Over half of EU P2P investors prioritise ESG
More than half (52 per cent) of Europe’s peer-to-peer lending investors pay attention to environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues when choosing a new P2P platform.
According to the results of a new survey from Robo.cash, almost a quarter of all European P2P lenders choose to invest in ‘green’ platforms.
The survey also found that awareness of ESG has been growing since the last Robo.cash survey on the topic.
56 per cent of respondents said that ESG incentives would encourage them to invest in a P2P platform, up from 53 per cent last year.
Read more: Direct lending is best way to go green
Meanwhile, the percentage of those who view ESG investments as a positive has slightly increased by 1.3 per cent compared with 2022.
However, amid growing controversy around greenwashing claims, the Robo.cash survey also found that a growing number of people are souring on ESG as an incentive to invest.
44 per cent of those surveyed said that they do not take ESG incentives into account when investing – up from 40 per cent last year.
Among those investors who do prioritise ESG investing, climate and green energy continue to lead the areas of influence. Robo.cash noted that this lines up with the existing P2P landscape in Europe, where almost a quarter of platforms have some form of ESG focus.
“It is noteworthy that during a recent analysis of the European continental P2P landscape, Robo.cash experts found that 23 per cent of the entire business segment was focused exclusively on work in the areas of green energy, ecology, ESG and sustainability,” said a Robo.cash spokesperson.
Read more: ISA season: Most investors want their money used for good