The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) works with the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK to protect investments for consumers; the FSCS is comparable to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in the US; the FCA is currently conducting research and undergoing consultation on the crowdfunding market; current consultation has involved communication between the FSCS and FCA on potential solutions for insuring funds; it's not likely that insured funds will be integrated into the FCA's new crowdfunding regulations however the two agencies are discussing options. Source
UK marketplace lender Landbay has been granted full authorization by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA); the platform primarily lends to borrowers seeking rental property mortgage loans; with the FCA authorization the Landbay platform can now seek to offer innovative finance individual savings accounts to its investors. Source
The Financial Conduct Authority released its interim update on crowdfunding rules last week; the update reported that the regulator would be scrutinizing numerous factors pertaining to P2P lending in the UK; one such factor, discussed by the Financial Times, includes the disclosure of loan performance; the introduction of provision funds has caused this disclosure to potentially be misleading for investors; in some cases platforms use provision funds to cover defaults for borrowers; this action could potentially lead to better than actual loan performance on the loans. Source
The Financial Conduct Authority has issued an update on its rules for the crowdfunding market; the update is based on feedback received since July and its authorization process; seems there will be a number of modifications; some of the key areas for new regulation in P2P lending include disclosure, wind-down plans, mortgage lending standards, cross-platform investment, investment limits, operational risk complexity, marketing promotions, provision funds, money handling standards, regulatory arbitrage, maturity mismatching, investment for institutional investors and liquidity risk for IFISA investors. Source
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has approved LendingCrowd for full FCA authorization which allows the company to offer investments through IFISAs; the approval follows a £2.75 million Scottish Enterprise investment in the platform's small business loans last week; the FCA's last approval was in October for P2PFA member firm, Lending Works. Source
The UK marketplace lending industry is likely to see several factors causing change in 2017; the Financial Conduct Authority has reported several concerns which may increase regulatory pressure; demand for loans and capital investment are also slowing; larger platforms will have a greater advantage while the smaller platforms may see greater challenges; competition and partnerships among traditional financial service providers and fintech companies will also continue to be significant for the market overall. Source
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a study analyzing the UK's mortgage industry; study will focus on the industry's tools for consumers and the partnerships among mortgage lenders; the FCA will specifically seek to identify ways to better utilize technological solutions within the industry; the FCA will be obtaining information from a range of market participants and plans to release the results of the study in an interim report in 2017 followed by a comment period and final report in 2018. Source
In their recently completed review, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) was particularly worried about some platforms using customer money to buy loans from rival platforms; FCA CEO Andrew Bailey explained that platforms don't have enough loans to present so in turn they use investor money to buy up loans from a rival platform; this is worrisome as investors are not being told the correct risks; Mr. Bailey did not disclose any platforms by name and said the issue was not widespread but worth keeping an eye on. Source
UK Bond Network has received authorization from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA); allows UK Bond Network to offer investors access via the innovative finance individual savings account (IFISA); the FCA is now authorizing both crowdfunded lenders and bond platforms. Source
Stress testing from Funding Circle has reported its loan platform would still provide investors with a net return of 6.4% given a worst case market scenario; while effects from Brexit continue to be debated, market skeptics are not as optimistic as the UK platforms; they foresee stagflation in the UK characterized by higher unemployment and slowing GDP growth; they are also concerned about a lack of skin in the game which has prompted parliament member, Chris Philp, to request from the Financial Conduct Authority that a portion of each firm's loans include balance sheet capital; while marketplace lending executives are against this approach, policy makers are considering it. Source
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