Author Archives: Martin Baker

Pace Of AltFi M&A ‘Will Increase’ – Plus Loan Latest

The pace of mergers and acquisitions between alternative finance providers “will increase as economies of scale are needed to create a viable business”, according to a report in Bridging & Commercial. “The comment follows a number of acquisitions between alternative finance providers.  Since the start of the year, RateSetter, Close Brothers and 1pm have expanded their services by acquiring specialist […]

P2P The Antidote To ‘Toxic’ High Inflation, Low Deposit Rates

P2P Finance News reports on a “toxic combination” of rising inflation and low cash-deposit rates for savers. Recent statistics show retail price inflation shooting up to 2.3 per cent. That outstrips the returns available from cash deposits. According to Money Facts, the best instant-access deposit account pays just 1.1 per cent. To get a return […]

Death Of Mainstream Banking? We Couldn’t Possibly Comment…

Mark Twain famously claimed that reports of his death were exaggerated. And we have to say that it is at least premature to suggest that the traditional banking model defunct? Nevertheless, The Market mogul asks whether “the main lending banks set for a headlong retreat from the SME banking market… “It is claimed that 74% of […]

Time To ‘Wake Up And Smell The Coffee’ For Cash Deposit Savers…

It’s time to “wake up and smell the coffee” for investors and savers, according to a report from our friends at P2P Finance News. A recent article (from which we run an extended excerpt below) reports on troubling times for income-dependent savers: “Savers are being urged to “wake up and smell the coffee” as inflation hit […]

Yield Obsessives? Opinions Divided On P2P Investors’ Motives

We start the week by examining contradictory signals as to where the alternative finance industry is going, and what is driving it. We have consistently stated that investors in the peer-to-peer (P2P) asset class (known in plain English as “lenders”) should consider security and access to capital, as well as the yield that P2P loans […]