July 4, 2016 @ 12:00 pm By Therese Torris  |  

Aviva France, together with two partners, alternative asset management firm Eiffel Investment Group and insurer AG2R La Mondiale, is launching an investment fund called “Prêtons Ensemble” (Lending together) dedicated to financing loans to small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) provided through crowdlending platforms. Starting with an… Read More

May 30, 2016 @ 11:01 am By Therese Torris  |  

The transition to sustainable energies, away from fossil fuel, is a political agenda that creates a huge need for capital investments. The role of crowdfunding in funding this transition was the topic of the 2nd annual European Crowdfunding Network (ECN) CrowdCamp that gathered 200 representatives… Read More

May 18, 2016 @ 11:10 am By Therese Torris  |  

Crowdfunding is flourishing all around the world, exhibiting double or even triple digit growth rates in many markets, from the US to the UK to China. Governments have seen this boom as both an opportunity and a challenge. From 2012 on, they started responding by… Read More

April 29, 2016 @ 9:50 am By Therese Torris  |  

  Earlier this year, the crowdfunding sector represented by the European Crowdfunding Network (ECN) the UK Crowdfunding Association, Financement Participatif France and Nederland Crowdfunding had called on the Parliament and the European Council to be very ambitious with the planned revision of the Prospectus Directive…. Read More

April 21, 2016 @ 12:00 pm By Therese Torris  |  

Lendix, the lending marketplace that recently become number 1 in SME marketplace lending in France, announced that it has acquired crowdlending platform Finsquare. This first instance of consolidation in the French market certainly is not the last. This acquisition illustrates four trends and issues in… Read More

March 30, 2016 @ 3:26 pm By Therese Torris  |  

The French Minister of Economy, Emmanuel Macron was the guest star of the 3rd annual meeting of the French crowdfunding association. He expressed his commitment to the crowdfunding economy, shared his views on the regulation of innovation, and, to prove his point, announced several significant… Read More

March 23, 2016 @ 11:30 am By Therese Torris  |  

  Execfintech, the German fintech event that took place March 8 in Frankfurt dedicated a couple of panel presentations to marketplace lending. The companies represented included the two most successful lending platforms in Germany, P2P lending site Auxmoney and P2B lending marketplace Funding Circle, along… Read More

March 15, 2016 @ 9:11 am By Therese Torris  |  

Will fintech startups cause the demise of banks or come to their rescue? This was one of the topics debated at The “Future of Banking” event held by The Economist in Paris on March 10th 2016. The Future of Banking was aptly subtitled “Survival of… Read More

March 8, 2016 @ 1:28 pm By Therese Torris  |  

When thinking about Frankfurt, Finance immediately comes into mind. But FinTech? Not necessarily. Well, if it goes according to Execfintech, this is about to change. In its 3rd edition, Execfintech is a Fintech networking event, part pitching and part conference style panels and presentations –… Read More

February 29, 2016 @ 1:57 pm By Therese Torris  |  

Beauhurst, a leading provider of data on high-growth UK companies, released “The Deal” its 2015/2016 report on equity fundraising for UK private fast-growth companies. Crowdfunding emerges as a leading force in seed investing and is expected to become one in growth investing as its average… Read More

February 13, 2016 @ 3:53 pm By Therese Torris  |  

The FinovateEurope conference closed its doors on February 10th in London after two days packed with company pitches, demos, and networking. It was the biggest FinovateEurope since Finovate launched its first London event in 2010. Some 72 FinTech companies submitted their product and service innovations… Read More

February 10, 2016 @ 11:30 am By Therese Torris  |  

Today at Finovate Europe in London, quite a few attendees were startled to hear Jevhenijs Kazanis, Twino’s CEO, confidently assert: “Twino will buy back any non performing loan after a 30 day period of delinquency.” How could that work? Many wondered. It was already startling… Read More

February 9, 2016 @ 2:08 pm By Therese Torris  |  

At a time when many a crowdlending platform focuses on attracting institutional investors, it is very refreshing to see a startup go back to the roots of crowdfunding by addressing the needs of the crowd, the 99%, the retail investors. investUP is a crowdfunding portal… Read More

February 8, 2016 @ 10:33 am By Therese Torris  |  

Real estate crowdfunding started late in 2014 in France. But, hardly a year later, it is going strong with 26 platforms vying for a share of the market. However, as crowdfunding moves from real estate development to buy-to-let projects, new platforms are encountering some resistance… Read More

January 7, 2016 @ 2:30 pm By Therese Torris  |  

Lendix, one of the 60 companies who joined the fray of crowdlending platforms in 2015 has quickly taken the leadership position by designing a marketplace that meets the needs of institutional investors. Marketplace lending to small and medium size enterprise (SMEs) is taking off in… Read More

December 13, 2015 @ 5:56 pm By Therese Torris  |  

Is there more to the current blockchain hype than there was to the Bitcoin hype of the past? 7 myths debunked. 7 reasons to be skeptical. Two years ago, Bitcoin was at the peak of its hype cycle. The digital currency’s value skyrocketed. Increasing tenfold in… Read More

October 30, 2015 @ 1:00 am By Therese Torris  |  

Insights from the European Crowdfunding Convention 2015 The European Crowdfunding Network (ECN) has been holding its 4th Convention in Paris. The main topic of the first day was the Capital Markets Union and its implications for crowdfunding. The European equity funding gap The Capital Markets… Read More

October 23, 2015 @ 1:42 pm By Therese Torris  |  

Part II: Seen & Heard at Lendit Europe If you missed attending Lendit Europe, you missed a great event. You can catch up on a selection of presentations on Lendit . For short skimming, we’ve selected a few thought-provoking quotes from day 2. You may also… Read More

October 21, 2015 @ 2:40 am By Therese Torris  |  

A random collection of people met and statements heard at the LendIt Europe conference, day 1, October 20th, 2015. Samir Desai, Cofounder and Director, Funding Circle: “We’re a marketplace, we don’t hold inventory, we don’t take any balance sheet risk, yet our interest is truly… Read More

October 13, 2015 @ 5:12 pm By Therese Torris  |  

Particeep a provider of white label solutions for crowdfunding platforms had joined forces with insurance group Axa to offer a plug-and-play insurance service to cover investors’ and lenders’ risk. French consumers are notably risk-averse. They save a lot and like to invest their savings in… Read More