FinTech – Building Bridges To The Mainstream

Our friends at P2PFN report some important but unsurprising news. The alternative finance sector, of which peer-to-peer (P2P) lending is an important part, is growing in importance and size. As it does so, awareness grows of companies such as Money&Co., which brings carefully vetted businesses together with lenders looking for excellent returns on capital. Financial technology (FinTech) is the future – but, for many, not the present.

More than 50 per cent of people working in the financial services sector are unaware of global fintech bridges, a new study has revealed.

There are 46 fintech bridges in place across the world, encouraging collaboration and cooperation between governments, regulators and the private sector in different countries.

In the UK, the Treasury’s fintech sector strategy, released in March 2018, highlighted how fintech bridges will “reduce barriers to market entry and link UK-based fintechs up with opportunities for international investment.”

But the survey from Fintech Circle found that just one in three people working within the sector understand what fintech bridges are designed to do, with over 50 per cent of respondents knowing nothing about the initiative.

Three quarters of 219 financial services professionals surveyed said they would like government support to help them understand financial regulation, while half said practical help on entering the fintech market should be a key priority of governments and financial regulators worldwide.”

New loans are due on site soon. See latest, property-backed P2P loan – fixed yield of 8 per cent, five-year term, and currently almost three quarters filled.

All loans on site are eligible to be held in a Money&Co. Innovative Finance Individual Savings Account (ISA), up to the annual ISA limit of £20,000. Such loans offer lenders tax-free income.

A Process Guide To Innovative Finance ISA Investment

Our offering is an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) that can hold the peer-to-peer (P2P) business loans that Money&Co. facilitates. For the purposes of this article, the terms ISA and IFISA are interchangeable.

So here’s our guide to the process:

  • Step 1: Register as a lender. Go to the login page, and go through the process that the law requires us to effect. This means we have to do basic checks on you to comply with money-laundering and other security requirements.
  • Step 2: Put money into your account. This is best done by electronic transfer. We can also process paper cheques drawn in favour of Denmark Square Limited, the parent company of Money&Co.
  • Step 3: Buy loans in the loan market. Once you’ve put cash in your account it will sit there – and it won’t earn interest until you’ve bought a piece of a loan. It’s this final step that requires lenders and IFISA investors to be pro-active. Just choose some loans – all loans on the Money&Co. site can be held in an IFISA – and your money will start earning tax-free interest.

The ISA allowance for 2018/19 is unchanged from last tax year at £20,000, allowing a married couple to put £40,000 into a tax-free environment. Over three years, an investment of this scale in two Money&Co. Innovative Finance ISAs would generate £8,400 of income completely free of tax. We’re assuming a 7 per cent return, net of charges and free of tax here.

Once you have made your initial commitment, you might then consider diversifying – buying a spread of loans. To do this, you can go into the “loans for sale” market. All loans bought in this market also qualify for IFISA tax benefits.

Risk: Security, Access, Yield

Do consider not just the return, but the security and the ease of access to your investment. We write regularly about these three key factors. Here’s one of several earlier articles on security, access and yield.



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Disclaimer: Money&Co.™ is the trading name of Denmark Square Limited, Company Number 08561817, registered in England & Wales, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The company is identified on the Financial Services Register under Reference Number 727325. The registered office is 58 Glentham Road, Barnes, London, SW13 9JJ where the register of Directors may be inspected. Denmark Square Limited (ISA manager reference number Z1932) manages the Money&Co. Innovative Finance ISA.