Stuart Law from Assetz Capital discusses different platform approaches to security, risk assessment and lending in an article for FT Adviser; provides details on the pre-approval and post-approval process for loans, noting the importance of these processes for investors given that P2P platforms provide alternative investments with potentially higher risks; also discusses the advantages that a provision fund can offer for investor security. Source
Investors in the UK are anxious for new innovative finance individual savings account (IFISA) options with P2P lenders as the new tax year begins; the IFISAs were launched for P2P investing nine months ago however limited options still remain due to the authorizations given by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA); it is expected that the largest providers, Zopa, Funding Circle, Ratesetter and LendInvest, will receive authorization however it has not been granted yet from the FCA; platforms currently offering IFISAs include Abundance, CrowdStacker and Crowd2Fund; Folk2Folk is currently the largest lender authorized with plans for also launching an IFISA. Source
Italian invoice trading platform Workinvoice has packaged 5 million euros ($5.31 million) worth of receivables financed through its platform in a securitization vehicle; the receivables portfolio was purchased by Italian portfolio manager Factor@Work; the securitization deal represents a new source of capital interest for the invoice receivables market. Source
Applied Blockchain has been trialling a system for companies to process their invoices on blockchain and in turn will allow the companies to tap the securitization markets; the current trial is with a UK SME called Emplas that makes windows; "Our platform may now allow for securitization of invoices as the underlying for bond issues," Ben-Ari, Founder of Applied Blockchain, tells Euromoney; "It brings transparency as to the ownership and establishes the provenance of invoices for bond buyers in ways that the existing processes and technology simply did not allow." Source
iProov, the world leader in online biometric face authentication, today announced a $70 million growth investment from Sumeru Equity Partners
Ireland is working to bolster their claims to be a destination for financial services firms and fintech startups by embracing...
The "Facebook Initiative" has helped increase lending at Irish credit unions and now 15% to 20% of loan inquiries come through the social networking site; the program initially started out as a pilot project and has moved into a key source of new leads; half of consumers that used this program never borrowed from a credit union before; the process involves a 30 second inquiry online, then lending officers call the borrowers to ensure they understand what they are borrowing; this is part of a broader move by the Credit Union Development Association (CUDA) in Ireland to spur innovation in finance. Source
The Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) has introduced a new crowdfunding regulatory regime, following a years-long campaign for regulatory recognition by Irish peer-to-peer lenders. The new regime requires all crowdfunding service providers to be authorised and subject to operational requirements and investor protection measures. They will also be required to incorporate appropriate warnings in their...
The specific criteria of the scheme currently excludes 750,000 UK firms from accessing vital funding and software. So will there be change?
The EU has agreed on new landmark rules to regulate the cryptocurrency market, making it the most comprehensive regulatory framework in the world