Transparency In FinTech – Asset Management-Style Rules Welcomed

There has been much excitement about the publication last June by the Financial Conduct Authority of the final rules regarding disclosure of information – specifically, about the risks involved for investors in peer-to-peer loans, the pricing of those loans and about what happens if things go wrong.

As our friends at P2P Finance news recently noted, greater transparency than that offered by the mainstream, established banks should be a given, as the peer-to-peer (P2P) sector “prides itself on being much more open and transparent than the incumbent banks it seeks to challenge”.

  • Here’s the essence of the proposed changes: “The FCA wants to see firms give investors sufficient information about the nature of their P2P investments, the risks involved, fees and charges, and the role of the platform. Platforms will have to publish an ‘outcomes statement’ every year revealing actual and expected default rates and, where they offer a target interest rate, the actual return achieved. The regulator also reaffirmed that investors must understand what could happen to their portfolio if a platform ceased trading.”
  • At Money&Co., we welcome these changes in reporting. They are broadly analagous to the requirements imposed on asset managers, who deal directly with the public. As we operate a portfolio management product that relies on fund management permission, which we have within the Money&Co. Group, we’re already familiar with what’s needed.

 

Woodville, DK Tuning Loan Offer

Woodville, rated A, for £200,000 with an 8 per cent fixed yield, is 67  per cent funded at the time of writing. DK Tuning is a B+ loan of £280,000 with a five-year term and an indicative interest rate of 10 per cent. It’s 13 per cent filled at the time of writing.

  • At the time of writing, the loan has a current average yield of 11.4 per cent. That’s because of the auction process and some (frankly, speculative) high bid placed. What typically happens is that as the auction closes more competitive offers of credit drive out the expensive ones. Furthermore, the borrower has the option of not accepting bids it considers too expensive. Watch this space.

The loan funds will be used for an acquisition. See below an excerpt of the borrower’s representations as it seeks funds. As ever, we’ve done due diligence, but cannot warrant the accuracy of the statements. For more detail. CLICK HERE.

The performance of DK Tuning has been strong, with turnover doubling every year so far. Gross margins are stable at around 50%, and crucially we have enough staff and resources already to absorb the target business. The combined turnover of DK Tuning and the target company will be over 1.1 million on day one, and we predict that this will rise steadily as our better customer service model and improved rate of sales per sub-dealer take effect. There should be a slight uplift in gross margins because of the integration benefits.

Historical Performance And IFISA Process Guide

  • Money&Co. lenders have achieved an average return of more than 8 per cent gross (before we deduct our one per cent fee). 

That figure is the result of over £17 million of loans facilitated on the site, as we bring individuals looking for a good return on capital together with carefully vetted small companies seeking funds for growth. Bear in mind that lenders’ capital is at risk. Read warnings on site before committing capital.

  • Money&Co. has been lending for over 5 years and has only had one bad debt so far, representing a bad debt rate of 0.03 per cent per annum.

All loans on site are eligible to be held in a Money&Co. Innovative Finance Individual Savings Account (IFISA), up to the annual ISA limit of £20,000. Such loans offer lenders tax-free income. 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 2019/20 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.