Meet the P2P lending platforms of the year

The Peer2Peer Finance Awards are just a few weeks away, and that means we will soon learn which company has been crowned peer-to-peer lending platform of the year.

This year’s shortlist is stacked, with six unique and successful firms competing for the top spot.

But who are they?

• CrowdProperty

Property lender CrowdProperty is the most nominated firm in this year’s Peer2Peer Finance Awards, and it is easy to see why. The company has had a stellar year, reaching a series of new milestones and breaking new records. Earlier this month, the platform reported that it had funded more than £800m in property projects, following a ‘record’ August which saw the platform repay £200m to its investors.

In June, CrowdProperty was named one of the UK’s 100 fastest-growing companies, winning a spot on The Sunday Times 100.

• easyMoney

Earlier this year, we revealed that easyMoney was the UK’s largest Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) provider with more than £60m invested in the tax wrapper.

In September, easyMoney achieved its target of paying £1m per month to investors, after growing both its assets under management and loan book. The property lender has now set a new target of £2m per month for its investors while maintaining its zero per cent default rate.

• Folk2Folk

Folk2Folk is the largest P2P platform in the UK, with more than £646m business loans funded to date. The Cornwall-based lender raised its rates this year to 8.75 per cent, while maintaining a zero loss rate for its investors. In June, the company celebrated its fourth consecutive year of profitability, despite the challenging economic environment.

Managing director Roy Warren is a vocal supporter of P2P and alternative lending, and has been outspoken about the benefits of the sector for both borrowers and investors alike.

• Kuflink

2023 has seen Kuflink embark on a growth journey, hiring new staff, hiking its investor rates, and securing a £35m revolving credit facility placed by European Risk Capital with Paragon Bank.

The platform has also teased big plans for 2024, with a rebrand in the works alongside the possibility of new products and a £500m portfolio by 2025.

• Relendex

Relendex marked its 10-year anniversary this year with a series of new milestones. In June, the firm raised £3m from private investors to fund its continued growth. The company also announced its third year of profitability, with plans to pay its first dividend later this year.

Executive chairman Paul Sonabend confirmed that Relendex has “comfortably out-performed nearly every other investment sector, delivering seven to 8.5 per cent after loss adjustments, annually over the last six years.” Yet despite these successes, Sonabend claims that reputation is what truly drives him to succeed.

• SaveLend

Swedish P2P lender SaveLend is the only non-UK platform to make the shortlist. It has had a particularly dynamic year operating in the competitive European P2P market. SaveLend became one of the first platforms to win approval to operate under the European Crowdfunding Service Provider Regulation, and now plans to expand across Europe and attract even more investors to the platform.

In August, parent company SaveLend Group swung into profit following the acquisition of Lunar Bank’s P2P lending business Lendify.

Read more: Property lenders dominate P2P Finance Awards shortlist