Bulgaria

Interview with Boyan Kazandzhiev, Head of Operations of Iuvo Group

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Can you please give a short introduction on iuvo’s offering?

Over the past year iuvo* has been developing quite nicely, launching a new product and closing 2021 with fantastic results. A high-level overview of 2021 can be found in our blog – https://www.iuvo-group.com/de/iuvo-in-2021/. This year started strong and then the Russo-Ukrainian conflict began and changed the game for everyone. Thanks to the outstanding work done by our experienced account managers, we assured our investors in the stability of the platform and not even in a single month did we end up net negative in terms of investments on the platform. In spite of the difficult situation, we managed to onboard 5 new loan originators thus increasing the investment opportunities for our investors. They are offering a nice diversification for our investors both within the Management Financial Group (MFG) and outside. The new loan originators entered the market with high interest rates and pushed the entire market to raise their interest rates in the 9 – 12% interest rate margins. To top it all, we rebranded iuvoUP to iuvoSave – thus making it the simplified product with the highest return currently on the entire P2P market. IuvoSave is very attractive because it offers 3 different investment periods with the shortest one being 3 months and the longest – 12 months. Also in the 6 months and the 12 month product you can invest up to 1 000 000 EURO, which is also unprecedented on the market.

I understand iuvo has a new management team. Can you please introduce the team and their background?

You are absolutely correct. Iuvo always had ambitious plans and will be aiming to continue down the road of success with a new CEO, and completely new marketing and IT development strategies. Blagovest Karadzhov started as CEO in the beginning of March (you can find out more about him in our blog
Intro – https://www.iuvo-group.com/de/blagovest-karadzhov-takes-over-the-management-of-iuvo/
Interview with our CEO- https://www.iuvo-group.com/de/interview-blagovest-karadzhov-ceo-of-iuvo/ )
Our marketing strategy is aiming at drastically increasing the number of investors on the platform with different activities. It is also critical for us to increase the brand awareness of the company among the non-savvy investors. It is a tough task, but we are certain that the entire p2p ecosystem will benefit. In terms of technical development, we are aiming at some groundbreaking innovations in the P2P marketplace and we hope we will achieve them by the middle of 2023 and investors will feel them even as early as Q1 of 2023. Of course, all our endeavors are backed by MFG, part of which is iuvo.

Has the new management made any changes to the strategy of iuvo or do you continue the path as before?

As I mentioned we have revised our marketing and IT strategies to allow for rapid growth of the client base on the platform and to even better match investor expectations. P2P will continue to be our core business and the business model will also remain the same. Nevertheless, the needs of the investors show that they are interested in diversifying their investment options and we are considering how to offer different investment options, both within and out of the P2P sector.

Recently iuvo announced that the legal seat of the company running the platform will be moved from Estonia to Bulgaria. Can you please explain the reasons for this move.

Well, in short, the reasons are pretty trivial, financial and legislative. Back in 2016 Estonia was a fruitful ground in which we could flourish and develop and we are thankful for all the years we managed the platform under the Estonian legislation. Currently it is financially and operationally wiser to move out of Estonia so that we can continue to provide the highest quality of investment opportunities and service to our investor while raising our efficiency. Through all these years, the headquarters of MFG have been in Sofia, and as part of this group of companies, we believe it is time to come back home. This will lead to considerable cost saving which will help us reach the goals mentioned previously in our conversation. It is critical to point out that iuvo will not change the way it operates and there will be no changes in the investors’ experience, or the loan originators’ business practices as a result of this move to Bulgaria.

What’s your view on the economic outlook in Europe, especially regarding the countries your loan originators operate in?

We are onboarding companies from Spain, Romania, and North Macedonia. All these countries have a stable standing in terms of credit risk without any major deviations. Company wise, all new loan originators are ongoing a very thorough due diligence process. Just as a very basic example – even at the start, we start with an NDA and a verification if the person signing the NDA has actually the right to sign it and in the case of multiple owners, if they can sign individually or simultaneously, and we move forward only in the case when we have the right persons’ signature on the document. Only then do we move forward with the due diligence process, which usually if both teams are fully devoted and work in full speed will take on a month, while usually it takes around 3 months. Another example – with one of our loan originators, all the documents that needed to be signed in order to start the onboarding process, fitted in 5 boxes. Overall in Europe the inflation is rising and we are still to see how the governments will handle the winter and the rising inflation.

What plans are on iuvo’s roadmap for the near future?

Iuvo’s* roadmap is pretty straightforward – keeping the same business model without any changes, getting rid of all technical debts in the next 12 months, expanding in terms of loan originators and most importantly increasing the number of satisfied investors enjoying high levels of return on iuvo.

German Varengold Bank Acquires 20% Stake in Klear

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Germany’s Varengold Bank AG has agreed to acquire 20 percent of Klear*, a Bulgaria-based p2p lending platform in the emerging FinTech segment in Southeast Europe (SEE). The two sides have already signed an agreement under the terms of which the shares are expected to be transferred till the end of the second quarter of the year.  Varengold Bank AG is a German private bank, headquartered in Hamburg. Founded in 1995 as an asset management boutique seeking to offer individual and high-performing financial products for private and institutional clients. In 2013, Varengold was granted a commercial banking license when it transformed into to fully fledged commercial bank.

This is Varengold Bank’s first investment in a P2P lending platform, based in the SEE region. The German bank opened a branch in Sofia in November 2018 with the mission to turn it into a major hub for its expansion in Southeast Europe.

Varengold Bank will support the development and growth of Klear with a BGN 1.5 million financial package, which comprises of equity and debt funding. The proceeds from the package will be used to expand Klear’s operations across Bulgaria and SEE.

Varengold previously already dealt with p2p lending marketplaces, e.g. extending a credit line to Estonian marketplace Estateguru*.

Klear provides individuals with the opportunity to lend loans and generate a return on investment and others to borrow quickly and easily at reasonable interest rates. So far, 1175 active investors have provided 938 loans through the lending platform at the amount of more than BGN 8 million.

Klear was founded by Loic Le Pichoux, Lukasz Lukaszewski and Nikolay Stanev, entrepreneurs with solid experience in consumer finance, with the idea to be fairer and more transparent in terms of interest rates and return on investment. It has been named The Best FinTech Startup in Bulgaria at the Central European Startup Awards two times in a row – in 2017 and 2018. An interview with the founder from Januar 2017.

“When we enter in partnerships, we seek proven marketplace business concepts with growth potential along with unwavering commitment from the company’s principal owners towards the mission of their organization. We look for strong teams and leaders that are ready to take and share risks in a responsible manner and want to scale up their operations globally. The business case of Klear fully fits these requirements. Supporting the development and growth of P2P lending platforms and FinTech players like Klear is one of Varengold’s key priorities in Bulgaria and SEE. These marketplace platforms are growing and expanding their operations. They are reshaping the conventional approach in the financial industry and will step-by-step replace traditional ways in lending, simply by providing significantly more favourable terms and conditions to borrowers, improving access to funds for consumers and also making raising funds more affordable. This is a fundamental change on the market and we are satisfied to take part in it actively,” said Sergey Panteleev, General Manager of Varengold Bank`s Sofia Branch.

Interview with Ivalyo Ivanov, CEO of Iuvo Group

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What is Iuvo Group about?

Iuvo is the first South-East European P2P platform that allows its users to buy parts of loans. All loans listed on the platform are issued by originators (registered non-banking financial institutions). We give our users the opportunity to generate an annual return up to 12% on their investments while simultaneously provide our originators with the chance to develop their businesses.

What are the three main advantages for investors?

The most obvious advantages are the high ROI and the buyback guarantee all listed credits have.

Major plus is the reliable originators we have. They go through extensive audits before joining the platform and are required to keep a minimum of 30% of their portfolio – so-called “skin in the game”. Our “skin in the game” requirement is the highest on the P2P market and it is there to better align the interests of the originators with those of our investors.

I might add another serious advantage – we have the biggest and most experienced Bulgarian originator with very clear and refined scoring and lending procedures and more than 10 years experience on the market.

What are the three main advantages for borrowers?

Iuvo is a peer-to-peer marketplace. We don’t lend.

What ROI can investors expect?

The expected annual return depends heavily on the choices our investors make, but the return a well-balanced portfolio should make is on average between 7 and 12%.

Ivaylo Ivanov, CEO Iuvo GroupIs the technical platform self-developed?

Yes, the platform is entirely self-developed and we continue to improve it every day.

How reliable is the credit rating / credit history data available for the Bulgarian loans?

Bulgaria has a very well developed non-banking financial sector and a great deal of experience with consumer loans. The quality of the scoring process is without a doubt on a very high level and there are no reasons to think that would change any time soon. Of course, as I’ve already said, thorough audits are made before we consider any originator joining us.

How is the company financed? Why did you select to start the company in Estonia?

Iuvo is financed through business angels. We chose Estonia as it has been the cradle of P2P lending in the past years and we believe the best way for us to grow and develop is to be where the best platforms are.

What was the greatest challenge so far in the course of launching Iuvo Group?

The greatest challenge we’ve had so far was to educate an audience that has never heard of P2P lending/investing. We’ve worked really hard on gaining awareness and building trust and I’m proud to say we succeeded. The next great challenge we look forward to is providing a user experience that stands out amongst all other platforms.

Which marketing channels do you use to attract investors and borrowers?

We mainly use internet – all the different ad formats and approaches it provides. I find that participating in different forums and events helps tremendously to shorten the distance between us and our investors and I personally believe that the right communication is a mix between technology and personal contact.

Is Iuvo Group open to international investors?

In order to open an account with us individual investors must be at least 18 years old, have a bank account in the European Union (or third countries that are currently considered as having equivalent AML/CFT systems to the EU), and have their identity successfully verified by Iuvo’s back office team.

Where do you see Iuvo Group in 3 years?

I see us as one of the leaders on European P2P lending market. I strongly believe that the potential P2P lending has is yet to be fully achieved and that the industry will surprise us even more with its growth and possibilities. We most definitely will be a part of that.

P2P-Banking.com thanks Ivalyo Ivanov for the interview.

Interview with Loic Le Pichoux, CEO of Klear

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What is Klear about?

Klear is a Peer to Peer Consumer lending platform. We target Prime Bulgarian Borrowers. We pre-fund the loans, then we list them on the market where investors from EU and EEA can buy parts of them.

Klear has been built by a team of professionals from the consumer credit industry. Almost all of us came from BNP Paribas Personal Finance Bulgaria, the market leader (known as Cetelem in some other countries). For example, Nikolay was the IT development team leader, Lukasz was the CFO then the Chief Risk officer and I myself was the CEO.

Klear is all about building something solid.

What are the three main advantages for investors?

  1. A good net return. 5.5% expected in average, well above the remuneration of deposits, which is close to zero. Klear does not charge fees.
  2. A low risk. We are one of the few platforms in Europe serving good profile borrowers. No subprime or payday loans customers. Such portfolio of credits should be much more resilient in case of economic downturn.
  3. An easy exit option. If an investor sells his loans without premium or discount, all the loans without bad payment history will go on the primary market.

What are the three main advantages for borrowers?

  1. The best interest rates on the market. Cheaper than the banks’. It’s key to attract excellent borrowers.
  2. Full online process. Unique in Bulgaria for prime loans. Authentication is performed through a convenient and efficient video-call. Partial or full early repayments can be done online.
  3. No hidden fees. We have a one-off fee when the loan is disbursed. That’s all.

What ROI can investors expect?

5.5% in average. Thanks to our credit scoring algorithm, we attribute a risk segment to each borrower (from A to D) and determine his interest rate based on it.

Our portfolio is mainly constituted of A and B. But investors can select the segments they want to invest in, according to their risk / return appetite.

Klear credit grades

Is the technical platform self-developed?

Yes. Everything was developed in-house. The team includes 5 software developers and a designer. Our third co-founder is an IT architect with huge experience in handling core banking systems. We invested a lot of energy building the platform: in the front end to offer a great user experience, and in the back end to ensure a solid setup.

How reliable is the credit rating / credit history data available in Bulgaria?

It’s probably one of the countries with the richest set of available data. The credit bureau registers all the credits financed in Bulgaria, by banks and non-banks, with 5 years of history.

Besides we consult the National Health Insurance database, where we can check the salary and the employment history of any credit applicant. We also consult the Police database to check if the ID card is not stolen.

The founders financed the company by committing 1 million Euro from personal savings and collecting from family and friends. That is amazing – how do you feel about this achievement?

That’s great! It shows trust in the team, in our experience, in the project and common goal. We built something to last. We all have been very successful in our careers in the banking industry and now we want to do things differently, for the better and we believe we can. That’s the main drive for all of us.

Loic le Pichoux, CEO KlearWhat was the greatest challenge so far in the course of launching Klearlending?

To explain that we are NOT a new subprime or payday loan company, like the many other non-bank institutions in Bulgaria. To demonstrate that we are providing something better than banks, for both sides, borrowers and investors.

Can you please describe the market environment and regulation in Bulgaria?

The total consumer credit market is around 5 billion Euros. These loans are issued in the domestic currency, Bulgarian Leva (BGN), but it’s important to know that Bulgaria is in a currency board with the Euro since 1999 (at that time it was with the Deutsche Mark) and the parity has not changed since. So, there is almost no currency exchange risk, when investing in Klear loans in Levas.

Although there is no specific regulation for peer to peer lending, we decided to apply for a non-banking financial institution registration in the National Bank. We have this accreditation and it gives us the possibility to consult the National Credit Bureau.

Which marketing channels do you use to attract investors and borrowers?

Since one year, we have been providing online financial education tools (an online budget management application) and a blog where we regularly publish articles regarding personal finance. That’s an efficient inbound acquisition channel.

We are also very active on social media and we perform online advertising.

Is Klear open to international investors?

Yes, to citizens from the European Union and European Economic Area, who have a bank account opened in a bank from these regions.

Where do you see Klear in 3 years?

  • Having a visible market share in the consumer credit market in Bulgaria and operations in a few other countries. As we have worked in many before and are familiar with the specificity of their domestic markets.
  • Being recognized as a fair, transparent and social impact player, also helping people who cannot get a credit by providing them financial advice and support to solve their debt issues.

P2P-Banking.com thanks Loic Le Pichoux for the interview.