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Grupeer peer-to-peer lending marketplace overview

By News, Peer-to-Peer Lending, Real estate, , , , , , ,

Grupeer logo

Grupeer platform is an electronic trading place that provides an opportunity to invest your free funds in secured loans. The services offered by the Platform are the servicing of claim right acquisition deals, i.e. the Platform brings together two independent participants of the deal – the  seller of the claim rights (credit company or investment company) and their buyer.

Grupeer Platform operates in the jurisdiction of the Republic of Latvia.

In Latvia, no unified normative regulation of mutual loans or financing with a pool is developed, therefore the services of the Platform are not subject to control of a single normative act, but are subject to a set of laws and regulations of the Republic of Latvia and directives of the European Union.

The Civil Law of the Republic of Latvia does not prohibit the holder of a debt claim from selling a part of it to another person. Moreover, the holder of the debt claim has the right not only to sell the entire debt claim in the whole, but also to assign/sell a part of it.

The Platform does not carry out activities falling under the definition of a credit institution or payment system in terms of Latvian and European legislation.

Who is eligible to invest?

Both private investors and legal entities that wish to receive passive income from their investments will be able to achieve annual profits of up to 15%.

In accordance with AML (Anti Money Laundering) legal requirements Grupeer accept money transfers from accounts opened with licensed credit institutions in the countries of the European Economic Area (all EU Member States, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), as well as Switzerland. Accordingly, citizens / residents of these countries can register and make investments through the Grupeer Platform. In order to register and close deals, you need to be an adult capable person with a bank account.

The credit company, which issued a certain loan, remains interested in repayment and payment schedule compliance because this organization is the holder of the main debt claim.

Each registered Platform user can see all the information on a particular loan: the amount and purpose of the loan, the availability of collateral, the maturity date and the payment schedule. You independently analyze the information and decide how to direct your capital investment.

For example, you can repurchase the whole loan from the chosen creditor or only a certain part of it. All the time while payments on this loan are received the investor receives his profit, which is proportional to his investment share. At the same time, you can distribute your capital between several credit organizations – to invest in various types of loans, in different countries and for different borrowers.

In what currencies can investments be made?

The Platform makes settlements in euros (EUR). If the base currency of your current account is another currency, then before making a payment, you need to convert it into euro. In case of receiving funds in another currency, the Platform is entitled to return such a payment, retaining the commission in accordance with the bank’s tariffs, or convert them into euros at the current exchange rate of its bank.

How can funds be transfered?

The only possible means of payment at the moment is bank transfer. This is due to AML (Anti Money Laundering) legislation requirements. Grupeer accept money transfers from accounts opened with licensed credit institutions of the countries of the European Economic Area (all EU Member States, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), as well as Switzerland. For security purposes, withdrawal of funds is possible only to a confirmed bank account, i.e. the account which you transferred funds from to Platform bank account and which your user identification number is associated with.

Investing

Grupeer Platform provides an opportunity to invest in loans issued by credit market professionals – credit institutions and investment funds. For all loans, the borrower’s solvency has been assessed, and appropriate scoring and compliance procedures have been carried out.

A Platform user acquires a claim right to the borrower, thereby becoming a joint claim right holder. The credit company by means of such deals refinances a part of its loan portfolio, getting resources for further development.

The credit institution continues to administrate the loan, including receiving borrower’s payments, while paying to the investors their joint share in accordance with the amount of their claim right the borrower they acquired.

On the Platform two types of loans are offered: loans issued by credit institutions to individuals, and loans issued to enterprises. The loans, related to development projects, issued to companies specializing in real estate development projects, stand as a separate category. In all cases, despite the sale of part of the claim right (the so-called “investment in a loan”), the credit company remains the holder of the main debt claim, thus it is interested in following the payment schedule and repaying the loan by the borrower.

For each loan offered on the Platform, specific information is provided, including the purpose and amount of the loan, maturity date, type of payment schedule and availability of collateral. The user independently evaluates and decides which loan to invest in.

Investments in development objects offered by Grupeer Platform are also executed through already issued loans, by means of acquiring a claim right, and from legal point of view they do not differ from investing in other loans. A classic example is the situation when a loan issued to developer for acquiring a land plot (bringing communications, developing a technical project, etc.) is refinanced in this manner. In practice, these loans have the nature of interim financing (so-called bridge loans), with a 1-2-year term – usually this period is required to complete the “zero cycle” of construction, after which the object, having at this stage a much higher market value, is refinanced by the bank and partly – by real estate buyers through pre-sales in case of a residential project. Such a model is typical for many EU countries, for example, Germany.

To begin work on the Platform, you need to transfer an amount which is not less than the minimum investment amount (10 euros).

At the moment, the limit of incoming payments from a registered Grupeer user to Platform bank account is 50,000 euros per month. If you wish to invest a larger amount, you will need to provide the bank with additional information.

 

 

Mintos p2p lending marketplace named Most Influential Startup at Spanish Fintech Awards 2018

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Mintos logo

Latvian startup Mintos was named “Most Influential Startup” at the Spanish Fintech Awards 2018. The prize was awarded during the third annual Fintech Unconference, organised by Finnovating business strategy and investment consulting. Over 6,300 votes were registered for the award, with Mintos winning almost half of the votes.

The Fintech Unconference gathered the 100 most important CEOs and founders in the sector, 13 Presidents of Latin American Fintech Associations and representatives from financial supervisors looking for synergy and meetings with other industry players. Three other awards were also handed out with Goin winning “Most Innovative”, Revolut winning “Best Executed Business Model” and EthicHub winning “Startup with Most Social Impact”.

Mintos CEO and Co-Founder Martins Sulte: “We are so proud to win this award, which proves we have truly won the confidence of the public and our investors. Last year was an especially successful year for us, and such awards based on public support show that we are moving in the right direction.”

In more than three years since its establishment, Mintos has exceeded EUR 720 million in cumulative investments by investors and the company expects the amount of loans funded to reach EUR 1 billion by the end of the year.

The number of investors using the platform has reached 61 thousand as of May 2018 and the company expects to reach 100 thousand investors by the end of the year.

Alfakredyt has launched on Mintos p2p lending marketplace and offers investment opportunities from Poland

By News, Peer-to-Peer Lending, , , , , , ,

Mintos logo

There are now more investment opportunities in Euro (EUR) and Polish zloty (PLN) on Mintos! Alfakredyt has just launched on the marketplace and offers you the opportunity to invest in its short-term Poland-issued loans and earn net annual returns of up to 11%.

Alfakredyt was established in 2013 in Poland and since its inception around 150 000 loans have been disbursed worth EUR 55.5 million. The company offers loans up to PLN 4 000 (around EUR 900) and it prides itself on its fast service – borrowers can receive funds in their account within 15 minutes once their application has been accepted. The company’s fast product and high-quality customer service have attracted more than 43 500 customers since its inception. 89% of the company’s currently active borrowers are repeat borrowers.

“We are pleased to join Mintos because it has a vast investor database, impeccable reputation and transparent methods of cooperation. We believe this will help us to increase the volume of disbursed loans and better serve our borrowers, whilst also offer investors on Mintos the opportunity to invest in loans listed in PLN and diversify their loan portfolios,” says Aleksejs Gromovs, Member of the Board at Alfakredyt.

On Mintos, the average Poland-issued loan from Alfakredyt available for investment is around EUR 400 and PLN 1 800 with a maturity of up to 30 days. You can expect net annual returns of up to 11% for all of Alfakredyt’s loans. All loans from the company will come with the buyback guarantee, and additionally, it will maintain 10% skin in the game to ensure its interests are aligned with those of investors.

Alfakredyt has an effective CRM system which has allowed the company to make nearly 80% of the business completely automated, and other processes semi-automated. This means there is less room for mistakes and allows it to run efficiently and cost-effectively. The company has also developed an automated scoring system, which is based on several factors – databases, in-depth automatic analysis based on historical data (similar to Big data) and personal experience of management. All of this combined means borrowers can get access to funds incredibly quickly and allows Alfakredyt to make the best decision when approving a loan.

As of December 31, 2017, Alfakredyt had a net profit of almost EUR 188 000 and a net revenue of more than EUR 3.1 million. Currently, the company has a net loan portfolio of EUR 4.14 million.

What is inflation and why is it an intensely debated economic phenomenon?

By Smart money, , , ,

Inflation

Inflation is considered by most specialists as one of the most serious macroeconomic imbalances that jeopardize the development and economic progress of a country, but “What is inflation?”
The most widespread definition in literature is that “inflation is a process of cumulative and self-sustaining growth in overall price levels and declining money-buying power.” Taking a look at the above image, we can see that we can buy different quantities of products over the years. If today you can buy 1kg of tomatoes with 2 EUR, in a few years you will buy a smaller amount of tomatoes with the same amount of money because inflation has increased and purchasing power has dropped.

But what are the causes of inflation?

– the injection of money into the economy (the state is printing money without cover, the action leads to rising prices and imbalance MV = PT where: M = Money supply V = Currency circulation rate P = General price level T = Volume of transactions)
– demand for goods and services is higher than supply and hence supply-demand imbalance. (increase the incomes of the population and, implicitly, the purchasing power, take the consumer loans and reduce the inclination towards saving)
– rising production prices (increasing production costs, falling production and increasing prices)
– rising prices for imported goods / assets (increasing the price on materials, raw materials, etc.)
– High prices that are not related to the drop in supply or increased demand
The most popular forms of inflation: trap / quiet (rising prices up to 3%), rapid (annual growth rate approaching 10%), galloping (annual price increase exceeds 10%) and hyperinflation (monthly price increase over 50%
<What’s really going on?
The population is affected as the purchasing power decreases, there is a redistribution of income and wealth, confidence in the local currency is lost and the interest in saving is lost.
Companies are forced to reduce production capacity and are more concerned with asset protection against inflationary erosion.
If economic inflation benefits borrowers (who contract loans in the national currency at a certain purchasing power and return them in other inflationary conditions, to a lower buying power) and the interest rate is influenced by the inflation rate.

The inflationist phenomenon is one of the most serious macroeconomic imbalances but I recommend you take a look at hyperinflationary cases.

The first loan originator from Mexico has launched on Mintos p2p lending marketplace

By News, Peer-to-Peer Lending, , , , , , , ,

Mintos logo

The Mintos peer-to-peer lending marketplace is continuing to expand rapidly and they launch the first loan originator from Mexico offering loans for investment in Mexican peso (MXN). Credilikeme is one of the most innovative loan originators in Mexico, offering personal loans to Mexican citizens online and through its immersive mobile app which uses gamification features. The company offers investors the chance to invest in its personal loans from Mexico listed in MXN with expected net annual returns of 16%.

Credilikeme was established in 2012 and has issued more than 35 000 loans since then. The company is completely online and issues loans through its website and mobile app. Credilikeme prides itself on its unique business model and aims to provide a lifestyle-like experience with its mobile app.

“Partnerships between fintech companies is all about creating value for the industry. Mintos and Credilikeme are both important parts of the credit distribution value chain. Our partnership is all about liberating loan distribution and underwriting in Mexico, so we can give access to our borrowers and have a positive impact on their lives,” said Jorge Enriquez, Co-founder and CEO of Credilikeme.

Mexico-issued loans on Mintos from Credilikeme range from around MXN 3 700 to 19 000. The repayment period ranges from one to seven months and borrowers repay their loans in fortnightly instalments. You can expect a yearly net return of up to 16%.

The company will maintain 20% of each loan placed on Mintos on its balance sheet to keep its skin in the game, as well as only offer loans from repeat borrowers who have proven to be reliable in meeting their payment deadlines on the marketplace. All loans from Credilikeme come with a buyback guarantee, so loans that may become delinquent after 60 days or more will be bought back by the company.

The typical borrower of Credilikeme is a Mexican citizen aged between 21 and 45. They usually take out a loan for emergency expenses or working capital for a business.

As of February 2018, the company has distributed MXN 100 million (around EUR 4.5 million) worth of loans since its inception. In the past year, it had a revenue of MXN 11 million (around EUR 493 000). The company had an outstanding net loan portfolio of MXN 4.8 million (EUR 215 000) as of January 2018. Credilikeme is backed by well-known companies as investors, including Grupo Kaluz, a large banking and industrial group with operations in Mexico and Credito Real, one of Mexico’s largest offline payroll lenders.

According to the Americas Alternative Finance Industry Report, Mexico accounted for the highest total alternative finance market volume in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2016 (USD 114.2 million). Mexico was the third most active country in this region, following Chile and Brazil and has an annual growth rate of 730%. Marketplace and P2P Business Lending was the largest section of the alternative finance industry in Mexico.

Bulkestate real estate crowdfunding marketplace overview

By Peer-to-Peer Lending, , , , , ,

Bulkestate logo

Bulkestate OU is a real estate crowdfunding platform with a focus on funding new development or re-development projects as well as structuring group buying deals to acquire small size (such as one apartment) real estate at wholesale prices (sales price of an entire building). Bulkestate was founded and commence operations since 2016.

Bulkestate operations are regulated by general commercial legislation of Estonia and European Union. In order to operate as a financial institution, Bulkestate has received a financial institution license in Estonia.

The main difference between Bulkestate and other real estate crowdfunding platforms is a combination of both lending and group-buying services. It provides an efficient solution if initial loan arrangements fail and they might have to foreclose and sell the real estate mortgage. This way the security of the investment project increases, providing more guarantees for the investors. A significant part of their team are experts in the field of real estate development and organisation of the sales process, which is another important differentiator as they have hands-on experience with the due diligence and approval process. Furthermore, they have the necessary capacity to take over management of projects, which do not proceed as planned and deliver the promised result.

Who is eligible to invest?

Any company or any person over the age of 18 can invest in any of the active investment opportunities on the Bulkestate platform.

The minimum investment is 50 EUR. There are no restrictions on the investment amount, yet it cannot exceed the loan amount. Investments may be made several times till the investors reach the goal of the funding for the particular investment object.

Loans

Bulkestate has clear and strict guidelines when selecting investment projects to offer for the investors. The main prerequisite is clarity in the planned repayment of the loan, which may depend on the market demand for specific properties, quality of the project and quality of the development project team. We carefully evaluate the demand for the particular real estate property. Thus, primarily the saleability of properties is assessed as well as the security of exit options upon completion of the project. Also, the general policy is to finance loans where LTV is 70% or less.

Group-buying deals

You can keep an eye on your investments in your Bulkestate user account. Your account displays aGroup buying deal or bulk-deal occurs when an owner of an apartment building wants to sell all apartments (entire building) at once. We publish the offer on our platform giving a chance to purchase one or more apartments in the building. The deal is successful if all apartments are bought, meaning that there is a potential buyer for every apartment in the building and a bulk-deal can take place.ll pending investments.

In group-buying, you are buying an entire apartment and receive the full legal owner title, yet you cannot make an investment in one of the apartments.

How can funds be transfered

To add money to your account, choose an option “Add funds”, set the deposit amount and make a transfer from your bank account (minimum of EUR 50). The bank transfer typically takes 3 to 5 business days to complete after initiating a deposit. Bulkestate makes your funds available in your account as soon as the payment is received.

Investing

There are two ways to invest in loans: manual investing or automatic investing using Autoinvest.

Auto Invest is an investment tool that automatically invests available funds on behalf of investors, basing on their chosen criteria. Once investors set their investment criteria, Auto Invest automatically places orders for matching settings. Investors can review, adjust or pause Auto Invest at any time. There are no additional costs for using Auto Invest.

 

 

 

 

 

The Mogo cashback campaign on Mintos p2p lending marketplace has been extended until June

By News, Peer-to-Peer Lending, , , ,

Mintos logo

Mogo is yet again extending its cashback campaign on Mintos peer-to-peer lending marketplace! Now, until June 16, 2018, you can earn a cashback of up to 5% if you invest in its loans with a maturity of one year or more.

You will get a cashback of:

– 1% for investing in Mogo loans with a maturity of 12 to 23 months;

– 2% for investing in Mogo loans with a maturity of 24 to 35 months;

– 3% for investing in Mogo loans with a maturity of 36 to 47 months;

– 4% for investing in Mogo loans with a maturity of 48 to 59 months;

– 5% for investing in Mogo loans with a maturity of 60 months or more.

To be eligible for the cashback campaign, make sure you enrol in the campaign first before you make your investments.

Only investments made on the Mintos primary market qualify.

 

For other bonuses visit our Cash-back & Bonuses page.

Russian lender Dozarplati has joined Mintos p2p lending marketplace

By News, Peer-to-Peer Lending, , , , , , , ,

Mintos logo

Mintos has launched a new loan originator from Russia! Dozarplati is one of the largest loan originators in the North-West region of Russia and investors now have the opportunity to invest in its short-term and instalment loans listed in Euro (EUR) and Russian rubles (RUB).

Dozarplati was established in 2011 in Russia and it has more than 100 offices across 14 cities in the country. The company aims to fill the gap between paydays for its customers by offering short-term loans. Dozarplati’s main goal is flexibility for its customers, that’s why it offers its services through its many branches, mobile app and also allows borrowers to take out a loan 24/7 online and on holidays. Dozarplati issues loans to borrowers above the age of 18 and they can receive the funds within 15 minutes. Since its inception, the total loans originated for Dozarplati has reached USD 30 million. The company’s net loan portfolio is USD 4 million, and it has sustained an impressive 48% equity ratio.

The company is included in the State Register of Microfinance Organisations of the Central Bank of Russia and all of its activities are regulated by the Central Bank. All loans issued by the company comply with the laws of the Russian Federation.

The average Russia-issued loan from Dozarplati is EUR 200 with a maturity of up to 12 months. You can expect an annual net return of up to 11% for its loans listed in EUR and 17.5% for its RUB loans. In the future, Dozarplati also plans to increase its offering on Mintos and place its business loans for investment.

All loans from Dozarplati are secured with a buyback guarantee and will be repurchased if the loan is delinquent for 60 days or more. In addition, to ensure the interests of the loan originator are aligned with the investors, the company will maintain 10% skin in the game.

Mintos has reached profitability in 2017 – Projections for 2018

By News, Peer-to-Peer Lending, , , , ,

Mintos logo

After three years since the launch, Mintos has turned an annual profit for the first time. In 2017, Mintos revenue increased more than four-fold to over EUR 2.1 million and net profit was EUR 196 000.

During 2017, Mintos experienced significant growth, making it the peer-to-peer lending market leader for continental Europe with a 38% market share according to AltFi Data. Since their establishment, Mintos have exceeded EUR 660 million in cumulative investments by investors and they expect the amount of loans funded to reach EUR 1 billion by the end of the year.

“Last year was a strong year for us and we established ourselves as a leading player internationally. We are very pleased to see that our business model is working and that we have reached profitability in only three years after launch, which these days isn’t that typical for startups,” says CEO and Co-founder of Mintos, Martins Sulte.

In 2017, Mintos made considerable investments in technology, people and the marketplace, making their service even more convenient for investors on Mintos. Last year they launched a currency exchange featuring transparent exchange rates and fair fees, which allows investors to exchange money at a lower cost than through banks. As a result of this investment in growth, the number of investors on Mintos also grew rapidly. As of May 2018, 58 000 investors had joined the marketplace and we expect to reach 100 000 investors by the end of the year.

Currently, Mintos has three offices employing 50 people in Riga, Warsaw and Mexico City, with offices shortly opening in Brazil, Russia and South East Asia. By the end of the year, they plan to double the number of their employees.

“… for us at the moment growth is more important than becoming a profitable business. With the proven success of our business model, we will continue to invest in technology and product and double our headcount by the end of the year. That will allow us to double down on our mission to enable the free and efficient movement of capital around the world with the help of technology,” says CEO and Co-founder of Mintos, Martins Sulte.

Mintos strategy is growth at an ambitious, but steady pace – thus ensuring their sustainable development. According to projections in 2018, the marketplace turnover will increase by 2 to 3 times. In 2018, they will focus on growing both sides of the marketplace by increasing investor demand, as well as loan supply from current and new locations by expanding the investment opportunities on the marketplace in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.

There are now more investment opportunities from Moldova on Mintos p2p marketplace

By News, Peer-to-Peer Lending, , , , , , ,

Mintos logo

The Mintos marketplace just got bigger as IuteCredit Group now offers personal loans for investment in Moldova. This is in addition to IuteCredit personal loans issued in Albania already on the marketplace.

IuteCredit Group was founded in 2008 and operates in Moldova, Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo. The Group has a loan portfolio of EUR 20 million and has helped more than 170 000 customers. It aims to be the fastest and most efficient personal loan provider in the region.

“IuteCredit is a fast growing company and we appreciate the speed, flexibility and diversification in our funding. Investors on Mintos will allow IuteCredit Moldova to be more dynamic and disburse loans quicker and in greater volumes, which will allow the company to continue growing. We really appreciate Mintos as a marketplace which brings together the interests of different players of the market: investors, lenders and customers,” Stanislav Tuzlucov, CEO of IuteCredit Moldova.

The average Moldova-issued loan on Mintos from IuteCredit will be EUR 400 with a repayment period of 13 months. The expected return for investors will be up to 12%.

To align its interests with those of the investors, IuteCredit will retain 10% of each loan placed on Mintos on its balance sheet. All Moldova-issued loans from IuteCredit will come with a buyback guarantee and IuteCredit Group will undertake the obligations of repurchasing delinquent loans.

IuteCredit Group started its operations in Moldova in 2008. It is currently one of the alternative finance market leaders in the country. Since its inception, more than 200 000 loans have been issued in Moldova worth more than EUR 60 million. The typical borrower for IuteCredit Moldova is between 18 to 68 years old and borrows an average amount of EUR 400 for personal needs.

The group has been profitable since 2010. Currently, IuteCredit Moldova has 41 000 customers. The average maturity of loans is 13 months, and the annual percentage rate (APR) is 74%.

IuteCredit joined Mintos in June 2017 offering to invest in personal loans issued in Albania. To date, EUR 4 million has been financed through the marketplace.

To obtain exposure to IuteCredit Moldova loans, investors will be able to invest in loans issued by Mintos Finance to IuteCredit Moldova, where repayments depend on the borrower’s payments. Each loan issued by Mintos Finance to IuteCredit Moldova will be pegged to a respective loan issued by IuteCredit Moldova to the final borrower. Mintos Finance is a Mintos group company.

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