Orchard Platform is growing. So much so they have leased a lot more Manhattan space. Announced this week, Orchard is upgrading from the 7,000 square foot office space at 101 Fifth Avenue, to a 26,242 square foot space by taking over two floors of 386 Park Avenue South.
While much of the financial world is holding back in light of economic questions and geopolitical challenges (IE Brexit), Orchard appears to be doing just fine. This is probably due, in part, to the fact we live in a low-interest rate world, where money is cheap, and the hunt for better risk-adjusted returns is ongoing.
In fact, in a recent post on Orchard, David Snitkof explained;
“…despite a tumultuous period around the globe and a hype-filled election season where candidates repeatedly focus on everything going wrong in the country (obviously to convince you to vote for them to fix it), the United States remains a great investment, sought after by investors across the globe. At Orchard over the past 6 months, we have seen an uptick in demand from international investors for U.S. credit, including from clients in China, the U.K., continental Europe, Israel, Argentina, and Canada.”
So while some institutional investors may be reticent to invest in marketplace lending assets, it appears global demand is relatively strong. According to Orchard data, compared to traditional equity and fixed income indexes “online consumer loans stand out for their ability to achieve solid returns with relatively low volatility.”