Why is lending to companies with P2P lending a good idea?

Saving or investing is a classic dilemma for European savers. P2P lending offers a new opportunity to invest in alternative assets.

Save or invest: how many times have we asked ourselves this question? According to a recent survey on the savings carried out by BVA, for the first time since the crisis of 2007 the middle class seems to be strengthening again, even if the historical risk aversion of European investors has remained unchanged.

When using their savings, Europeans tend to put security first (62% vs. 59% in 2018), followed by the need for liquidity (38%). Yet, thanks to the growing development of the fintech landscape, savers now have a range of innovative tools available to manage their savings profitably, including P2P lending.

The financial industry has, in recent years, expanded the range of services available to savers by diversifying distribution channels and innovating risk management procedures.

According to the study, 25% of HNWI (high net worth individuals) already allocate one fifth of their resources to alternative assets. And the interest in instruments of this type is destined to increase, as retail is generally inclined to imitate large private and institutional investors. P2P lending, in particular, has some very special characteristics of attractiveness. It allows savings to be channelled directly into the real economy, obtaining an attractive return through completely transparent investment methods.

Transparency is allowed by the information made available by the platforms on the companies and projects that can be financed, with a level of detail appropriate to the private investor who, at any time, can keep his portfolio monitored.

P2P lending also offers an attractive economic return compared to similar risk-return instruments and is not subject to financial market fluctuations. It fills an unsatisfied demand that characterises the entire European economic fabric mainly based on small and medium-sized enterprises.