded by or linked to the Hive5 team. For example, Ruptela (Lithuanian originator for business loans) is Andrius Rupšys’s own company; Ekspres Pozyczka (Polish originator) is a subsidiary in the Hive Finance group; and other new partners like FinJet in Spain or Credilink in Romania were set up as Hive5 sought expansion​.

This means Hive5 is largely a closed ecosystem – Hive5 isn’t an independent broker matching you with third-party loan companies at arm’s length; it’s more like a group of interrelated companies funneling loans into a platform they control. Juozas Rupšys’s Creditonline and possibly his capital helped spawn many of these lending companies.

This structure can be risky because if one part fails (say the Polish lending arm hits regulatory trouble or defaults), the whole group (and Hive5 investors) could be impacted. It’s all in the family, so to speak. In essence, the Hive5–Juozas–Credon nexus is a major red flag.

Juozas Rupšys’s prior platform, Credon, has all the hallmarks of a failed or potentially scammy project (investors lost access to funds, bankruptcy, etc.)​. The same individual’s know-how and possibly funds seeded Hive5. Investors should weigh this heavily – it doesn’t necessarily mean Hive5 will repeat Credon’s fate, but it calls for extreme caution.

At the very least, Hive5’s credibility is dented by these associations. Before investing, one should ask Hive5 (and themselves): Why did Credon fail and what has fundamentally changed with Hive5? If the answer is not convincing, be prepared for the possibility that Hive5 could face similar issues in the future. Always remember that in P2P, trust and transparency are paramount – if the people behind a platform have a dubious history, that risk ultimately falls on the investor’s shoulders.