Helping Hand Loan: the Walloon Government raises the ceilings

The Walloon Government adopted, on August 27, 2026, an order amending the order of September 22, 2016, implementing the decree of April 28, 2016, regarding the Prêt Coup de Pouce (Boost Loan), a financing mechanism for Walloon SMEs. The text, referenced [C − 2026/006530], was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on September 10, 2026 (p. 49543) and takes effect as of June 1, 2026.

The order aims to ensure the continuity of the mechanism beyond the May 31, 2026 deadline and to avoid any interruption in the submission and processing of registration requests. The Government justifies the retroactive entry into force by the need to prevent a legal vacuum that would be detrimental to the proper functioning of the mechanism.

Rebalanced Ceilings

Annex 1 of the implementing order, last amended by the order of April 27, 2023, sees its amounts adjusted in Article 1:

• the ceiling per lender is lowered from 125,000 euros to 75,000 euros;
• the ceiling per borrower is increased from 250,000 euros to 300,000 euros.

These amounts apply both to individual Boost Loans and to the cumulative amount of several loans.

Fight Against Circular Financing

The text strengthens safeguards against abusive arrangements. A new paragraph is inserted into Article 9 of Annex 1, by which the parties declare that the loan is not part of a reciprocal, circular, or coordinated financing operation as referred to in Article 3, § 3, 5°, of the decree of April 28, 2016. Similarly, Annex 3 incorporates a certification by which the borrower attests that they are not participating in such an operation.

Furthermore, the second paragraph of Article 2, § 3, of the implementing order, last amended by the order of July 3, 2025, is repealed.

A Regulated Adoption Process

The order was proposed by the Minister of Economy. It received the opinion of the Finance Inspector on June 19, 2026, and the agreement of the Minister of Budget on July 9, 2026. The request for an opinion addressed to the Council of State was registered on July 10, 2026, under number 79.772/2/V; the legislation section decided on July 29, 2026, not to issue an opinion within the requested timeframe. The order is signed in Namur by Minister-President A. Dolimont and Minister of Economy P.-Y. Jeholet.

Impact for Businesses

For Walloon SMEs, this rebalancing expands individual borrowing capacity while further capping the cumulative exposure of each lender. The new declarations on circular financing tighten the conditions for accessing the mechanism, with the aim of compliance and transparency. The retroactive effect to June 1, 2026, guarantees the continuity of applications submitted since that date.

Official source: Decree of the Walloon Government of August 27, 2026, amending the Decree of the Walloon Government of September 22, 2016, implementing the decree of April 28, 2016, relating to the “Coup de Pouce” Loan, Belgian Official Gazette of September 10, 2026, p. 49543, reference [C − 2026/006530].