In an article from The Financial Brand they highlight the opportunity for banks and credit unions as millennials reach adulthood, warning that failing to crack the "millennial code" of what makes millennials unique may be fatal to lending opportunities; there are many promising statistics including an estimated 86 million potential millennial customers; according to the US Census Bureau, by 2028 millennials will become the majority of peak and legacy profit groups. Source
According to the Wall Street Journal, former Lending Club CEO Renaud Laplanche has started a new online lender called Credify; the company has setup offices in the financial district of San Francisco and was incorporated less than a month after leaving Lending Club; former Lending Club executives Jeff Bogan and Adelina Grozdanova have also joined the new company; it plans to make its first loans in 2017. Source
Marketplace lender, Peerform, has been acquired by Versara Lending; Versara is a New York City-based consumer lender seeking to expand its lending business in consumer loans; Peerform will enhance the lending capabilities for Versara and Peerform Founder Mikael Rapaport will join Versara Lending as a senior vice president. Source
Zopa has announced it plans to apply for banking licenses; company will be the first alternative finance platform to seek licensing as a bank; CEO Jaidev Janardana wrote to clients on Wednesday with details on the company's plans; Zopa will seek to offer deposit accounts and new lending products; requires Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority licenses which the company expects to take 15 to 24 months. Source
The partnership with Sino Guarantee will provide lending capital of RMB 500 million to China Rapid Finance also helping the marketplace lender to develop and offer lending products on wealth management platforms; Bank of Shanghai will also provide capital support as well as payment channels and fund custody services. Source
Shanghai-based marketplace lender, Lufax, has announced it will be expanding its business into Hong Kong and Singapore; firm also announced plans in September for a Hong Kong-listed IPO which is expected to raise approximately $5 billion; company will leverage its relationship with Ping An for the expansion; funding for the expansion will also be supported by a $1.2 billion fundraise from earlier in the year. Source
In a press release this week, marketplace lender, SoFi, provided more details on its partnership with Protective and announced the launch of a new term life insurance offering for millennials; product provides life insurance for up to $1 million and features a 20 minute application and approval process. Source
Marketplace lender, LendingHome, has reached a new milestone; firm has funded over $750 million in mortgage loans since its launch in April 2014; claims to be the largest mortgage marketplace lender; firm attributes the rapid growth to a broader range of investors, now including retail investors, and the secured status of the real estate loans; Matt Humphrey, LendingHome CEO, shares additional thoughts in the included Q&A. Source
New regulations for peer-to-peer lending in Thailand are scheduled for approval by the end of the year; the new regulations will be formulated from an open comment, public hearing which ended on October 15; a licensing process is also expected to follow in 2017. Source
