A recent article in the redoubtable FT Adviser looks at the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) rules on “speculative illiquid assets”. We welcome the advent of the rules, as we do the media analysis of them. But it’s very, very important to distinguish between these investments (known in many cases as “mini-bonds”) and platform lending. Last […]
As yet, the long-term effects on the global economy are difficult to predict. The knock-ons, though, are easier to see. There have already been a series of brutal short-term hits to the travel (notably airlines) and leisure industries. The number of pubs in the UK was already on the wane; smaller, weaker airlines such as […]
While the world coughs and worries, FinTech and digital banking move on. As regular readers know, Money&Co. is headed in this direction… We’ll leave out friends at CityA.M. to report the latest. Digital bank Monzo has today launched its business bank accounts to the wider public, introducing a free-to-use Lite account and a paid-for Pro […]
Our friends at AltFi offer more detail, in so far as currently available, on the governmental FinTech review, as announced in the Budget. We welcome the government’s move – if it promotes a light touch and a principles-based approach to regulation. The review will be headed by Ron Kalifa OBE who is a non-executive director […]
Wednesday’s News story on the figures from British Bank underscores the difficulty governmental organisations have in stimulating small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). So perhaps the European Commission’s recently published “SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe” should be read in this light. It looks to us a worthwhile strategy for a potentially massive marketplace. The […]
The new Chancellor has announced a government review into the UK’s FinTech sector with the apparent purpose of supporting its growth and competitiveness. P2P Finance News takes up the story. The review was unveiled during Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak’s first Budget. It will be conducted by Ron Kalifa OBE, executive director of payment […]
Cliche, truism, hoary old chestnut? Take your pick, but the truth remains: there’s no profit without risk. We constantly stress the importance of understanding risk. It’s a precondition of lending – the attractive yields our lenders have achieved (over eight per cent across more than five years) comes at the price of the risk to […]
Here’s some of the fallout from the IPO of platform lender, Funding Circle, as reported by our friends at AltFi. US asset management giant T. Rowe Price has built at 7 per cent stake in Funding Circle following an all-time low for the marketplace lender’s share price. Rowe Price, which is also a very significant […]
There are more hostilities in the investment trust takeover battle at Pollen Street Capital. See the detail of the bitter struggle, reported by our friends at AltFi, below. Regular readers will know that we have strong reservations about the way mainstream finance has rushed to invest – or should that be “throw money”? – at […]
Lending to our carefully vetted borrowing companies is not a one-stage process. Investors who buy a fund or make a cash deposit into a building society account have done all the process they need to. With lending, depositing money is just the first part. After that, you have to choose a company and then deploy […]