#Postal #Banking is promoted by USPS as a profitable business, and by some Democrats as a great way to get banking services to the unbanked. It does, however, raise questions about the Postal Service’s ability to deliver, costs,and whether it could undercut payday lenders without running deficits.
Financial Technology
The People’s #Bank of China (PBOC) will require #payment platforms to allocate as much as 50% of their total client funds in a regulated interest-free reserve. Additionally, the PBOC also said it would regulate QR code payment to reduce growing concerns about risks related to these types of transactions. The new regulations will have an […]
Bank Innovation
Kevin Simback and Josie Lee seeded the list of US companies using #technology in the broad #Digital #Mortgage #Market – MortgageTech. I keep the conversation categorization and add on a few names. 1 – Mortgage Enterprise Solutions – this includes offering lending operating system (LOS) providers, marketing/lead gen/application/underwriting/fulfillment/closing platforms, servicingRead More
Bank Innovation
Peer-to-peer (P2P) #lending, one of the hottest #fintech industries, has experienced tremendous growth in the past five years and is expected to be worth US$ 150 billion by 2025, according to PwC.
After the financial crisis in 2008, P2P lending emerged as a new method for consumers to get loans easily and quickly, bypassing traditional #banks that had tightening their #consumer lending policies.
The model quickly grew in popularity, attracting borrowers with the new platforms’ perceived low interest rates, simplified application process, and quick leading decisions.
In 2014, an estimated US$ 5.5 billion worth of loans have been issued in the US alone with an average growth of 84% per quarter since 2007.
Growth has been largely influenced by technological breakthroughs and demographical shifts. Most particularly, the Millennial generation – those born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s &8211; has set new standards in the financial services #industry.
Image credit: Rawpixel.com via Shutterstock
This demographic is demanding greater convenience, mobility, real-time update, and are using entirely different channels.
Tech-savvy and socially-minded, Millennials are changing the face of finance and have embraced fintech solutions. A recent report by Oracle and Wharton Fintech suggests a notable increase in the use of non-bank options by this demographic in solutions such as mobile wallets, mobile money and overall alternative payment solutions.
In the P2P lending area, Millennials are ten times more likely to use P2P lenders than those 50 and older, according to the Fair Isaac Corporation. The demographic is becoming a larger portion of the consumer loan market as they seek credit to finance major purchases or refinance their student debt.
“The Millennials are prime targets for P2P lending as they value the convenience of transacting online and are less loyal to banks,” according to PwC.
While the industry is experiencing strong growth, lending from large banks, on the other hand, has decreased dramatically. In the US, the ten largest banks lent US$ 44.7 billion in 2014, a drop of 38% from its peak of US$ 72.5 billion in 2006, according to Techcrunch.
That said, banks shouldn&8217;t be afraid of these new players as P2P lenders &8220;are unlikely to pose a threat to banks in the mass market,&8221; according to Neil Tomlinson, Deloitte&8217;s head of UK banking.
Image credit: Stokkete via Shutterstock
In a report released earlier this year, the consulting firm argued that these new platforms &8220;will not be significant players in terms of overall volume or share.&8221; It said that P2P lenders cannot compete with banks in mainstream markets and should in fact focus on profitable niche segment markets where their knowledge can be a competitive advantage.
The report encourages banks to start collaborating with P2P lenders to deliver superior UX capability, maintain customer relationship, gain access to data to improve the bank&8217;s risk scoring, as well as provide an option to under-served segments.
For these platforms, collaborating with banks would allow them to increase awareness among borrowers and investors, gain scale and lower their customer acquisition costs.
A number of banks have already teamed up with P2P lending startups: JP Morgan Chase provides loans to its SME customers using OnDesk&8217;s platform; Metro Bank deploys customer deposits through Zopa; and RBS and Santander UK are both regering SME customers rejected for a loan to Funding Circle.
Featured image by Anton Gvozdikov, via Shutterstock.com.
The post P2P Lending Platforms Revamp The Consumer Lending Industry appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) #lending is a direct alternative to a bank loan with the difference that, instead of borrowing from a single source, companies and private individuals can borrow directly from tens, sometimes hundreds, of individuals who are ready to lend.
Since its introduction in 2005, P2P lending has spread far beyond its birthplace the UK, reaching all parts of the world.
via AltFi
In Europe today, although the vast majority of the P2P lending activity is concentrated in the UK – which accounts for over 84% of the whole European market &8211;, Germany, France and Nordic countries are experiencing strong growth and development in the P2P lending space with a number of homegrown startups starting to emerge as regional leaders.
Zopa is an industry pioneer and the very first P2P lending platform to ever be launched in the world.
Released to the public in 2005, the platform focuses on consumer P2P lending and operates in the UK and the US, through a partnership with six Credit Unions. Since its launch, Zopa has helped people lend more than £1.54 billion in P2P loans.
Zopa has been voted ‘Most Trusted Personal Loan Provider’ in the Moneywise Customer Awards for the past six years in a row.
Zopa has raised over US$ 56 million in funding.
Funding Circle is an online marketplace for business loans, matching businesses that want to borrow with investors. The company was the first to launch an online platform for P2P business funding in the UK.
Founded in 2010, Funding Circle has helped fund over £1.3 billion worth of loans to SMEs based in the UK. Its community counts over 50,000 investors from the UK.
Funding Circle has raised over US$ 270 million in funding and has acquired three competitors: Endurance Lending Network in 2013, LeapPay in 2014, and Zencap in 2015.
RateSetter is the second largest peer-to-peer lending platforms in the UK. The company is known for having introduced the concept of a “provision fund” into P2P lending.
Launched in 2010, the platform has originated over £595 billion worth of customer loans last year. RateSetter has over 40,000 registered lenders and 240,000 registered borrowers.
RateSetter launched in Australia in 2014 and has raised over US$ 46 million in funding so far.
Auxmoney is a German online P2P loan marketplace focusing on private loans and consumer lending. Auxmoney allows private customers to take out personal loans of between €1,000 and €20,000 from private investors.
Auxmoney has originated over €465 million worth of consumer loans so far, with €99 million accounting for the year 2015 alone. Auxmoney currently stands as one of Europe&8217;s largest P2P lenders.
The company, based in Dusseldorf, Germany, has raised over €200 million in funding so far, according to Crowdfundinsider.
CreditGate24 is a Swiss direct lending platform connecting borrowers with private and institutional lenders.
Launched in 2015, CreditGate24 is regulated by the VQF (Verein zur Qualitätssicherung von Finanzdienstleistungen) and is a member of the ZEK (Verein zur Führung einer Zentralstelle für Kreditinformationen) and the IKO (Verein zur Führung einer Informationsstelle für Konsumkredit).
The company said it aims at differentiating itself by offering a strict credit check by using classic credit assessment methods, Big Data tech, the insurance and the solidarity arrangement. In a detailed interview with Finanzprodukt.ch Creditgate24 mentioned that they financed 100 credit-project with zero loss in the first year and in total 165 until end of June.
Switzerland is a very attractive market for P2P Lending. The negative interest rates will push alternative investments and the the growth of Peer to Peer Lendings.
Younited Credit, formerly known as Prêt d&8217;Union, is one of France&8217;s biggest #fintech startups, operating a P2P lending platform accredited by the French central bank. The platform allows private individuals and institutional investors to lend money to borrowers directly through a secured bond marketplace.
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Issy les Moulineaux, France, Younited Credit is currently working on its European expansion and will first start with Italy, according to TechCrunch.
The startup has managed over €347 million in loans so far.
Younited Credit has raised US$ 52.35 million in funding.
Headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, Bondora is a P2P platform for investing in European personal loans. Launched in 2009, Bondora claims it has been delivering double-digit returns to over 14,000 investors on the platform.
Over €60 million has been lent through Bondora with over €12 million being paid out to investors as interests, and serves lending clients in Finland and Spain.
Bondora has raised over US$ 7 million in funding.
Geldvoorelkaar was the first P2P lending platform for SMEs in the Netherlands, launching in 2011. It was also the very first platform to receive a credit license issued by the Dutch Financial Authority (AFM).
Launched in 2012, Geldvoorelkaar has allowed businesses to raise over €85 million worth of loans.
Headquartered in Vaasa, Finland, Fixura operates a consumer P2P loans platform that connects borrowers with lenders. The platform, which counts some 70,000 registered users, is said to be the largest P2P lender in the Nordic countries and the oldest one in Finland.
Over €55 million has been lent over the platform.
Headquartered in Paris, Lendix is a French online marketplace for business loans, enabling investors to lend money directly to SMEs. Lendix was launched in 2014 and has allowed businesses to raise €26 million worth of loans.
Shortly after acquiring its competitor Finsquare in April, Lendix raised US$ 13.5 million from CNP Assurances, Matmut, Zencap AM, Partech Ventures, Decaux Frères Investissements, Sycomore Factory and Weber Investissement, to become one of the leading P2P lending platforms in Europe.
Lendix has raised over US$ 27 million in funding.
Based in Riga, Latvia, Mintos is a consumer P2P lending platform that connects investors with borrowers. The platform currently serves mortgage loans, personal unsecured loans, secured car loans, and small business loans.
Founded in 2015, Mintos was the first P2P lending platform to launch in Latvia. The platform currently allows customers to invest in four countries: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Georgia.
As of November 2015, Mintos had over 3,200 registered investors from more than 30 countries. Over €54 million has been lent through the platform.
The post Europe&8217;s Top 11 Peer-to-Peer Lending Platforms appeared first on Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News – FintechNewsCH.
The #payments news from Apple seemed sparse compared to other flashier offerings at today’s Worldwide Developers Conference, but #significant new payment platforms within the iOS were quietly announced. Ben Brown of the bank consultancy First Annapolis tweeted: WWDC payments news in a tweet: Apple Pay in/coming to 9 markets, comingRead More
Bank Innovation
It’s easy to move your money between #banks. What&8217;s annoying is moving your apps. There&8217;s been a recent explosion of #fintech products in spaces like&160;stock trading, wealth management, payments, loans, remittance, and&160;insurance. That&8217;s been fueled by a massive uptick in venture&160;investment in private fintech companies, which hit $ 19 billion in… Read More
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