What Is The Future Of Peer To Peer Lending
Peer to peer lending has become a very popular alternative finance in the UK. It has become very difficult to obtain a loan from high street lenders or banks in today’s era. They have strict criteria even for individuals who have good credit scores. In such a situation, you may think about where you can get a loan with an average credit score. The answer to your question is p2p lending platforms. These platforms allow individuals to get loans directly from other individuals and eliminate the need for any middleman like banks or building societies.
This type of lending offers several benefits to not only investors but also to borrowers. For example, investors can earn higher interest rates than bank savings accounts, while borrowers can get better interest rates than standard bank loans. It sounds amazing, but now the question is whether this type of borrowing and lending can be the future of the global economy or not.
Over time p2p lending sector has shown notable growth. The number peer to peer platforms is also increasing dramatically due to the increase in the number of users. By seeing the effectiveness of this sector for borrowers and lenders, financial experts suggest that p2p lending is shaping the future of the financial industry. In this article, we are discussing some significant aspects of p2p lending that help you determine in which direction it is heading in the future.
Benefits Of P2p Lending
One most significant benefit of peer to peer lending is that it cuts out traditional financial institutions and banks and ultimately lower operational costs. As a result, investors and borrowers get favorable interest rates.
It is difficult to keep up with inflation with the interest rate you get from conventional investments and bank savings accounts. P2p lending not only allows you to earn a high-interest rate but is also more volatile and less complex than stocks and shares. Although it can be a great option to boost your investment portfolio, you should remember that it comes with some risks. Therefore, it is better to take measures when investing in p2p loans so that you can get the most out of your investment.
Some p2p platforms also allow you to invest through IFISA (Innovative Finance ISA) and get a return on p2p lending within a tax-free wrapper. This way, you can maximize your returns. In addition, you can also diversify your portfolio by spreading investment across multiple borrowers. It will help in minimizing risks.
The Future Of P2p Lending
Since its establishment, peer-to-peer lending has seen nothing but growth, and this trend is likely to be the same in the near future. Following are the reasons which show why the future of p2p lending is bright.
The P2p industry Is Expanding.
In the start, the peer-to-peer lending system was simple and was operated with the help of investors, borrowers, and platforms. But now, different p2p business models have been introduced in the market. As a result, a number of p2p platforms are emerging to offer borrowers specific types of loans. For example, some platforms only deal in personal loans, while others offer business and property loans too. So in the future, you can see different p2p platforms offering a wide variety of loans.
Increase In Institutional Lenders
Institutional lenders’ use of peer to peer lending is increasing with time. This is because they are getting into it to meet their financial goals and earn high returns on investment. According to a study, fifty percent of the global p2p loans are funded by institutional lenders such as brokerage and banks. Other examples of these institutes include trusts, pension fund providers, insurance companies, and investment dealers.
There Wil Be Regulation
In the beginning, there were no rules and regulations for peer to peer lending UK. With the lack of regulation, there were more risks for both the borrowers and investors. However, the financial Conduct Authority now authorized and regulated all the platforms operating in the UK. These platforms have to follow the rules set by the FCA. It makes future p2p lending transparent and beneficial for both the investors and borrowers.
Business Lending Is Increasing
Business lending has become one of the leading sectors in peer to peer lending. Small and medium businesses have to face several challenges when taking out a loan from a bank. However, p2p platforms offer ease and flexibility for businesses. As a result, businesses prefer to take a p2p business loan instead of a conventional bank loan. In the future, you will see that business loans will make a big contribution to the p2p market.
Part Of the Global Economy
Peer to peer lending has become an integral part of the global economy. It does not only provide specific types of loans to potential borrowers; it includes many other sectors of the financial industry. On the one hand, institutional lenders offer considerable amounts to lend while the rule-makers, on the other hand, are playing a vital role in making a regulated peer to peer framework. Other than that, the UK government has taken steps to identify the benefits of peer to peer sector and also started integrating it with the already present setups. All these aspects show that peer to peer lending has a bright future.
Bottom Line
With the increasing demands for loans and the inability of banks and building societies to offer competitive returns to investors, individuals are looking for alternative finance options. Peer to peer lending fulfills the requirements of borrowers and investors and has become excellent alternative finance for individuals in the UK. At the same time, the number of business borrowers and institutional lenders is increasing, resulting in the expansion of p2p platforms.
You can get steady and regular returns and diversify your portfolio with peer to peer investment. Moreover, it allows investors to earn tax-free income through IFISA. In addition, borrowers can get quick access to funds and lower rates than traditional loans. All these things are attracting more lenders and borrowers to this sector and making the future of p2p lending brighter than before.