May 13, 2013 @ 10:00 am By CFI Correspondent  |  

Vocal British business advocate Lord Young has published another report championing the cause of business and more specifically the importance of small businesses. Lord Young has been involved in several successful businesses and held multiple government positions where he has tirelessly promoted the importance of a vibrant private sector.  He is presently an advisor to… Read More

Read more in: Global, Politics, Strategy  |  Tagged europe, lord youn, peer to peer, research, sme's, uk, united kingdom

May 5, 2013 @ 9:00 am By This Is Money  |  

Demand for alternative sources of finance is rocketing, with figures this weekend showing that lending to small firms through peer-to-peer lending site Funding Circle has passed £100 million. The site, set up less than three years ago, has grown so fast that experts estimate in ten years it could account for ten to 20 per… Read More

Read more in: General News, Global  |  Tagged crowdbnk, crowdcube, funding circle, peer to peer, seedrs

April 29, 2013 @ 4:57 am By BDaily  |  

Peer-to-peer lending models are filling the gap left by banks, suggests a new report from innovation charity, NESTA. ‘Banking on Each Other’ looks at the emerging field of peer-to-peer lending to business and the processes that drive borrowers and lenders to use the platforms. Data derived from Funding Circle, the largest peer-to-peer business lending site… Read More

Read more in: General News, Global  |  Tagged funding circle, nesta, peer to peer, uk

April 23, 2013 @ 1:37 pm By Forbes  |  

Crowdfunders generally fall into different categories: equity, donation, reward, and debt. The last is also known as microfinancing — and commonly referred to in Europe as “peer-to-peer lending.” Here are the top 10 up-and-coming peer-to-peer lenders e making financial waves in Europe: 1. Zopa – This London-based P2P lender offers loans of up to £10,000,… Read More

Read more in: Crowdfunding Portals, Global  |  Tagged auxmoney, communitae, europe, funding circle, funding knight, isepankur, peer to peer, pret d'union, ratesetter, smartika, thin cats, zopa

April 21, 2013 @ 5:12 am By Independent.ie  |  

HE was the man who launched Dublin’s Laughter Lounge comedy club, but Peter O’Mahony is finding nothing funny about Irish banks’ refusal to lend money. So the entrepreneur is about to introduce Crowdfunding to Ireland following its success in the US and Britain. “Basically, it’s where ordinary people with a bit of spare cash lend… Read More

Read more in: Crowdfunding Portals, Global  |  Tagged ireland, linked finance, peer to peer, peter o'mahony, zopa

April 14, 2013 @ 3:29 am By Staff Reports  |  

Candace Klein, CEO and Founder of Somolend, explains how crowdfunding may work for small businessses.

Read more in: Crowdfunding Portals, General News  |  Tagged candace klein, peer to peer, somolend

April 6, 2013 @ 2:25 am By CFI Correspondent  |  

Lend Academy, a resource for the P2P lending industry, and NowSteet Media, producer of  financial events that highlight Wall Street transformations, are pleased to announce LendIt, the first global conference for the burgeoning P2P and online lending industry. Lend Academy, the preeminent resource for the P2P lending industry, and NowStreet Media, producer of acclaimed financial… Read More

Read more in: General News  |  Tagged event, lend academy, lending club, lendit, nowstreet media, p2p, peer to peer, prosper marketplace

March 18, 2013 @ 5:15 am By CFI Correspondent  |  

Kiva, a crowdfunding platform for social good, announced today that it has reached over 1 million people in more than 65 countries through $400 million in microloans. This is a tremendous milestone for the nonprofit organization, which was founded in 2005 to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty and expand economic opportunity. “This has… Read More

Read more in: Crowdfunding Portals, Global  |  Tagged charity, kiva, microloans, non profit, peer to peer

March 16, 2013 @ 2:06 pm By CFI Correspondent  |  

President Bill Clinton helped announce the launch of Kiva City Little Rock, an initiative that expands the availability of crowdfunded microloans for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in the Little Rock area. The program reaches underserved borrowers by crowdfunding loans, connecting current and future small business owners to a global online community where anyone… Read More

Read more in: Crowdfunding Portals, General News  |  Tagged accion, bill clinton, kiva, kiva arkansas, peer to peer

March 9, 2013 @ 8:28 am By Scotsman  |  

Frustrated savers are ditching high street providers and turning in rapidly growing numbers to online lending after watching cash returns plunge in recent months. Peer-to-peer or social lending firms offering savings rates double those available from banks and building societies have reported surging demand as desperate savers look to escape the inflation trap. The hunt… Read More

Read more in: Crowdfunding Portals, Global, Strategy  |  Tagged fls, peer to peer, ratesetter, uk, zopa

January 22, 2013 @ 1:25 am By The Telegraph  |  

Peer-to-peer lending has the potential to kickstart the economy by providing credit for small businesses Despite some encouraging signs, the UK economy remains in trouble. Growth remains weak and confidence fragile. Lending to small and medium businesses – the motor for job creation – has collapsed. A series of Government initiatives has so far failed… Read More

Read more in: Global, Politics  |  Tagged europe, funding circle, peer to peer, uk, zopa

January 11, 2013 @ 7:14 pm By Business Review Europe  |  

2012 was a tough year for SMEs. The Eurozone crisis rumbled on, economies stagnated or contracted and the banks failed to lend the sums needed to help pull Europe out of the abyss. Government initiatives such as the Funding For Lending (FLS) scheme in the UK have done little to benefit small businesses. The banks… Read More

Read more in: Global  |  Tagged crowdcube, EU, europe, funding circle, funding for lending, funding night, peer to peer, seedrs, squirrl, startnext, uk, wiseed

December 23, 2012 @ 7:17 am By The Independent  |  

Zopa are expecting a doubling in the market for peer-to peer lending in 2013 as consumers and small businesses in particular turn their back on the traditional high-street banks. Disillusionment is one reason for this and so, it seems, are the terrible returns on savings and often arbitrary and unfair bars put on borrowers. The… Read More

Read more in: Global, Politics  |  Tagged julian knight, lloyds banking group, peer to peer, uk, zopa

December 14, 2012 @ 12:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

See the entire letter submitted to Policy Makers from the recent Peer to Peer Finance industry summit held in the UK earlier this month.  Supporters include a wide range of crowdfunding industry participants.

Read more in: Global  |  Tagged bank to the future, crowdbank, crowdcube, crowdmission, gambitious, peer to peer, seedrs, uk

December 14, 2012 @ 9:46 am By Kristin Voinovich  |  

Regulations and banking go hand in hand.  The need to regulate and save the unwitting from scurrilous businesses or poor operating approaches has always been the charter of most governments.  In a time of uncertainty there is a tendency for regulations to be more overbearing instead of less constrictive.  The most glaring example is of… Read More

Read more in: Featured Headlines, Global  |  Tagged banking, crowdcube, marketinvoice, peer to peer, seedrs, zopa