International P2P Lending Marketplaces – Loan Volumes April 2015

In the chart below are the loan originations for April. I do monitor development of p2p lending figures for many markets. Since I already have most of the data on file I can publish statistics on the monthly loan originations for selected p2p lending services.
Investors living in markets with no or limited choice of local p2p lending services can check this list of marketplaces open to international investors.

P2P Lending volume 05/2015
Table: P2P Lending Volumes in April 2015. Source: own research
Note that volumes have been converted from local currency to Euro for the sake of comparison. Some figures are estimates/approximations.
*Prosper and Lending Club no longer publish origination data for the most recent month

Notice to p2p lending services not listed: Continue reading

P2P Lending Service Lendico Raises 20M EUR From Rocket Internet and Other Investors

German P2P Lending Service Lendico raised 20M EUR fromLendico Logo Rocket Internet, Access Industries, HV Holtzbrinck Ventures and a new investor. Lendico will use the raised capital to further develop the p2p loan and SME loan service and to invest in the marketplace technology and the team.

‘We have won another experienced strategic partner, who will join Lendico as a long term investor. Together we share the belief that in order to originate loans to consumers and businesses in future banks are no longer needed’, said Lendico CEO Dominik Steinkühler (own translation; original statement is in German language). ‘To have strong funding is an important strategic advantage in a fast growing market environment. Lendico will use the momentum and strengthen its position as a leading international marketplace lender. Together with our investors we will continue to work on breaking the predominance of banks and offer a better alternative to make loans to consumers and businesses.’ (own translation; original statement is in German language)

Oliver Samwer, CEO Rocket Internet SE stated: „We build Lendico as a digital alternative to banks, when it comes to more affordable and faster loans for businesses and consumers. In the Fintech sector we are at the begin of a development that we already experienced in E-Commerce: Incumbents are outpaced by new digital players. With Lendico we actively push ahead this process.’ (own translation; original statement is in German language)

Update: Lendico did not comment on the identity of the new investor. Unconfirmed sources say that the London hedge fund Arrowgrass Capital invested. Arrowgrass was founded in February 2008 and is already invested in Zopa.

Update: Current Status of my Bondora Portfolio

In October 2012 I started p2p lending at Bondora. Since then I periodically wrote on my experiences – you can read my last review here. Since the start I did deposit 14,000 Euro (approx. 15,600 US$). My portfolio is very diversified. Most loan parts I hold are for loan terms between 36 and 60 months. Together the loans add up to 20,616 Euro outstanding principal. Loans in the value of 2,397 Euro are overdue, meaning they (partly) missed one or two repayments. 2,623 Euro principal is stuck in loans that are more than 60 days late. I already received 13,261 Euro in repaid principal back – this figures includes loans Bondora cancelled before payout. I reinvested all repayments.

Bondora Investments 04/15
Chart 1: Screenshot of loan status

At the moment I have 0 Euro in bids in open market listings and 741 Euro cash available, which is rather high but it will take only 2 to 3 loans that match my investment criteria to allocate the money.

Bondora 04/15
Chart 2: Screenshot of account balance

Return on Invest

Currently Isepankur shows my ROI to be 27.22%. In my own calculations, using XIRR in Excel, assuming that 30% of my 60+days overdue and 15% of my overdue loans will not be recovered, my ROI calculations result in 19.6%. Continue reading

Funding Circle Announces 150M Investment led by DST Global

Funding Circle LogoFunding Circle, p2p lending marketplace for SME loans, announced today that it has raised 150 million US$ in equity capital, in a round led by DST Global, with participation from Baillie Gifford, a fund managed by BlackRock, Sands Capital Ventures and Temasek. Goldman Sachs acted as exclusive placement agent for the oversubscribed round. The new funding will be used to consolidate the UK and US markets and fuel further growth.

The investment comes as lending to small businesses via the marketplace surges past the 1 billion US$ mark globally, following sustained growth in both the UK and US markets. Investors at Funding Circle are on track to lend 1 billion US$ over the next year, showcasing the huge potential of marketplace lending on the global economy.

Launched in 2010, Funding Circle is sparking a revolution in the way small businesses access finance, disrupting the traditional model of banking. Through the Funding Circle marketplace in the US, qualified individual investors and institutions can invest in successful small businesses looking for growth capital. In the UK, the Funding Circle marketplace is currently the fifth largest net lender to small businesses*, while in the US, lending in the first quarter of this year was seven times larger than lending in the first quarter of 2014.

Samir Desai, CEO and co-founder of Funding Circle said: “We believe Funding Circle is the future of small business finance globally, and it’s a vision we share with some of the largest and most respected investors in the world. Today’s news is the next step on our journey to creating a sustainable, category-defining business in a multi-billion dollar global market, where businesses will come to the marketplace to borrow from all types of investors. This investment, alongside prudent risk management, will ensure Funding Circle’s long term future.”

Sam Hodges, US Managing Director and co-founder said: “Today’s capital injection will allow us to accelerate efforts in the United States and help us better serve the 28 million Main Street small businesses many banks have left behind. This year, we’ll continue to invest heavily in technology and talent as we build a transparent, sustainable and diverse marketplace that helps American small businesses get access to the $40 billion per month they need to expand and grow.” Continue reading

Money360 Secures 110M US$ for P2P Commercial Real Estate Loans, Including 100M US$ from Leading NY Investment Firm

Money360, Inc. , an online marketplace / peer-to-peer (P2P)  lending platform that directly connects commercial real estate borrowers with accredited investors, today announced that is has secured 110 million US$ to originate/purchase loans to borrowers through its online lending platform. The money was secured through a 100 million US$ loan purchase agreement and partnership with a leading New York investment firm that has pioneered online lending, as well as 10 million US$ in cash raised by Money360 through its wholly owned subsidiary, M360 Fund 1, LLC, from investors including investment banking executives and successful technology entrepreneurs.

The funding and loan purchase capacity comes at an ideal time, too, as more commercial borrowers than ever are using Money360’s online marketplace to find the best solution for their commercial real estate borrowing needs.  Since re-launching in September 2014, the company has experienced significant growth with more than 150 million US$ in loan requests last month alone. Continue reading

Lending Club and Citi Team Up on Community Lending

Lending Club Lending Club Logoand Citi are launching a pioneering new partnership with Varadero Capital L.P., an alternative management firm focused on specialized credit investments, to facilitate up to 150 million US$ in loans designed to provide more affordable credit to underserved borrowers and communities.

Renaud Laplanche, founder and CEO of Lending Club, said, “Many banks across the country are looking for opportunities to enhance their community lending efforts for low- and moderate-income families. We’re excited to expand the use of the Lending Club platform to make this process easier for Citi and other banks, and help lower the cost of credit for borrowers.”

“It is important that we help increase access to financing alternatives for American families,” said John Heppolette, Co-Head and Managing Director of Citi Community Capital at Citi. “This partnership is a direct response to that need and will help provide a viable source of responsible credit. We are proud to be part of this initiative.”

Citi Community Capital is the group within Citi that focuses on providing community development loans and investments that help meet the credit needs of communities and which receive consideration under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Continue reading