The European Investment Fund (EIF) has pumped over $2 billion into venture capital funds and startups in the last four years; with the vote to leave the European Union, venture capitalists in the UK now fear that this important source of funding will disappear as the government looks to officially complete Brexit; the UK is not as fortunate as the US when it comes to endowments that allocate capital to funds, therefore the EIF has filled a much needed role; there currently is no plan to replace the EIF when the UK officially leaves, though lawmakers and lobbyists are looking to see if they can strike a deal to keep the flow of capital coming. Source
Firm is currently launching a new C share to broaden its investment offering and increase assets under management which are currently at approximately 167 million British pounds ($206.25 million); this is one of the market's most recently launched closed end funds with a diversified portfolio of P2P business loans; in its initial launch it raised 150 million British pounds ($185.25 million); the fund has no management or performance fees and targets an annual total return of 8% to 9%. Source
UK digital bank Starling Bank is now available to a broader set of users; still in a beta testing phase, the firm is now adding additional clients beyond just friends, family and product testers; as enhancements to the platform it recently announced its public API, which will allow for a product marketplace, and it has also partnered with TransferWise; Starling Bank will be offering its users full current account functionality with a contactless MasterCard debit card also including international payment services. Source
UK digital bank startup Monzo has listed a new crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube and is seeking to raise 2.5 million British pounds ($3.09 million) as part of a broader fundraising for a total of 22 million British pounds ($27.18 million); Business Insider provides details on growth plans outlined in the crowdfunding campaign; Monzo is currently showing a seven year plan to an initial public offering which will include an estimated 75 million British pounds ($92.67 million) in new capital in the next five years; Monzo says it will raise capital again in May 2018 and it expects to report a profit after 2020; the firm has been granted a banking license and will begin offering deposit accounts as well as overdraft lending which it expects to help improve profitability. Source
European digital bank N26 has increased its customer base by 200,000 users in just 14 months as digital bank solutions become increasingly more popular in Europe; the company has also reported a new transactions milestone of 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion); the Berlin-based company is targeting tech savvy millennials and has introduced a number of competitive features to attract new customers including a lending product that allows for mobile loans up to 25,000 euros ($26,556); the business has raised over $55 million in capital and is planning to expand to Britain in 2017. Source
Berlin-based solarisBank has raised 26.3 million euros ($27.95 million) in a Series A funding round; investors included Arvato Financial Solutions, Japanese SBI Group, FinLeap, Hegus and Yabeo Capital; the company offers a banking platform solution that helps companies connect with innovative banking service modules for business integration. Source
Revolut has announced a new partnership with Lending Works that will allow the mobile banking app to offer P2P loans; through the partnership, the app's mobile users can submit loan applications and receive funding; loans will be available for 500 British pounds ($608) to 5,000 British pounds ($6,079) with APRs of approximately 9.9% and Lending Works will use customer data from Revolut in loan underwriting approvals; the partnership is expected to bring a significant amount of new business for Lending Works which was launched in 2014 and has lent a total of 50 million British pounds ($61 million) to consumers. Source
London-based FOL Wealth has launched a new robo advisor service for its wealth management clients; the solution offers clients automated service at an annual fee of 0.90% with a minimum investment of 1,000 British pounds ($1,216); it is intended to serve as a hybrid solution complementing the human advice of the firm's wealth advisors. Source
Lisa Caplan from Nutmeg provides insight on investing in individual savings accounts (ISAs); reports on six myths that keep UK investors from investing in ISAs; notes the tax free advantages of investment in ISAs up to the allowance limit of 15,240 British pounds ($18,588) and the allowance limit increase to 20,000 British pounds ($24,394) beginning in April. Source
The UK's National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB) has lifted insurance restrictions for its brokers; it will now provide insurance coverage to its brokers for all P2P loans; "Peer-to-peer lending is booming and it's fantastic that our members can now use it as much as they like, safe in the knowledge that they enjoy protection arranged by NACFB Insurance Services," said Paul Goodman, NACFB chairman. Source