The Finfellas Riga 2023 conference provided a platform for industry leaders and experts to discuss the latest trends and challenges in the world of peer-to-peer investing. From auto-invest trends to regulatory developments, the conference shed light on valuable insights that shape the future of the industry. In this blog post, we’ll explore 5 key takeaways from the conference and discuss the value they could bring to you.
1. Automation: “Self-Driving Money”
Peer-to-peer investors are increasingly gravitating towards “one-click solutions”, as highlighted by the panel’s discussion between industry leaders. The future is very much heading in the direction of “self-driving money” where investors define their investment preferences and then use automation to invest and earn.
Lendermarket recognised this trend early on and developed a powerful Auto Invest feature to enable investors to save time. Many of our investors already use Auto Invest. If you’re looking to capitalise on Auto Invest you can get started here.
2. Loan Originators Challenges: Liquidity & Diversification
Several industry leaders discussed at Finfellas Riga 2023 that Loan Originators (LOs) face unique challenges in the peer-to-peer lending ecosystem from maintaining liquidity to preparing for black swan events. To address these challenges, LOs need to diversify their funding sources and establish long-term financing options to protect against unforeseen events.
At Lendermarket, we can see this diversification in funding sources at play with Creditstar’s secured bonds. Creditstar is one of the most seasoned issuers in the Baltic bond market, with over 30 successful bond issues.
Lendermarket has 5 main Loan Originators on its platform, plus 7 Creditstar subsidiaries. You can learn more about our Loan Originators on our dedicated page here.
3. Sustainable Returns, Risks and Defaults
Risks and defaults are inherent to any investment and as you would expect, this topic was discussed at length among industry leaders. The precise challenges around managing risks with LOs varied from platform to platform but the consensus was that due diligence, background checks, collateral assessments and transparency were all important factors to consider when onboarding LOs.
Lendermarket has taken steps to improve LO transparency and build investor knowledge through its widely accessible Risk Rating Assessments. On Lendermarket’s risk rating page, LOs’ risks are rated on a 1-10 scale (10 being the highest) across four categories: Transparency, Legal, Financial and Transactions. The risk rating page is accessible here.
As part of its continuous improvement measures, Lendermarket updated its Risk Disclosure Statement in May 2023 to cover various topics including withdrawal processing timeframes.
4. New Regulations: Driving Peer-to-Peer Mainstream
At Finfellas Riga 2023 new regulations were discussed with a lot of enthusiasm. The general consensus is that regulation plays a pivotal role in shaping the peer-to-peer lending industry. The introduction of new regulations is thought to benefit both investors and platforms, making the industry mature and more mainstream.
The Lendermarket team has been actively working on the licensing topic since 2022 and has made significant steps forward recently. Stay updated with Lendermarket’s news, as we will soon share more information about the licence such as what licence-related changes will be implemented, and of course, what it means for our investors.
5. Emerging Markets: Untapped Opportunities
Lendermarket had the privilege of attending Anuroop Omkar’s discussion on Fintech opportunities in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Anuroop’s detailed and interesting insights into India’s National Payment Council, its proactive Central Bank policies as well as India’s sizable investments into FinTech bring to the fore the importance of seizing untapped opportunities in emerging markets.
For some time now Lendermarket has recognised the potential in both established European markets as well as emerging markets further abroad. We’re especially proud of our recent efforts in onboarding new Loan Originators from:
- Nigeria (QuickCheck),
- Peru (CrediFace) and
- Spain (Dineo)
in addition to those from Estonia, Spain, Poland, Finland, Denmark, Czechia and Sweden. However, we’re not done. Lendermarket is actively seeking further opportunities with new Loan Originators.
Conclusion
The insights gathered from Finfellas Riga 2023 shed light on the evolving landscape of peer-to-peer investing. Lendermarket, as a leading peer-to-peer platform, understands the value of these insights and has implemented proactive measures to ensure investor satisfaction and mitigate risks.
By embracing auto-invest trends, addressing LO challenges, mitigating risks and defaults, adhering to regulations and exploring emerging markets, Lendermarket is paving the way for a robust and inclusive investment ecosystem. Investors can find confidence in partnering with Lendermarket, a platform that continuously learns and adapts to provide optimal value and returns.
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