UK-based P2P lending platform Assetz Capital has announced a promotional interest rate increase for investors in its 30 day access account; investors will receive a 4.75% rate of interest for up to 90 days after investment through May 11; the promotion adds 50 basis points to the current rate on the account with interest paid monthly. Source
Originations for Assetz Capital reached a new high in November; for the month, the platform originated 26 million British pounds bringing its total originations to 100 million British pounds for 2016; according to the firm, it is now the third largest business and property P2P lender in the UK. Source
Assetz Capital has now been in business for four years with 240 million British pounds ($307.61 million) in loan issuance; the platform focuses on lending for SMEs and says it plans to double its current originations in the next twelve months; the firm offers secured loans that generate annual returns of 3.75% to 18%. Source
The Association of Alternative Business Finance (AABF) has added three new alternative lenders to its membership; new members include Invoice Cycle, Merchant Money and Reward Finance Group; launched in February 2017 the AABF seeks to support UK alternative lending for small businesses. Source
Atom Bank has raised $102 million in new capital from Spanish bank BBVA who also led a previous funding round in 2015; the company plans to use the funding for business and product development including lending services; the digital bank's current products include: Fixed Saver accounts, mortgages, and secured loans for small and medium-sized businesses; the company is also reportedly working on another funding round and is currently valued at approximately $320 million. Source
Afterpay and Touchcorp are merging to form NewCo which will provide an advanced solution for merchant network installment payments; Afterpay has steadily grown its merchant network which pays a 4% fee for the installment service; Touchcorp will help provide advancements in payments technology for Afterpay and the integrated services will allow for broader expansion. Source
TruePillars, an Australian SME lender that focuses on individual investors, raised $3.9 million in a series A round; the round was led by a Melbourne-based private investor; "This investment will give us the means to further innovate and build on our service, including our ground-breaking secondary marketplace which allows investors to liquidate their investments ahead of schedule by selling to another investor in real time," says John Baini, TruePillars co-founder and CEO; the company allows for individual investors to fund loans with a $50 minimum commitment per loan. Source
Several startups are approaching the auto purchase and loan process by integrating with the existing system instead of attempting to upend the current model; Kevin Singerman, founder of AutoFi, who recently inked a deal with Ford stated: "The market is so big that there's nothing preventing someone from creating a new dealership model, but I want to go after the biggest part of the pie, which is how consumers buy cars today. That's a much more attractive opportunity."; startup AutoGravity who is backed by German carmaker Daimler has a similar approach, providing a white label service to dealers; Bloomberg provides details of the current state of the auto market and other industry participants. Source
Auto loan delinquencies are now at their highest level in four years; a report from the American Bankers Association says 1.75% of borrowers with loans from a dealer are at least 30 days late; 0.94% of borrowers with auto loans from a bank are at least 30 days late. Source
Data from the New York Federal Reserve shows delinquent auto loans of approximately $23.27 billion as of December 31; auto loan delinquencies are now the highest they have been since the third quarter of 2008; the increase in auto loan delinquencies appears to be the result of expanded credit from auto financing companies to subprime borrowers; subprime borrowers accounted for approximately $280 billion in fourth quarter auto loans of which 75% were originated from auto finance companies. Source