Author: wiseclerk

Estateguru Receives ECSPR License for All EU Member States

wiseclerk

Estateguru LogoThere is news today from Estateguru* a marketplace for property backed loans to SMEs in various European countries.

Estateguru has announced that the Estonian Financial Supervision and Resolution Authority (Finantsinspektsioon) has granted the platform its European European Crowdfunding Service Providers for Business (ECSPR) licence, allowing it to operate as a crowdfunding service provider across all European Union (EU) member states under unified rules.

Estateguru was the first crowdfunding platform to be regulated in several markets, including Lithuania, Finland and the United Kingdom. The granting of the new Pan-European licence serves to confirm that the company is fully compliant with all of the recently introduced regulations and that its internal processes and procedures meet the financial standards necessary to operate anywhere in the EU.

‘The ECSPR licence marks a significant milestone for Estateguru, enabling the platform to expand its services and provide investment opportunities to a wider user base throughout the European Union. The recently introduced ECSPR regulations provide for greater transparency for investors and introduce new obligations to ensure consumer protections and safeguard the interests of investors,’ said Mihkel Stamm, CEO of Estateguru.

Estateguru says it has been proactive in preparing for this regulatory change, having already implemented customer checks, complaint-handling protocols, appropriate marketing messages, and other changes in order to fully comply with the ECSPR regulations. The company had previously championed the creation of the regulations and even contributed to their formation in Estonia.

‘As Estateguru becomes among the first ones on our home markets to receive a licence, the company solidifies its position as a trusted and compliant crowdfunding service provider, both in the region and all of Europe,’ – added Mihkel.

International P2P Lending Volumes April 2023

wiseclerk

The table lists the loan originations of p2p lending marketplaces for last month. Mintos* leads ahead of Peerberry* and Esketit*. The total volume for the reported companies in the table adds up to 326 million Euro. I track the development of p2p lending volumes for many markets. Since I already have most of the data on file, I can publish statistics on the monthly loan originations for selected p2p lending platforms.

Investors living in national markets with no or limited selection of local p2p lending services can check this list of international investing on p2p lending services. Investors can also explore how to make use of current p2p lending cashback offers available. UK investors can compare IFISA rates.

international p2p lending volumes april 2023
Table: P2P Lending Volumes in April 2023. Source: own research
Note that volumes have been converted from local currency to Euro for the purpose of comparison. Some figures are estimates/approximations.

Links to the platforms listed in the table: Bondora*, Bulkestate*, Crowdproperty*, Debitum Network*, Esketit*, Estateguru*, Finansowo*, Finbee*, Folk2Folk*, Geldvoorelkaar*, Heavyfinance*, Investly*, Iuvo Group*, Kuflink*, Kviku.Finance*, Landlordinvest*, Lendermarket*, Mintos*, October*, Peerberry*, Proplend*, Robocash*, Swaper*, Twino*, Viainvest*.

Notice to p2p lending services not listed: Continue reading →

International P2P Lending Volumes March 2023

wiseclerk

The table lists the loan originations of p2p lending marketplaces for last month. Mintos* leads ahead of Peerberry* and Bondora*. The total volume for the reported companies in the table adds up to 337 million Euro. I track the development of p2p lending volumes for many markets. Since I already have most of the data on file, I can publish statistics on the monthly loan originations for selected p2p lending platforms.

Investors living in national markets with no or limited selection of local p2p lending services can check this list of international investing on p2p lending services. Investors can also explore how to make use of current p2p lending cashback offers available. UK investors can compare IFISA rates.

international p2p lending volumes march 2023
Table: P2P Lending Volumes in March 2023. Source: own research
Note that volumes have been converted from local currency to Euro for the purpose of comparison. Some figures are estimates/approximations.

Links to the platforms listed in the table: Bondora*, Bulkestate*, Crowdproperty*, Debitum Network*, Esketit*, Estateguru*, Finansowo*, Finbee*, Folk2Folk*, Geldvoorelkaar*, Heavyfinance*, Investly*, Iuvo Group*, Kuflink*, Kviku.Finance*, Landlordinvest*, Lendermarket*, Mintos*, October*, Peerberry*, Proplend*, Robocash*, Swaper*, Twino*, Viainvest*.

Notice to p2p lending services not listed: Continue reading →

International P2P Lending Volumes February 2023

wiseclerk 1 Comment

The table lists the loan originations of p2p lending marketplaces for last month. Mintos* leads ahead of Peerberry* and Bondora*. The total volume for the reported companies in the table adds up to 261 million Euro. I track the development of p2p lending volumes for many markets. Since I already have most of the data on file, I can publish statistics on the monthly loan originations for selected p2p lending platforms.

Investors living in national markets with no or limited selection of local p2p lending services can check this list of international investing on p2p lending services. Investors can also explore how to make use of current p2p lending cashback offers available. UK investors can compare IFISA rates.

international p2p lending volumes february 2023
Table: P2P Lending Volumes in February 2023. Source: own research
Note that volumes have been converted from local currency to Euro for the purpose of comparison. Some figures are estimates/approximations.

Links to the platforms listed in the table: Bondora*, Bulkestate*, Crowdproperty*, Debitum Network*, Esketit*, Estateguru*, Finansowo*, Finbee*, Folk2Folk*, Geldvoorelkaar*, Heavyfinance*, Investly*, Iuvo Group*, Kuflink*, Kviku.Finance*, Landlordinvest*, Lendermarket*, Mintos*, October*, Peerberry*, Proplend*, Robocash*, Swaper*, Twino*, Viainvest*.

Notice to p2p lending services not listed: Continue reading →

Heavyfinance Farm Loans Pay Proceeds from Carbon Credits Sales Instead of Interest

wiseclerk

Heavyfinance* is a P2P platform where investors can lend to farmers, often secured by farm machinery. Recently, Heavyfinance* launched a new type of loan, which they have named “Green Loans“. The idea is that farmers cultivate their fields using climate-friendly methods (‘carbon farming‘). In the process, carbon emissions are reduced so that they receive carbon credits. Investors can invest specifically in loans that contribute to climate protection (‘carbon investing‘).

Unlike in ‘normal’ loans, the investor does not receive any interest, but in addition to the repayment of the loan, receives a share from the proceeds from the sale of the CO² certificates.

heavy finance green loan
Illustration: Example of a cash flow plan for a green loan.

As the picture of the example loan illustrates, this is a very long-term investment. Although the loan amount is repaid within 3 years, the proceeds from the certificate sale are paid till the 10th year. Heavyfinance* forecasts an annual yield of 17% to 56%, depending on the price of the carbon credits.

Pros for investing in Green Loans:

  • Support for climate-friendly measures
  • High return, if everything works out as Heavyfinance predicts.

Cons for investing in Green Loans:

  • No fixed interest rate, there is a risk that Heavyfinance’s forecasts are too optimistic
  • Very long-term investment, though loans can be traded on the secondary market
  • New model, no track-record so far

Incidentally, the farmer has a vested interest in the carbon certificates being issued and marketed, because he also participates. In the first 7 years he receives 60% of the proceeds (the investor 40%) and in years 7-10 80% of the proceeds (the investor 20%).

I asked Heavyfinance* how they deal with the risk that the farmer does not implement the climate measures after receiving the loan and thus no certificates can be marketed. In that case, the farmer has to pay penalty interest (10-13%) as agreed in the contract between Heavyfinance and him.

The certificates are not traded on a stock exchange. Heavyfinance* told me on request that they plan to sell them to carbon certificate traders who already trade in large volumes of carbon certificates. Another possibility is direct sales to selected large companies.

I will follow with great interest how the green loans at Heavyfinance* develop and what certificate proceeds are actually achieved.

The green loans are marked with a green background on the project overview page at Heavyfinance* and are therefore easy to see in the overview.

International P2P Lending Volumes January 2023

wiseclerk

The table lists the loan originations of p2p lending marketplaces for last month. Mintos* leads ahead of Peerberry* and Robocash*. The total volume for the reported companies in the table adds up to 287 million Euro. I track the development of p2p lending volumes for many markets. Since I already have most of the data on file, I can publish statistics on the monthly loan originations for selected p2p lending platforms.

Investors living in national markets with no or limited selection of local p2p lending services can check this list of international investing on p2p lending services. Investors can also explore how to make use of current p2p lending cashback offers available. UK investors can compare IFISA rates.

international p2p lending volume january 2023
Table: P2P Lending Volumes in January 2023. Source: own research
Note that volumes have been converted from local currency to Euro for the purpose of comparison. Some figures are estimates/approximations.

Links to the platforms listed in the table: Bondora*, Bulkestate*, Credit.fr*, Crowdproperty*, Debitum Network*, Esketit*, Estateguru*, Finansowo*, Finbee*, Folk2Folk*, Geldvoorelkaar*, Heavyfinance*, Investly*, Iuvo Group*, Kuflink*, Kviku.Finance*, Landlordinvest*, Lendermarket*, Linked Finance*, Mintos*, October*, Peerberry*, Proplend*, Robocash*, Swaper*, Twino*, Viainvest*.

Notice to p2p lending services not listed: Continue reading →