VIAINVEST blog

The alternative finance industry in Europe does not show any signs of slowing down. According to a new report “Expanding Horizons” published by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) of the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, that is capturing an estimated 90% of the market, online alternative finance grew a 101% in Europe, from € 1019 million to € 2063 million in 2016 (excluding the UK), with a substantial acceleration from the 72% increase in 2015. Continue reading P2P Lending in Europe Doubles in Size

The days of retiring from a decades-long career at the same large company, while honorable, are mostly history. Millennials and Gen Xers hop jobs more than any other generation before them, and the gig economy aka freelance economy or the flexible economy is disrupting economic cycles in ways that could not have been forecasted. Continue reading As Gig Economy Matures, Growing Pains Surface

In what could prove to be a match made in heaven, China is lifting its profile for fintech and is increasingly looking to the UK more than any other European country for influence. In a landmark announcement, China revealed it’s selected the UK as a partner on its project to develop a sustainable fintech city near its capital Beijing – dubbed the Xiong’an New Area. The rising trend of China and the UK collaboration satisfies different needs for both regions that could ultimately usher in the next generation of fintech. Continue reading China Looks to the UK to Increase Its Fintech Influence

Are you familiar with Open Banking? Do you know what PSD2 is? If not then you are not alone. The UK Consumers’ advice firm Which? had done a survey a few months before the implementation of the new directives and discovered that an astounding 92% of the consumers are not aware of these changing regulatory environment that is set to change the financial system in the way that we know it. Continue reading Open Banking Is Still a Well Kept Secret for Consumers

Simplicity was at the heart of early peer-to-peer lending, a trait that has since become more elusive as the market has matured. Early on, borrowers and lenders were matched directly, and everyone was happy. A borrower got access to the cash they needed to repay a debt, and a lender was able to generate a return that was more attractive than the broader financial markets had to offer. That’s how Lending Club began more than a decade ago; it made its debut on Facebook as the social media giant’s first app. Continue reading Blockchain Could Return P2P Lending Back to Its Roots

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), will enter into force in the second quarter of 2018, with the aim to strengthen and unify data protection inside the European Union. New laws on data protection and privacy will bring some new challenges and a whole new set of great opportunities. Continue reading Are You Ready for the GDPR?

With slightly more than six million residents across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania combined, the fintech profile among Baltic states is on the rise. Consider some of the leading fintech players that were formed in the Baltics, such as Latvia’s P2P leaders Mintos, Twino and VIAINVEST or blockchain innovator BitFury , Estonia’s Transferwise and Lithuania’s PaySera – a money-transfer companies worth more than $1 billion now, or Skype, which is the product of Swedish and Estonian innovation, proving fintech plays are quite active in the Baltic region of the European Union. Continue reading The Baltic Region Boasts Tech Prowess

January is always a good time to take a look back at what has happened in the past twelve months and think about what lays ahead in the new year that has just started. For the fintech industry, 2018 will bring a mix of what has been trending lately and some new topics that we have included in points below. Continue reading 5 Fintech Trends for 2018

London mayor Sadiq Khan believes that the capital city could replace Silicon Valley as the go-to destination for tech startups based on venture capital (VC) momentum. Of the GBP 2,99 billion in VC funding that poured into UK-based tech plays in 2017, approximately 80%, or GBP 2,45 billion, was directed toward London-based tech companies, as per Pitchbook data gathered for London & Partners. Continue reading London Takes Spotlight for VC-Backed Tech

Bitcoin has taken the financial world by storm, and now it’s changing the face of the sharing economy, including peer-to-peer lending. Startups on the blockchain are increasingly taking the form of bitcoin-driven P2P lenders, while others, such as Fast Invest, which has been a traditional lender for the past few years, are expanding their business model to include cryptocurrencies. Continue reading Risks and Rewards of Cryptocurrency-Driven P2P Lending Platforms