UK small business lender Funding Circle formed a strategic partnership with the Dutch financial services firm Aegon; Aegon will look to fund about $205 million worth of loans in the first twelve months and then steadily increase that amount for the next three years; the deal helps to ease the gap left by the European Investment Bank who pulled back a $129 million commitment in the wake of the Brexit vote; Funding Circle CEO and Co-Founder Samir Desai explained to AltFi: “This partnership is validation of the attractive risk-adjusted returns that are being generated to investors by lending through Funding Circle. We hope our joint programme with Aegon will develop to deliver increased lending to UK small businesses over the coming years.” Source