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First loan originator from Russia joins Mintos p2p lending marketplace

By MPI5th December 2017News, Peer-to-Peer LendingEcoFinance, Mintos, Russia, Short-term loans

Mintos welcomes the first loan originator to offer investment opportunities from Russia on the marketplace – EcoFinance. The lender offers investments in online unsecured personal loans issued in Russia under its CreditPlus brand. EcoFinance loans on the Mintos marketplace initially will be listed in euro (EUR).

“We welcome our first loan originator to offer short-term loans from Russia on Mintos. EcoFinance is a great addition to our marketplace, which increases diversity and brings new opportunities to our investors,” says Mintos CEO Martins Sulte.

Established in 2015, EcoFinance has become one of the leading consumer lenders for subprime and underbanked clients in Russia. The company is run by seasoned banking executives with vast international experience in finance and IT technologies. EcoFinance has over 1.6 million registered client accounts. As of October 2017, more than EUR 16 million in loans were funded by EcoFinance. The company has a share capital of around EUR 1 million.

Russia-issued EcoFinance loans on the Mintos marketplace will range from EUR 15 to 440, with a repayment period of up to 30 days. The expected net annual return for investors will reach 10-11%.

“We are excited to be the first loan originator from Russia to join the Mintos marketplace. Our new strategic partnership with Mintos will allow us to grow faster, and broaden and diversify our funding sources. We challenge ourselves to provide the highest quality service to all our clients, both borrowers and investors,” says Ecofinance CEO Leonid Dulenkov.

EcoFinance puts a strong emphasis on responsible lending. The company has its own algorithms to automate the process of assessing the creditworthiness of clients. Their online service allows borrowers to send loan applications via SMS or website, and funds can be accessed after two minutes. EcoFinance holds a full general microfinance company license provided by the Central Bank of Russia.

Typical EcoFinance borrowers are between 28 and 45 years old. Their average salary is around EUR 445 per month. They borrow money to cover gaps between paychecks to purchase medicine, pay for repairs on their apartment or vehicle, buy clothes or for other urgent needs. They usually repay the loan at the end of the period in one instalment.

Investment structure

Taking into consideration legal requirements and investors’ interests, investors will be able to obtain exposure to EcoFinance loans by investing in loans issued by Mintos OU to Mintos Finance SIA, both Mintos Group companies.

Repayment of each loan issued by Mintos OU to Mintos Finance SIA will be pegged to repayment of a respective loan issued by EcoFinance to its borrower. Mintos OU loans will be secured by a pledge on claims arising from Mintos Finance collateralized loans issued to EcoFinance.

Mintos Finance will provide funding to EcoFinance up to 90% of the principal of a respective loan EcoFinance has issued to its borrower. Accordingly, EcoFinance will keep 10% skin in the game. EcoFinance will repay the loan to Mintos Finance in lockstep with repayment of the respective loan EcoFinance has issued to its borrower.

Should the borrower’s loan become 60 days delinquent, EcoFinance will repay Mintos Finance the respective part of the loan received from Mintos Finance in full, together with accrued interest. Mintos Finance will then repay the related Mintos Finance-Mintos OU loan to Mintos OU in full and with accrued interest, and Mintos OU will buyback the claims on this loan from investors.

EuroOne from Spain joins the Mintos p2p lending marketplace

By MPI29th November 2017News, Peer-to-Peer Lendingartificial intelligence, EuroOne, Mintos, peer-to-peer lending, Short-term loans, Spain

The Mintos marketplace welcomes EuroOne, a new loan originator from Spain. EuroOne offers to invest in short-term unsecured personal loans issued online under its NetCredit and LunaCredit brands.

“We are proud to be part of the Mintos marketplace. This is a great opportunity for investors, as EuroOne offers a valuable alternative for today’s underbanked segment in Europe. The vast experience of the management team with artificial intelligence gives EuroOne an advantage over its competitors, as we make smart decisions in real-time,” says Denis Kalinin, CEO of EuroOne.

EuroOne loans available for investment on the Mintos marketplace will range from EUR 300 to EUR 1 000, with a repayment period of up to 30 days. The average net annual return to investors will range from 11 to 13%. Initially, the loans will be listed on Mintos at an introductory rate of 13%.

EuroOne loans will be supplemented with a buyback guarantee covering loans delinquent for more than 60 days. EuroOne will keep at least 10% of each loan on the Mintos marketplace on its balance sheet.

EuroOne Group is an artificial intelligence company that builds financial solutions for underbanked consumers. It was established in March 2017 in Berlin. The company employs a multinational team consisting of 30 highly skilled employees working in offices in the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain.

To launch company operations in Spain, EuroOne purchased Rapido Finance SLU issuing short-term loans under the NetCredit brand in August 2017. The acquired subsidiary was established in 2016 and has issued 20,000 loans worth EUR 6 million to date.

EuroOne plans to gain significant market share in the region by expanding in Spain and entering new markets. The product portfolio of EuroOne currently includes short-term and personal loans, with more consumer products planned in the near future.

80% of EuroOne’s customer base comes from mobile. EuroOne customers are aged between 22-70 and earn between EUR 800 and EUR 2000 a month. Typically they borrow money to cover unexpected expenses, such as medical expenses, home repairs or helping family and friends.

EuroOne creates consumer finance loans by using sophisticated artificial intelligence techniques and tight scoring applications. EuroOne proprietary technology calculates the expected lifetime value (LTV) for each prospect by using hundreds of data points acquired from traditional and nontraditional sources, such as information from Internet browsers and telecom providers.

Mogo is first on Mintos P2P marketplace to offer investments in GBP

By MPI27th November 2017News, Peer-to-Peer Lendingcar loan, GBP, invest, Mintos, Mogo, peer-to-peer lending, Poland

Great news for investors looking to invest in British pounds (GBP)! Non-bank car loan provider Mogo now lists its loans issued in Poland in GBP on the Mintos marketplace. GBP is the eighth currency investors can invest in through Mintos.

“Seeing the rapidly growing number of investors from the United Kingdom and the high demand for loans listed for investment in GBP on Mintos, we decided to list our loans from Poland also in GBP. We are sure this move will be beneficial for investors on Mintos and our business, as well,” says Māris Kreics, CFO of Mogo Finance.

Mogo loans available on the Mintos marketplace for investment in GBP will be the same as Poland-issued loans already listed on Mintos in PLN. Loans will range from GBP 254 to GBP 7 350, with a repayment deadline of 6 to 48 months. The annual net return to investors will range from 8.5% to 13%. Mogo will offer a buyback guarantee for loans that are delinquent for more than 60 days. The loan originator will retain at least 5% of each loan placed on the Mintos platform on its balance sheet as its skin in the game.

Mogo is one of the top loan originators on the Mintos marketplace. The company joined Mintos in March 2015, and has since funded car loans worth EUR 75 million through the marketplace. To date, the average net annual return offered for Mogo loans has been above 12%.

With a total of more than EUR 300 million in loans originated since the company was founded in 2012, Mogo Group is the largest non-bank car loan provider in the region, with operations in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Georgia, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Armenia and Moldova.

The aggregate net loan portfolio of Mogo Group is more than EUR 90 million. Mogo Group has demonstrated consistent profitability. Last year, it generated EUR 6 million in net profit, and projects a net profit of EUR 10 million for 2017.

Investing in GBP on Mintos

There are two ways to invest in GBP loans on Mintos: by transferring GBP directly to your investor’s account on Mintos or by converting your currency into GBP on the Mintos marketplace.

Romanian mortgage lender Extra Finance now offers loans with buyback guarantee on Mintos marketplace

By MPI24th November 2017News, Peer-to-Peer Lendingbuyback guarantee, EUR, Extra Finance, Mintos, mortgage loans, RON

A leading non-bank mortgage loan originator in Romania, Extra Finance has now added loans with a buyback guarantee to its offering on Mintos.

These new Extra Finance loans will be denominated both in euro (EUR) and Romanian Leu (RON). The loans will range from EUR 5 000 to EUR 50 000, with a repayment term of 9 to 60 months. The net annual return to investors will reach 10-11%. For each loan placed on the Mintos marketplace, Extra Finance will retain at least 10% on its balance sheet as its skin in the game.

Extra Finance joined Mintos in January 2017, offering mortgage secured loans without the buyback guarantee. The company has financed loans worth EUR 530 000 through Mintos.

Extra Finance is a Romanian non-bank lender that has operated for more than eight years. The company has branches in two Romanian cities. Last year, Extra Finance had a revenue of EUR 20.5 million, with a net profit slightly below the EUR 2 million mark. Its loan portfolio was EUR 14.6 million.

Mozipo Group now offers to invest in personal loans from Denmark

By MPI24th November 2017News, Peer-to-Peer LendingDenmark, DKK, EUR, Mintos, Mozipo Group, peer-to-peer lending, personal loans

Thanks to Mozipo Group, investors on Mintos now have even more investment opportunities in Denmark. Personal loans issued by Mozipo in Denmark are now available on the Mintos marketplace in euro (EUR), and soon loans in Danish krone (DKK) will be added as well.

Mozipo Group has built a strong reputation for itself since it was established in Lithuania more than a decade ago. Mozipo is known for being a reliable, transparent and responsible non-bank financial institution. The company was one of the first to offer online and SMS credit solutions. Mozipo Group operates in Lithuania, Denmark and Romania, and plans to expand to five more countries in the near future.

Denmark-issued Mozipo Group loans listed on the Mintos marketplace will range from EUR 65 to EUR 945. The repayment period will be up to one year. Investors can expect an annual return of 11%-13%.

Mozipo will offer a buyback guarantee for loans that have been delinquent for more than 60 days. The obligations of Mozipo Denmark will be guaranteed by Mozipo Group. To keep their skin in the game, Mozipo will retain 10% of each loan put on Mintos on their balance sheet.

Mozipo Group has been trusted by more than 230 000 customers. The average borrower of Mozipo is a 36-45-year-old city resident. They have an average monthly income and use the loans to primarily cover daily and unexpected expenses.

Since 2007, the company has issued 660 000 loans worth over EUR 135 million.

Mozipo Denmark started its operations at the end of 2016 and it has attracted over 17 000 clients. Since then, the company has issued more than EUR 3 million worth of loans in Denmark.

Mozipo Group’s business model is based on the use of efficient technologies. The company has developed a unique risk scoring system, reducing the number of non-performing loans issued. In Denmark, the share of non-performing loans is recently below 34%.

Since Mozipo joined Mintos in March 2017, its loans from Lithuania and Romania worth EUR 6 million have been funded through the Mintos marketplace.

ID Finance offers more investment opportunities from Spain on Mintos p2p marketplace

By MPI19th November 2017News, Peer-to-Peer LendingID Finance, Kazakhstan, Mintos, MOnayMan, Sapin

Mintos announce that, starting today, ID Finance will be offering the opportunity to invest in Spain-issued personal loans with repayments in several instalments. This is in addition to the ID Finance short-term loans from Spain and personal loans from Georgia already offered on Mintos.

ID Finance Group is pioneering fintech in emerging markets. Founded in 2012, the company is now the largest online consumer lender in the CIS region and a leading one in Europe. The group operates in Spain, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Poland, Russia, Brazil, and Mexico. In Spain, ID Finance issues loans under its MoneyMan brand.

For consumer loans, borrowers usually take out larger sums of money with longer repayment terms. This gives investors the opportunity to lock-in the interest rate on their investment for a longer period of time. New Spain-issued loans from ID Finance will range from EUR 50 to EUR 1 200 with a repayment period of up to four months. Investors can expect a return of up to 11% per year.

ID Finance will offer a buyback guarantee for loans delinquent more than 60 days. To align its interests with those of investors, the company will keep at least 5% of each instalment loan placed on the Mintos marketplace on its balance sheet.

Since its inception in 2012, ID Finance has issued more than 1.126 million loans worth USD 240 million. In 2016, the company issued loans worth USD 92 million and generated USD 68 million in revenue, a 222% year-on-year growth. In the first half of 2017, the company had a revenue growth of 82% following a successful expansion into the Brazilian online lending market. The company has been profitable since 2015.

ID Finance has more than 4 million registered customers. In the first 9 months of 2017, ID Finance has issued more than 550 000 loans worth USD 134 million.

The MoneyMan brand was founded in Spain in 2015 and aims to make the financing market simpler, more accessible, and more transparent. Following the establishment of its operations in Spain, ID Finance moved its headquarters to Barcelona in 2016, underlining the importance of the company’s Spanish operations.

Since ID Finance joined Mintos in March 2017, more than EUR 6.3 million in ID Finance loans have been funded through the marketplace.

If you use Auto Invest on Mintos and want to invest in new ID Finance loans issued in Spain, be sure to adjust your Auto Invest settings accordingly.

You can now invest in Swedish Krona on Mintos p2p marketplace

By MPI19th November 2017News, Peer-to-Peer LendingAasa Group, buyback guarantee, consumer loans, Mintos, peer-to-peer lending, swedish krona

For the first time on Mintos, investors now have the opportunity to invest in loans in Swedish Krona, thanks to Aasa Group.

Aasa Group is the largest loan originator on the Mintos marketplace. Established in 2010, it is one of the top alternative lenders on the Polish and Finnish markets. Since its inception, Aasa Group has issued more than 523 000 loans worth EUR 516 million. The company started its operations in Sweden in May 2017, and issues loans through Aasa Kredit Svenska AB.

Aasa Group started placing loans from Sweden on Mintos in October 2017. The consumer loans , which were initially offered in euro (EUR), will now also be available in Swedish Krona (SEK). Swedish Krona is the seventh currency you can now invest in on Mintos.

Sweden-issued loans listed on the Mintos marketplace by Aasa range from SEK 9 700 to SEK 50 000, with repayment period from 6 to 36 months. The average net return to investors will range from 7 to 13%.

For loans that are delinquent for more than 60 days, Aasa offers a buyback guarantee. The obligations of Aasa Kredit Svenska AB are guaranteed by Aasa Group. The company keeps at least 5% of each loan available on the Mintos marketplace on its balance sheet to retain its “skin in the game”.

There are two ways to invest in SEK loans on Mintos: transferring SEK directly to your investor’s account on Mintos or by converting your primary currency into SEK on the Mintos platform.

If you would like to transfer SEK directly, please use the following bank details:

Bank name: SEB Sweden
Beneficiary: Paysera LT
Bank account: 531 – 6468
Replenishment currency: SEK
Payment purpose/details: EVP9410001845276 XXXXXX – Add funds to investor account (where XXXXXX is your Mintos investor ID number)
Account holder: AS Mintos Marketplace

Be sure to indicate the exact payment purpose given in the instructions to ensure that funds reach the Mintos Paysera account in time; deviations may cause a delay in the transfer and additional fees may be applied.

If you would like to use the currency exchange on Mintos, go to the “Deposit/Withdraw/FX” section in your investor’s account and choose the “Currency Exchange” tab. For EUR to SEK conversions on Mintos, there is a market-level fee of 0.5%.

If you use Auto Invest on Mintos and want to invest in Aasa loans issued in Sweden in SEK, make sure to adjust your Auto Invest settings accordingly.

Mintos Refer-a-Friend campaign is back!

By MPI1st November 2017News, Peer-to-Peer Lending, Smart moneybonus, Mintos, peer-to-peer lending, Promo code, refer-a-friend

Mintos Refer-a-Friend code can not be used on blogs (for general public) anymore, instead please use the affiliate link. If you invest for the first time on Mintos don’t forget that you can get 1% cashback bonus for your investment made in the first 90 days. To get the 1% bonus please use THIS LINK.

Mintos peer-to-peer lending marketplace announce today that they have re-launched the Refer-a-Friend Program for a limited period of time.

How the program works?

In order to get the 1% bonus a promo code must be entered in the “Promo code” field during registration.

The promo code is: MINTOSCLUB.B7B9D7

Mintos will then reward both us and you with 1% of your invested amount. The reward will be calculated based on your average daily invested balance over a 3-month period – 30, 60, and 90 days after the registration date – and paid in three instalments.

More details on how this work can be found here.

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

5 criteria to identify the best investment for you

By MPI19th October 2017Smart moneyinvestment, long term, money, shares

We are all interested in identifying a good investment, that’s for sure.
But some of us are not content with just that.
There are enough people who are looking for the absolute superlative and want to find out what is the “best” investment.
So, as far as investments are concerned, the notion of “best investment” – in general terms – simply does not exist!
Because in this area everything is relative and depends very much on the preferences and peculiarities of each of us.

In other words, it’s like going to a restaurant and asking the waiter to recommend you their best meal …
Obviously, he does not know your tastes and preferences, so he would not know if you like meals based on meat (and what kind meat) or vegetarian, if you want something more consistent or a salad would be enough. In the end, the decision is largely subjective because it depends only on your particularities.
Exactly the same is true of investment.

No one can tell you from the start what is “the best investment” for the simple reason that it depends exclusively on YOU.
However, there are some criteria that you can determine if a particular investment is or is not right for you.

Here are 5 criteria according to which you can determine which is the best investment for YOU:

1. The degree of risk of the investment

The first thing we think about a certain investment is its degree of risk.
Therefore, in order to know what kind of investment we are going to (and of what kind of investment to keep away) it is very useful to know our own risk profile.
For example, if we reject the idea of risk from the start, it is best to focus on the guaranteed investments, such as bank deposits and government securities. But if we are willing to accept a certain risk, but a small one, we have low-risk investment funds.
On the other hand, if we can accept capital markets fluctuations in hopes of achieving greater long-term profits, we can opt for investment in stock exchanges or different kinds of commodities.

2. The investment profit level

We must always keep in mind the reasonable profit level that a certain type of investment can realistically bring, in order to match the degree of risk of that investment.
Only in this way can we determine the risk / reward ratio for a particular investment and thus compare different types of investments.

3. Duration of the investment

It is very important to establish from the beginning what is the minimum time interval that we are willing to stay with that amount in a certain investment.
In this way we can match the duration of an investment with its degree of risk, so we will not to get into the situation where we have to withdraw that money at a time that is less favorable.
For example, for a short or medium term, usually the most useful financial instruments are those that are guaranteed or low risk. Because the particularities of capital markets or real estate are acceptable only if we are considering a long or very long term.

4. The amount invested

However attractive it may be at one time to invest in building a block of flats or a mall, this would probably exceed our financial availability.
So finding an investment that fits both in size and flexibility with our budget is more important than just considering the profit it can bring us.

5. Location of the investment

There may be enough types of investments that seem interesting to us, at least at first glance, but some may not be accessible to everyone.
For example, if we were interested – let’s say – investing in government securities issued by India (with an annual yield of nearly 7%), we will find it hard to find a broker that have them available in its offer.
So the physical location for a particular investment as well as its availability are important elements to consider when trying to find the best investment for us.

Aasa now offers loans from Sweden for investment on Mintos peer-to-peer lending marketplace

By MPI16th October 20172 commentsNews, Peer-to-Peer LendingAasa, buyback guarantee, consumer loans, Mintos, peer-to-peer lending, Sweden

Mintos peer-to-peer lending marketplace introduce investment opportunities from Sweden.

The Scandinavian partner Aasa Group expands its presence on the Mintos marketplace by offering to invest in consumer loans issued in Sweden. Aasa already places loans issued in Poland on the Mintos marketplace since February 2017, and so far investors on Mintos have invested EUR 3 million in loans by Aasa.

Aasa Group was established in 2010 and is now among the top alternative lenders on the Polish and Finnish markets. At the end of the first half of 2017 Aasa had issued loans worth more than EUR 172 million in Poland and EUR 270 million in Finland. Aasa Group has over EUR 50 million in equity. This makes Aasa the biggest loan originator on the Mintos marketplace.

Aasa Group has advanced plans to expand in other European countries, the first of these being Sweden. Aasa started its operations in Sweden in May 2017. Aasa loans in Sweden are issued by Aasa Kredit Svenska AB. It offers consumer loans in a highly effective online channel. At the end of September 2017, Aasa Kredit Svenska AB had issued more than 2 000 loans worth over EUR 2 million.

The average Sweden-issued loan that Aasa will place on the Mintos marketplace will range from EUR 1 000 to EUR 2 000, with an average repayment period of 6 to 36 months. The loan originator will initially offer to invest in euro (EUR). Loans denominated in Swedish krona (SEK) will be added to the Mintos marketplace soon. The average net return to investors will range from 7 to 11%.

Aasa will offer a buyback guarantee for loans that are delinquent for more than 60 days. The obligations of Aasa Kredit Svenska AB will be guaranteed by Aasa Group. To retain its “skin in the game”, Aasa will keep at least 5% of each loan available on the Mintos marketplace on its balance sheet.

Aasa’s mission is to provide fast and convenient access to financial products and services based on transparency, promptness, simplicity and safety. Aasa always provides mid-size consumer loans priced similarly to banks, which differ greatly from single instalment payday loans.

The key to Aasa’s business model is the efficient use of the lending platform and unique credit scoring algorithms. When combined, they are able to serve a large number of customers, while accurately controlling credit risk. To evaluate the creditworthiness of clients, Aasa employs sophisticated in-house big data methodology. Their scoring uses both classical variables such as income, employment and age, as well as big data such as customer behaviour on the website, time of application and other indicators crucial for the final decision.

“We are so excited to expand Aasa operations together with the Mintos marketplace. We started our cooperation with Mintos by offering products on the Polish market and now we see a huge opportunity to reach our goals in other important countries also with Mintos marketplace investors. The consumer lending market is a fast-growing investment opportunity. Funding through Mintos contributes to the diversification of our financing structure, offering us the flexibility to grow our portfolio” emphasises Meliina Räty, Chief Strategy Officer responsible for Aasa Group’s expansion.

“We are truly excited that Aasa Group is extending its presence on the Mintos marketplace. Aasa gives investors the opportunity to significantly diversify their investment portfolio by investing in low-risk loans originated by an established loan originator in Europe,” says Martins Sulte, CEO and co-founder of Mintos.