Peer-to-Peer (P2P)

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Lending (also known as 'Crowdlending' or 'Marketplace Lending') is a form of financing that directly connects individual lenders with individual or business borrowers through an online platform. In essence, it cuts out the traditional middleman—the bank. These Fintech platforms act as a digital marketplace where borrowers can apply for loans and investors (lenders) can fund them. For investors, the main attraction is the potential for higher returns compared to traditional savings products. For borrowers, it can offer a faster, more accessible source of capital. However, this higher potential yield comes hand-in-hand with significantly higher risk, primarily the risk that the borrower will fail to pay back the loan. P2P lending represents a modern, technology-driven evolution of one of the oldest financial activities: lending money.

Imagine a digital town square where people who need money can post requests, and people with money to spare can choose who to lend to. That’s P2P lending in a nutshell. The process is typically straightforward:

• A borrower applies for a loan on a P2P platform, providing details about their financial situation and the purpose of the loan.
• The platform's algorithm and staff perform a Credit Risk assessment, assigning the borrower a risk grade and an corresponding Interest Rate. A riskier borrower will be charged a higher rate.
• The loan is then listed on the platform's marketplace for investors to view.
• Investors can browse different loan listings and decide which ones to fund. A key feature is the ability to invest small amounts in many different loans, a practice known as Diversification. For example, you could invest €1,000 by putting just €10 into 100 different loans.
• Once a loan is fully funded, the platform handles the legal paperwork and disburses the funds. It then manages the monthly repayments from the borrower, distributing them to the various investors and taking a small service fee for itself.

P2P investing can seem like an easy way to earn passive income, but it's crucial to weigh the shiny rewards against the very real risks.

The primary appeal of P2P lending is the advertised return. With interest rates often ranging from 5% to over 10%, these platforms offer yields that can easily beat savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and even high-quality government Bonds. This income stream is the “reward” you receive for taking on the risks that a bank would traditionally bear.

A true value investor always looks past the potential reward to scrutinize the risk. In P2P, the risks are plentiful.

This is the big one. The person or business you lend to might lose their job, have their business fail, or simply be unable to pay you back. This is called a default. When a default occurs, you can lose some or all of your invested Principal. The interest rate you earn on your successful loans must be high enough to cover the losses from your failed loans. Always investigate a platform's historical Default Rate and how it has performed during economic downturns.

What happens if the P2P platform itself goes bankrupt? While your loan agreements are with the end-borrowers, a platform failure can create a chaotic mess. Your money could be tied up for years in administrative proceedings, or you could lose it entirely if the platform's affairs were poorly managed. It's vital to choose established platforms with a strong track record and robust contingency plans.

Unlike a Stock, you can't sell a P2P loan instantly at a known market price. While some platforms offer a secondary market to sell your loan parts to other investors, there's no guarantee you'll find a buyer quickly or that you won't have to sell at a significant discount. This lack of Liquidity means you should only invest money you are certain you won't need in the short term.

Most P2P lending models have thrived during periods of economic growth. However, during a Recession, unemployment rises and businesses struggle, causing default rates to spike. The attractive returns advertised in good times can quickly evaporate, or even turn into significant losses, when the economy sours.

Before diving in, a prudent investor following a value philosophy should treat a P2P platform like any other business they are considering investing in.

• Look Under the Hood: Don't be swayed by slick marketing. Investigate the platform’s management, its financial health, and most importantly, its underwriting standards. How rigorously does it vet borrowers? Are they prioritizing loan quality or just rapid growth? Lax standards today lead to high defaults tomorrow.
• Understand What You Own: Are you funding unsecured personal loans, small business invoices, or property developments secured by Collateral? Each carries a different risk profile. An unsecured loan to an individual is fundamentally riskier than a loan secured by a tangible asset like a building.
• Demand a Margin of Safety: The high interest rate is your compensation for taking on default risk and illiquidity. This is your Margin of Safety. You must ask yourself: “After accounting for platform fees and expected losses from defaults, is my net return sufficient compensation for the risk I'm taking?” If the net return is only slightly better than a much safer investment, it's probably not worth it.
• Diversify, Diversify, Diversify: This cannot be overstated. Spreading your investment across hundreds of different loans is the most effective way to mitigate the impact of any single borrower defaulting. It's the core principle of managing risk in any lending portfolio.
• Be a Healthy Skeptic: As the legendary investor Warren Buffett has noted, “It's only when the tide goes out that you discover who's been swimming naked.” In P2P lending, the economic tide going out is a recession. Be skeptical of platforms promising high returns with low risk, as such a thing rarely exists in the world of investing.