LiftForward has obtained a $100 million credit facility through funding from Monroe Capital; LiftForward is a New York City-based marketplace lender for manufacturers, distributors and retailers; the firm offers credit of up to $1 million per transaction; in addition to credit products the firm also offers its customers a platform to sell their products as a hardware as a service subscription. Source
Marketplace lending originations have been increasing significantly in the US and China however in 2016 both countries saw a number of challenges influencing the market and increasing risk; Moody's analyzes market similarities and differences in the two countries; reports on the variance in lending model structuring; notes that US marketplace lenders are more deeply integrated with partner-bank relationships; while structuring and partnerships vary considerably between the two countries, there are similarities, including reliance on big data, lack of credit cycle testing and ongoing development of regulatory standards. Source
Singapore-based marketplace lender MoolahSense has added invoice financing; the service will provide another lending product for businesses; the firm's CEO says the product is intended to extend the business services it provides to underserved small businesses; the product will be available for short-term capital needs of up to $15,000 and is expected to target returns of 12% for investors. Source
MoolahSense, a marketplace lender focused on small business loans, has received a full Capital Markets Services (CMS) license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS); the MAS license allows the business to offer its loan investments in the country to a broad range of investors including retail investors, high net worth individuals and private funds. Source
Canada reported significant growth in online and marketplace lending in 2016; fintech growth in the country was also substantial with Canada reporting a 74% increase in fintech investment; a blog post from Aspire gives a roundup of online and marketplace lending activity in 2016 which included many partnerships and equity rounds; also provides predictions for the market in 2017; among its seven predictions are more bank partnerships and increased institutional investment. Source
This week, the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) proposes improvements to the loosely-regulated fintech sector in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Kenya; CGAP is a global partnership of 34 leading organizations advancing financial inclusion; they note fintech companies may inappropriately publicize a borrower's personal information if they default on a loan, and others may sweep a user's social media data with minimal notice to the consumer; a key step, by law and proactive process, is to rigorously include all fintech platforms under existing laws for lenders in Kenya. Source
Morgan Stanley Analyst James Faucette says Lending Club has upside potential of 35%; cites institutional investment, loan growth at moderate but sustained pace and industry contacts reporting no deterioration in reinvestment or retention rates; targets the stock at $8; the company will announce Q4 and year-end earnings on February 14th. Source
Blend has signed new bank partnership agreements and announced fundraising of $100 million; the firm will partner with Wells Fargo and US Bancorp, providing its mortgage software to help improve the mortgage application process for the two large banks; concurrently, it has also completed a $100 million fundraising round led by Greylock Partners that will increase its value to approximately $500 million and allow it to potentially expand to other lending markets. Source
Mosaic has announced the closing of its Mosaic Solar Loans 2017-1 securitization portfolio which resulted in proceeds of $138.95 million; Guggenheim Securities and BNP Paribas were the lead arrangers on the deal; Mosaic specializes in solar loans with over $1 billion originated on the platform since its launch. Source