Tag Archives: investing

Aforti Factor Joins Viventor p2p lending marketplace

Viventor logo

Viventor is happy to announce another partnership with a new loan originator from Poland – Aforti Factor SA.

Established in the beginning of 2018 Aforti Factor SA is one of the fastest growing non-bank invoice financing providers in Poland. The company is backed by Aforti Holding, a well-known Polish financial services provider listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

During the first 6-month of operations Aforti Factor AS has serviced more than EUR 1’500’000 worth of invoices, ranging from EUR 25 – EUR 200’000. Currently the company employs 12 people and is rapidly expanding across the country to meet the growing demand for their product.

‘’So far May has been the most successful month for Aforti Factor. The Operational Department accepted invoices worth almost PLN 1.8 million (EUR 420’000), an increase of 24% compared to the previous month. As we already have had a successful partnership with Viventor and Aforti Finance, we’re looking forward to offer our new product to the investors on the platform” says Jacek Książek, the managing director of Aforti Factor SA.

Aforti Factor SA loans on Viventor marketplace

  • 25-200000 EUR in size
  • 7-90 days in duration
  • 11%-12% projected annual return
  • 60 day Buyback guarantee

Aforti Factor will offer its invoice loans with maturities starting from 7 up to 90 days. The company will maintain 5% skin in the game stake in every single loan and start by offering a projected return of around 12%p.a. On top of that, all of Aforti Factor loans will be secured by a 60-day Buyback Guarantee.

Stik Credit Joins Viventor peer-to-peer lending marketplace

Viventor logo

Viventor is pleased to welcome a new loan originator from Bulgaria – Stik Credit AD.

Established in 2013 Stik Credit AD provides short and medium term consumer loans. The company currently employs 26 people and has 11 offices across the country.

Since the inception, Stik Credit has issued more than 18’000 loans with the total worth exceeding EUR 5’000’000. The average loan is around 277 EUR for a 5.2 months period. Due to the company’s robust risk management, the delinquency rate (60+ days) has decreased below 15%.

“Even though, we have been financed entirely by equity of our founding shareholders and retained profit, we have seen stable growth over the years. Cooperation with Viventor is the next logical step to accelerate our growth and offer an even better experience to our customers,” comments Hristina Todorova, executive director of Stik Credit.

Stik Credit AD loans on Viventor marketplace

  • 50-2500 EUR in size
  • 1-24 months in duration
  • 10%-13% projected annual return
  • 60 day Buyback guarantee

Stik Credit AD will offer its single payment loans with maturities up to 1 month, as well as installment loans up to 24 months. The company will maintain 5% skin in the game stake in every single loan and start by offering an introductory projected return of around 13%p.a.

Mogo has just launched its Georgia-issued secured car loans on Mintos p2p lending marketplace

Mintos logo

Mogo is now offering investors even more investment opportunities on the marketplace, as Mogo Georgia has just launched on Mintos. Mogo is the largest non-bank car loan provider in the Baltic region, and Mogo Georgia is a market leader for non-bank car loans in Georgia. Investors can now invest in its Georgia-issued secured car loans listed in Euro (EUR) and Georgian lari (GEL) on the marketplace.

Established in 2012, Mogo’s business model is based on its fast customer service and open communication. As a result, the company has more than 40 000 clients worldwide. Headquartered in Latvia, it also has operations in Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland and Romania.

The average Georgia-issued car loan from Mogo is around EUR 1 500 and GEL 4 500, with a typical repayment period of 33 months. Investors can expect an annual net return of up to 14% for its loans listed in EUR loans and up to 18% for its GEL loans.

To maintain its skin in the game, Mogo will keep 5% of each loan. All Georgia-issued loans from the company are secured with a buyback guarantee and will be repurchased if a loan is delinquent for 60 days or more.

Mogo Georgia was founded in June 2014 and has since issued 35 781 loans worth more than EUR 55.7 million. The company offers residents of Georgia car loans with repayment periods up to 72 months and allows borrowers to receive their loan on the same day of their application.

The typical borrower from Mogo Georgia is a male who is 32 years of age. He has a regular income and is approaching Mogo because he wants a simple, fast and hassle-free service. Whilst a bank is the cheaper option to receive a loan in Georgia, they also require many documents and there can be a lengthy waiting time to receive the funds. Banks also try to avoid supplying financing for used cars and only disburse these loans for their long-term clients. Therefore, Mogo is the fastest way to buy a car with minimal down-payment, as well as receive a loan quickly by using your car as collateral.

Mogo launched on Mintos in 2015 and so far around EUR 132 million has been invested in its loans on the marketplace. In addition to the Georgia-issued loans, Mogo also offers you the opportunity to invest in its loans from Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania, as well as unsecured personal loans from Latvia, on Mintos. These investment opportunities are now available in four currencies – EUR, British pound (GBP), GEL and Polish zloty (PLN).

Grupeer peer-to-peer lending marketplace overview

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.

 

 

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

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.

Bulkestate real estate crowdfunding marketplace overview

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

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.

Mintos has reached profitability in 2017 – Projections for 2018

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.

Lendo has published its latest operational results

Mintos logo

Georgian non-bank loan originator Lendo has published its operational results for the first quarter of 2018. According to the figures, Lendo is now the leading non-bank lender in Georgia in terms of loan volumes and portfolio size. As of the first quarter of 2018, Lendo disbursed more than EUR 90 million worth of loans since its inception.

Due to the changes in regulation in Georgia in 2017, Lendo focused on instalment loans, which has provided the company with a steady growth of its loan portfolio and income stream. As a result, the company’s revenue has exceeded levels reached before the interest rate restrictions were implemented.

Lendo offers its unsecured consumer loans through its established network of branches across the largest cities in Georgia. Lendo is a well-known brand in Georgia and employs almost 200 employees. The company prides itself on its friendly customer service and as a result had more than 130 000 active clients as at March 31, 2018.

Lendo will publish its audited 2017 financial statements in June 2018.

Lendo has also reactivated its cashback campaign on Mintos peer-to-peer lending marketplace. If you invest on Mintos in Lendo’s loans with a maturity of 9 months or more between May 2, 2018, and May 16, 2018, you can earn a cashback of 1.5%.

If you want to earn the cashback, you need to be enrolled in the campaign before you make the investment. Only investments made on the Mintos primary market qualify.

Why smart people do stupid things with money?

Smart people

It’s a pretty good question, is not it? How do intelligent people manage to do things with money and after a while become totally disappointed with their “successes”?

I suggest you think a little bit!

And here I do not mean people without financial education or any other kind of education.

Let’s think of intelligent people who have completed a faculty or a master and who have obtained a job because of their competencies or who have developed a start-up that has become a “small profitable money machine”. How do they become totally disappointed with their own financial situations, even though they have earned a lot of money over the years?

Here are three of the most common reasons:

  • They have a disastrous financial behavior. Although there are people who have extraordinary professional, social or family behavior when it comes to financial behavior, they completely ignore it!

          They are implusive consumers, meaning “perfect” for traders. Buy anything at any price. If they like something, they put in a basket without considering how much money they have available until the next salary. “I even withdraw money from my credit card if I do not have any money left in my salary account”. You’ve heard of such people, right?

         The first step in changing financial behavior is definitely analyzing your own behavior. If it’s not one you can be proud of, you can change it. Instead, if you go like a ostrich – just put your head in the ground and deny your own financial situation – it takes only a short while until the frustrations and shortcomings will arise.

  • They omit the financial planning activity. They do not have financial goals, they have no clearly defined plans to follow, and this is why they do not take into account the financial planning activity. Surprisingly, all people know that without a plan whatever it is financial or any other type, the chances of success tend towards zero.
    To increase your chances of succeeding in what you propose, take a pen and a sheet, write down your short, medium, and long-term financial goals, make plans for action, and set up tight financial targets.

          If you want a house, set the amount of money you need, the detailed plan to get that amount, the intermediate targets delimited by clear terms and get to work. Without action, the results are always zero!

  • They do not have information, skills or financial skills. The result of not very profitable investments is often the lack of understanding of financial products and services and business investment in areas that they do not know.

          I’m sure you’ve heard questions like “I have 10,000 euros and I do not know what to invest in.” Or “What are the most profitable businesses?” Often, those who ask for such questions are people who lose money because of their lack of skills and entrepreneurial experience.

         Lack of understanding of financial products and services such as savings accounts, deposits, investment funds, shares or the Forex market can also cause a small amount of trouble if you do not understand how they work.

       Developing a “healthy” thinking, how the most important financial products and services work, and developing entrepreneurial skills can help you increase your personal income.

error

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)