We are well past the new-kid-on-the-block era for alternative funding of UK businesses. Peer-to-peer (P2P) finance has evolved into a sector where most of the successful players look for profitable niche lending (in Money&Co.’s case – property-backing, music rights and litigation finance). But the broad-brush picture still sees a need for alternative funding. Witness the […]
There’s outright criminal, unlawful, dodgy and – on the far side of the border of what’s OK – there’s illicit. We’re pleased to see, thanks to a report from our friends at Crowdfundinsider, that a recent report published by the top UK financial watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that there’s nothing profoundly illicit going […]
The UK remains a prime venue for raising Fintech funds, the disruption of Brexit notwithstanding. Our friends at Finextra report on a UK raise for a Continental company in the Fintech sector: Qonto, the French scaleup offering a business account to European SMEs, has raised €5 million in just 6.5 hours on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube. […]
It’s rare that a genuinely original idea comes along. And the essence of originality is often simplicity. We like the look of this simple, logical extension of the open-banking principle. We’ll be watching this one carefully. As reported by our friends at Altfi. Challenger bank Shawbrook has come up with a unique proposition to encourage its customers […]
We start the new tax year with three loan auctions on site, from borrowers we have dealt with before. All these loans can be held, up to £20,000, as Innovative Finance Individual Savings Accounts (IFISAs). IFISAs are explained in more detail below. Here’s the latest from the auction room: Mar-Key has a credit rating of […]
A little bit of high-grade tittle-tattle, otherwise known as research from an august international financial institution, as we head for the Easter break. Digital banks and FinTechs are set to create pressure on the mainstream, as a new report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) illustrates. Our friends at Finextra showcase the IMF’s findings: The […]
Regular visitors to this News site will know that we regard the issue of digital currency as resolved. It is not just the future, but the present. It’s been possible to effect crypto transactions by ATM. The Japanese can pay themselves in cryptos, and the Swiss can buy train tickets from machines on the station […]
There’s a lot of money heading from mainstream finance towards the alternative finance sector. Perversely, one of the key reasons for that is the fact that the alternative sector is working hard to turn itself into something that looks like the mainstream – witness the popularity of banking licence applications, amongst other trends. Altfi reports […]
For our money, the best role of government and its regulators is in the background of the FinTech. They are not farmers, but conservators of a business-friendly environment. Our friends at Finextra report just such a story from Europe. The European Commission has launched the EU Digital Finance Platform, a website designed to build dialogue […]
The end of the 2021-22 tax year and the deadline for Individual Savings Plans on Tuesday leaves us with just one open loan auction. Mar-Key has a credit rating of A+, a yield of 7 per cent and a term of two years. It is currently 41 per cent filled. You can see more detail […]