How do you prospect B2B companies in Flanders by business sector ?

The Company Belgium API lets you combine a geographic filter (Flemish province or postal code) with a sector filter (NACE code) to generate highly targeted prospection lists. For example, to target logistics companies in the province of Antwerp, use NACE codes 49.xx to 52.xx with a province filter. Data comes from the BCE and is updated regularly.

How many companies are active in Flanders according to the BCE database ?

Flanders has over 700,000 active enterprises registered with the BCE/KBO, representing more than half of all Belgian companies. These businesses span all sectors, from the petrochemical industry at the port of Antwerp to tech startups in Ghent and Leuven, and food industry SMEs in West Flanders.

How do you verify the BCE status of a Flemish business partner ?

Through the Company Belgium API, you simply query the endpoint with the company's BCE number to instantly retrieve its active or inactive status, legal form, official address, creation date, and NACE codes. This verification is essential for your KYC and AML obligations, particularly for financial institutions and accounting firms operating in Flanders.

Can the Company Belgium API be used to analyse competition in a Flemish sector ?

Yes. By filtering companies by NACE code and province, you can map all your potential competitors in your sector across Flanders and track how this competitive landscape evolves over time. You can also analyse company creation trends to anticipate new entrants in your market.

Companies in Flanders: 700,000+ enterprises BCE/KBO

In brief

Flanders hosts over 700,000 active enterprises registered with the BCE/KBO, spanning key sectors such as chemicals, port logistics, automotive, and tech. The Company Belgium API gives you access to all this official data to prospect, analyse, and verify Flemish companies through simple REST calls.

Flanders: Belgium's Economic Powerhouse

With over 700,000 active enterprises, Flanders is by far the most economically dense region in Belgium. From the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge to the technology clusters of Ghent and Leuven, and from the industrial zones of Limburg to the textile sector of West Flanders, the Flemish business fabric is both diverse and powerful.

For B2B professionals, this density represents an enormous reservoir of opportunities — provided you have the right tools to navigate this mass of data. Company Belgium offers exactly that: a REST API that provides access to the complete BCE database (Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises / Kruispuntbank van Ondernemingen) to search, filter, and analyse the Flemish business landscape. Our guide on what the BCE/KBO is provides essential background.

Key Sectors in Flanders

The Flemish economy stands out for the diversity of its leading sectors:

Chemicals and Petrochemicals

The port of Antwerp houses the second-largest petrochemical cluster in the world, after Houston. Multinationals such as BASF, Bayer, and ExxonMobil operate alongside dozens of specialised SMEs. Through the Company Belgium API, you can identify all companies registered under NACE codes 20.xx (chemical industry) in the province of Antwerp.

Automotive and Subcontracting

Flanders hosts major assembly plants (Volvo in Ghent) and an extensive network of subcontractors under NACE codes 29.xx (manufacture of motor vehicles). The API allows you to map this entire value chain.

Logistics and Transport

Thanks to its strategic geographic location and its port and airport infrastructure, Flanders is a European logistics hub. NACE codes 49.xx to 53.xx cover the entire transport and warehousing sector.

Technology and Digital Services

From Ghent to Leuven, via Kortrijk and Hasselt, Flemish tech companies are booming. NACE codes 62.xx and 63.xx group IT activities and information services.

Food and Agriculture

West Flanders and East Flanders concentrate a significant share of Belgian food industry (NACE codes 10.xx to 11.xx).

Prospecting Across Flanders with the Company Belgium API

Search by Province

The Company Belgium API lets you target your searches by Flemish province:

Antwerp: port, chemicals, diamonds, logistics

East Flanders: tech, biotech, food industry (companies in Ghent)

West Flanders: textiles, agriculture, coastal tourism (companies in Bruges)

Flemish Brabant: innovation, R&D, spin-offs (companies in Leuven)

Limburg: logistics, manufacturing, energy

By combining a geographic filter (postal code or province) with a sector filter (NACE code), you obtain highly targeted prospection lists.

Search by Company Size

Flanders is the kingdom of SMEs. Over 95% of Flemish companies have fewer than 50 employees. The Company Belgium API helps you identify these SMEs by sector and location — particularly useful for B2B service providers targeting this segment.

Search by Legal Form

Looking specifically for BV (private limited companies), NV (public limited companies), or VZW (non-profit associations) in a Flemish province? The API allows you to filter by legal form, significantly refining your results.

B2B Prospection: Building Qualified Lists

One of the most common uses of the Company Belgium API is building B2B prospection lists. Here is a typical workflow for prospecting in Flanders:

Define your target: choose the NACE sector, geographic area, and optionally the legal form.

Query the API: run your request to obtain the list of matching companies.

Enrich the data: for each company, retrieve detailed information (address, activities, status).

Export to your CRM: integrate this data into Salesforce, HubSpot, or any other sales management tool.

Update regularly: re-run your queries periodically to detect newly created companies in your target segment.

Statistics and Market Intelligence

Beyond prospection, the Company Belgium API is a valuable tool for market analysis in Flanders.

Analysing Sector Density

By aggregating your query results by NACE code and province, you can build detailed sector analyses. How many logistics companies are active in the province of Antwerp? What is the creation rate for tech companies in Ghent over the past 12 months? The API provides the raw data to answer these questions.

Tracking Company Creation Trends

By filtering by creation date, you can observe Flemish entrepreneurship trends: which sectors attract the most new entrants, which geographic areas experience the most dynamism, which legal forms are preferred by founders.

Competitive Benchmarking

Want to evaluate the competitive landscape in your sector across Flanders? The API allows you to identify all your potential competitors by NACE code and location, and track how this landscape evolves over time.

Compliance and Verification: KYC/AML in Flanders

For financial institutions, accounting firms, and compliance departments, business partner verification is a legal obligation. Our article on automated KYC verification via the API shows how to integrate these checks efficiently. The Company Belgium API significantly simplifies this process:

Identity verification: confirm that the BCE number matches the declared company.

Status check: verify that the company is still active and not in liquidation.

Address validation: confirm the registered office address.

Activity history: review declared NACE activities to detect potential inconsistencies.

Why Choose Company Belgium to Explore Flanders?

Official data: all information comes directly from the BCE/KBO.

Simple REST API: clear documentation, fast integration into your tools.

Complete coverage: access to all Flemish enterprises, without exception.

Powerful filters: location, NACE sector, legal form, creation date.

Regular updates: data reflects the latest registrations and modifications in the BCE.

Explore 700,000+ Flemish Enterprises Now

Whether you are in the phase of commercial prospection, market analysis, or compliance verification, the Company Belgium API is your gateway to the Flemish business fabric. Access reliable, structured, and up-to-date data to make informed decisions.

Sign up for free and start exploring Flanders:

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Over 700,000 Enterprises in Flanders: Explore the Flemish Business Landscape via the BCE