New Treasury NFT Initiative – Plus Loan Auction Latest
When dealing with government-led initiatives (Innovate Finance springs to mind) it’s easy to get the feeling that activity tends to trump strategy. Does the government know where it’s going? Not necessarily, but as long as it’s seen to be going somewhere…
The latest news concerns Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), which are the subject of an anodyne announcement from the Treasury.
The UK government has commissioned the Royal Mint to create an NFT as part of a push to make the country a “global hub for cryptoasset technology”.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has asked for the NFT to be created by the summer, says the Treasury in a tweet, adding: “This decision shows the forward looking approach we are determined to take towards cryptoassets in the UK.”
NFTs have exploded in popularity over the last year with many reaching multi-million dollar valuations. However, the sector has also garnered a reputation for attracting speculators, posers and scammers.
Loan Auction Latest
- As the end of the tax year and the deadline for Individual Savings Plans loom, we have three loan auctions currently still available on site.
All these loans can be held, up to £20,000, as Innovative Finance Individual Savings Accounts (IFISAs). IFISAs are explained in more detail below. Here’s the latest from the auction room:
- Mar-Key has a credit rating of A+, a yield of 7 per cent and a term of two years. It is currently 35 per cent filled.
- HTHL Ltd has a credit rating of A+, a yield of 7 per cent and a term of one years. It is currently 25 per cent filled.
- Harris&Co has a credit rating of A, a yield of 8 per cent and a term of one year. It is currently 82 per cent filled.
- You can see detail on each by logging in and downloading the credit note.
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 £24 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 seven years and has only had two bad debts 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 2020/21 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.