During the week I share the latest marketplace lending and fintech news on Twitter as it happens. Then every Saturday I take the most interesting news items and blog posts from the past week and share them here.
Funding Circle poised for £1bn float from Peer2Peer Finance News – We begin the year with news that Funding Circle is preparing to go public, possibly in Q3.
The Tech Majors are coming? Really? from AltFi – Interesting take from David Stevenson on why Amazon and Google may not come to dominate finance.
How Blockchain Will Revolutionize Invoice-Backed Financing from Let’s Talk Payments – We’re going to hear a lot about blockchain disrupting industries in 2018, here is a take on invoice finance.
Affirm’s big business for 2018 is marketing from Tearsheet – Great piece on Affirm and why they are becoming a leader in point of sale.
The SoFi CEO who was ousted amid sexual harassment allegations is already back with a new startup from Recode – That didn’t take long. Former SoFi CEO Mike Cagney is planning his comeback, with a new company likely focused on the HELOC market.
How a simple tech upgrade at the IRS could transform the economy from TechCrunch – Great piece by Sam Hodges on the new proposed bipartisan legislation that would force the IRS to create an API for access to tax return data.
Valuing Funding Circle from Financial Times – As Funding Circle thinks about going public Kadhim Shubber looks at the comps and digs into valuation metrics.
Could blockchains replace banks in real estate lending? from American Banker – Blockchain technology is coming to real estate. Penny Crosman looks at the state of the tech today and where disruption is most likely.
International P2P Lending Volumes December 2017 from P2P-Banking – The European marketplace lending loan volumes are out for December with both Funding Circle and LendInvest finishing the year strongly as the first and second largest platforms.
‘We don’t need to stay in the student market’: How BankMobile wants to grow its offering and replicate its model from Tearsheet – Q&A with BankMobile who is going to begin offering consumer loans powered by Upstart.
MoneyLion raises $42M to grow its personal finance platform for the middle class from TechCrunch – Funding for fintech platforms is starting out 2018 strong. MoneyLion has just closed a $42M Series B.
INTRUST, Funding Circle announce partnership from BanklessTimes – Another interesting bank partnership announced between Funding Circle and leading midwestern bank INTRUST Bank.
Ripple co-founder is now richer than the Google founders on paper from CNBC – Long time marketplace lending enthusiasts will remember Chris Larsen as the founder of Prosper. He has done very well with his next company, Ripple, and is now one of the top 5 richest people in America…on paper.
Can blockchain technology revive peer-to-peer lending? from American Banker – Blockchain has given rise to a new breed of online lending platforms. Penny Crosman delves into this phenomenon.
Looking at 2018: A Discussion with Ron Suber from Crowdfund Insider – Good interview with Ron Suber, the Godfather of fintech, on what 2018 has in store for online lending.
The tech giants are coming for your customers. Be ready from American Banker – Amazon and Google might not become banks but they are already offering many bank-line services.
VPC continues shift away from P2P with sale of Prosper loans from P2P Finance News – The publicly traded Victory Park fund in the UK has divested its portfolio of Prosper loans.
From the Lend Academy Forum
The Lend Academy forum is where investors go to discuss p2p lending. Below are some topics that were being discussed this week.
Members’ Thoughts and Experience with StreetShares – Forum members share their thoughts on small business lending platform StreetShares.
Fundrise Income eREIT – Investors discuss the recent dividend from Fundrise’s Income eREIT and one member shares an email response from the company.
Borrower Installment Debt – How Much is Student Loans? – A forum member asks whether it is possible to see if a LendingClub borrower has student loans.
Worst Loan of the Day Thread, Grades A – C – Some investors have built their own credit scoring models and share the loans which score the worst.
