WHAT DOES 2020 LOOK LIKE FOR P2P LENDING?

By Roberts Lasovskis, Investment Platform Lead, TWINO

 

It’s a new year; time for resolutions and forward planning, positivity and drive. But the peer-to-peer industry would do well to engage in a bit of introspection as well; a look back to the year gone by, which serves as a more than useful reminder of what can happen in less propitious times, even for the well-intentioned.

2019 saw two major failures in the European peer-to-peer market, with both Lendy’s collapse in May and FundingSecure in October putting investor capital at risk. Between the two, a combined £240m of savers’ money was put at risk, leading to the inevitable questions of regulators. On top of the two lenders failing, the well-established Funding Circle came into difficulties with its new withdrawal processes raising investor concern. But in all three stories from last year is a sign of how peer-to-peer can succeed in 2020, providing last year’s lessons are learnt.

 

Roberts Lasovskis

Embracing regulation

There is one aspect of the two peer-to-peer collapses last year that stood out for much of the criticism from both media and investors. Both Lendy and FundingSecure came advertised as ‘approved by the FCA’, yet in collapse, both displayed structural faults and warning signs that should perhaps have been noticed earlier. Managing credit risk is an expensive learning process, but should be taken very seriously, and using as many data sources and as much testing as possible. Inevitably, these high-profile failures will cause a tightening of regulation across the industry, which should be welcomed.

The industry should embrace the ongoing development of its regulation – it is not something to just be tolerated and survived. Higher levels of scrutiny from administrators lead to better industry structures and more robust business models that generate greater trust from consumers. This is an inevitable step for a maturing industry, and now is the time for peer-to-peer to ensure its regulations are fit for purpose, and that investor money is not put at unnecessary risk.

But regulation is about more than just stopping the high-profile failures and helping to build consumer trust in the sector. When implemented properly, regulation encourages the development of better products; companies are forced to innovate and adapt to meet the new challenges, eliminating the number of shortcuts or ‘easy options’ that are taken when developing a product for consumers. Ultimately, this creates safer and more sustainable returns for investors.

 

Transparency is key

One of the major lessons the past year has taught us is the importance of transparency, particularly when communicating with investors. But whether it’s investors, borrowers or other industry partners, transparency and clear communication are key to rebuilding trust in the P2P sector, and even as specifically as in individual products or companies. Take Funding Circle as an example. It is undoubtedly one of the most successful businesses in the sector, and yet has been suffering a recent crisis in trust, which has been largely caused by customers not fully understanding what procedural changes are going to mean for their money.

The changes in question are not necessarily the full problem. The model is no less safe, and the business is no less high-profile. Nor do investors automatically object to the idea of a delay before they can access their money (look at fixed-term savings accounts for example). As with all peer to peer lending platforms, it is simply a question of understanding risk – customers misinterpreted the changes as a sign that their money was under threat and understandably rushed to protect it.

 

The customer is king

Fintech exploded as a sector in the wake of the 2008 financial crash, as a reaction to bad practices in the financial services industry. The industry was created with a promise of ‘customer-first’ products; solutions to fix the shortcomings in finance and financial services, and to pivot them back to a consumer-focus. From product development to marketing and communications, peer-to-peer must remember where it came from and ensure that the customer always comes first.

This is particularly important should another economic downturn materialise, as many are predicting within the next couple of years. Fintech businesses emerged as the success stories from the last downturn by creating solutions that focused on their customers. They should do so again.

For all the perceived problems in the P2P sector, the fundamental market for the products have not changed; investors who want to generate good returns still need to be connected with those seeking convenient loans. By remembering where it came from, and the problems it set out to solve, the sector can still thrive in 2020, even if the predicted economic downturn does transpire. To avoid the pitfalls other providers have fallen into, peer-to-peer must embrace regulation, communicate with transparency and focus on leveraging their expertise to provide trustworthy customer-centric solutions.

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