Who will be P2P Platform of the Year?
With less than three weeks to go until the inaugural Peer2Peer Finance Awards, we take a look at the runners and riders for P2P Lending Platform of the Year.
There are five peer-to-peer lending platforms competing for this prestigious award. Here are the contenders…
Read more: Peer2Peer Finance Awards: Shortlist announced!
CrowdProperty
CrowdProperty was founded by chief executive Mike Bristow in 2014 and has now funded over £600m worth of property projects across the UK.
The property development lender is going from strength to strength, having recently reported a record-breaking September with more than £14.3m lent. Bristow told Peer2Peer Finance News that the platform is on track for its third consecutive profitable year for the year ending March 2023.
Over a three year horizon, he said that CrowdProperty has grown origination and lending by 319 per cent and 335 per cent, respectively, despite macro-economic challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
Assetz Capital
Assetz Capital was founded by chief executive Stuart Law in 2011 and 10 years later it has grown to become the largest P2P lender in the UK, with a loan book of more than £1bn. Assetz played a vital role in supporting the nation’s small businesses and housebuilders during the pandemic by participating in the government’s Covid loan schemes. The Assetz group of businesses now includes Assetz Exchange, a P2P property lender which specialises in leasing properties to charities and other social housing groups.
Kuflink
Kuflink has become one of the biggest names in the UK P2P sector, with a loan book in excess of £220m and zero investor losses reported to date. The property lending platform is aiming to grow its loan book to £300m by next year, having passed the £200m milestone earlier this year.
Not content to rest on its laurels, Kuflink is scaling rapidly with new hires and upcoming product launches such as buy-to-let term mortgages and consumer secured loans.
The platform is also diversifying its funding sources, having previously revealed to Peer2Peer Finance News that it is in talks with institutional investors and may announce a new funding partnership in the coming months.
Folk2Folk
Folk2Folk rose out of the embers of the financial crisis in 2013, launching as a local money exchange in Launceston, Cornwall before becoming a regulated P2P lender. The platform provides finance to UK businesses while providing fixed-rate, property-backed investments for retail and institutional investors. Former RBS banker Roy Warren has led the firm as managing director since 2019. Folk2Folk has a total loan book value of over £500m, with more than half of this – £275m – going to fund UK properties.
Shojin
Property investment platform Shojin has been operating since 2009 and was co-founded by chief executive Jatin Ondhia. The platform provides access to institutional-grade investment opportunities in the UK property sector to investors around the world. Shojin has been growing rapidly this year, entering new jurisdictions such as Israel and India and unveiling plans to launch a Jersey-incorporated fund.
To date, Shojin has raised more than £34m to fund more than £200m worth of real estate development across 29 projects.
Read more: Introducing the Rising Stars of the P2P industry
The awards take place on Tuesday 6 December at London’s Hurlingham Club, starting with a drinks reception in the Palm Court before heading into the Broomhouse Suite for the main event.
It’s not too late to reserve your place at the awards, for a great night of celebrations, networking and festive fun! Email P2PFN’s sales and marketing manager Tehmeena Khan at [email protected] for more information.
