PeerStreet announced that they have crossed $150 million in originations after one year in business; the company launched at Money 20/20 last October; so far the platform has experienced zero losses, providing returns between 6% and 12%; PeerStreet's weighted portfolio loan-to-value is 65%. Source
Non-bank lender Pemberton Asset Management sees a big opportunity in business lending with the uncertainty surrounding Brexit; Pemberton is confident that European banks will pull back as a result of Brexit and slow their lending practices; the sizable raise also points to the confidence in private debt funds as an option for companies unable to get financing from the banks.
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) had meetings with various bitcoin exchanges this week including BTCC, OKCoin and Huobi; along with the meetings two press releases were issued; according to a translation from Coindesk, the document reads, "Bitcoin is not a currency and shouldn't be viewed as such. Those who invest in bitcoin should accordingly be aware of the risks it poses and protect their investment"; officials also reminded exchanges about complying with local state laws and other regulations. Source
In an interview with RIABiz Personal Capital Founder Bill Harris talks about the outlook for his firm, the growth they have seen and some of the challenges with growing their brand; they do not consider themselves a robo advisor, they are more complicated and detailed with call centers and multiple strategies; they currently have $4.9 billion in assets under management which is more than five times the $1 billion in assets under management they had in January 2015; Jay Shah, CEO of Personal Capital, tells RIABiz, "Our rapid growth reaffirms that we are solving a major pain point for consumers by giving them conflict-free advice and full transparency and insight into their financial lives."; they are not as cheap as Betterment or Vanguard yet they are gaining market share and their average account is $380,000; the company has received over $200 million in venture funding with the most recent round of $40 million closing yesterday; the interview also goes through the pains of building their brand and the different strategies they offer to clients. Source
After an initial $50 million investment in Personal Capital, IGM Financial has invested an additional $25 million in the company; the $25 million was contingent on an assets under management goal which they have now surpassed; the company has added $1.5 billion under management in the last year bringing their total to $3.4 billion; this amounts to 80% growth; valuation of the company is approximately $500 million. Source
Chris Lustrino talks with the cofounders of PeerStreet in a blog post interview on Simple.Innovative.Change; Brew Johnson talks about how his legal experience with real estate and work on a tech startup with his brother led him to found the platform; additionally, both founders discuss the PeerStreet platform and its innovative market positioning. Source
Pemberton has received investment of 1.2 billion euros for its European mid-market debt fund; the fund will invest in private debt of European companies with a turnover between €75 million and 1 billion euros; investors in the fund include insurance companies, pension funds, family offices and foundations from Europe, Asia and the US; strategy was launched due to high demand from European mid-market companies seeking financing; Keith Jones, chairman of Pemberton, says, "As the private debt market matures, we are very well-placed to play a significant role in this increasingly important asset class." Source
In an outlook from Moody's, the rating agency says marketplace lending securitization performance is likely to be stable in 2017; outlook says marketplace lenders have strengthened their business models resulting in improved credit characteristics for the loans backing new securitizations; increased confidence in marketplace lending best practices is likely to continue however performance of loans may vary by category and economic conditions may also be a factor. Source
Personal Capital, a hybrid wealth management platform, raised another $40 million and it now brings their total funding to $200 million; this Series E round was led by IGM Financial, part of the Power Financial Corporation group of companies, with participation from other existing investors; they plan to use the new capital to expand product offerings, increase their marketing spend and build up their advisory service; they also plan to move into San Francisco and Denver, building on the markets they currently are in which include Dallas, Atlanta, New York, Greater Los Angeles and Chicago. Source
Hybrid digital wealth management firm Personal Capital now has $5 billion of assets under management (AUM) after accelerating growth with $2 billion in AUM added in 2017; Jay Shah, CEO of Personal Capital, tells Robo Advice News, "For investors with complex financial lives or for those who are just too busy to manage their own investments, we take the time and worry out of building an investment strategy."; new investors now invest $395,000 as compared to $289,000 since the start of the year, a 37% increase; the company has also launched a number of new features and closed a $40 million Series E round. Source