P2P lending trust raises fresh £400m as investors clamour for income July 31, 2015 P2P Global Investment has raised £400m from its latest C-share issue, as investors clamour for alternative sources of income. The trust is managed from London and lends through a number of online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms around the world, including Lending Club in the US, which is the world's largest P2P platform. In the UK it [...]
Neil Woodford’s Patient Capital Trust and Rothschild-backed Augmentum Capital lead £10m investment into crowdfunding platform Seedrs July 30, 2015 Star fund manager Neil Woodford and a venture capital fund backed by Lord Rothschild have led a funding round into online crowdfunding platform Seedrs, valuing the business at £30m. Woodford's Patent Capital Trust and Augmentum Capital said they will invest £7.5m into London-based Seedrs. The company will raise an additional £2.5m by targeting existing shareholders and other individual investors [...]
Exit fees review serves as a wake-up call to those who think pensions born in the 1990s are fit for the 21st century July 30, 2015 In April this year, pensions received a makeover Trinny and Susannah would have been proud of. Described as a revolution, the new pension freedoms aimed to wipe a tatty slate clean and give everyone as much choice with their retirement income as they could want. Pension savers are now treated like adults; to spend [...]
David Cameron launches pensions fee review as he accuses industry of charging “rip off” exit fees July 30, 2015 The Prime Minister has accused the pensions industry of charging “rip off” exit fees, saying the sector is taking advantage of pension reforms by creating a “new way of charging people”. Exit fees are currently charged when savers try to get hold of their money, which could be capped as part of a further overhaul. [...]
How crowdfunding will revolutionise R&D: What platforms offer the world’s most innovative businesses July 30, 2015 Iriss Medical recently closed a round on Seedrs, 197 per cent funded. The company makes an innovative medical device which performs automatic eye tests aimed at the early detection and prevention of lazy eye in children. It raised £491,387 for 4.92 per cent equity. Over the past decade, donation-based crowdfunding has played a reasonably [...]
Pension tax relief for top earners could be at risk as government mulls reforms July 28, 2015 Pensions minister Ros Altmann said last night that the government is considering ending special pension tax relief for high earners. The government is currently carrying out a consultation into whether there is a case for reforming pensions tax relief. Currently top-rate taxpayers receive 20 per cent tax relief on their pensions, and can claim back [...]
Buy into conservation hotspots: Why it’s worth investing in a historical home July 23, 2015 As London’s housing crisis rumbles on, more and more shiny skyscrapers are shooting up. If you find this state of affairs rather unseemly – un-British, even – then buying a home in a conservation area is worth considering. Designated by local authorities for their special architectural or historical interest, there are currently over 8,000 [...]
What should investors make of the first equity crowdfunding exit? July 22, 2015 Harriet Green asks what equity crowdfunded firm E-Car Club’s buyout means for the growing sector If you're putting money into equity crowdfunding, the first question at the front of your mind is “will I get a return on my investment?” – and then “will it be decent?”. Last year, equity crowdfunding in the UK [...]
Pensions shortfall: You’re almost certainly not saving enough for retirement July 20, 2015 The majority of people will face a pension shortfall running into thousands of pounds each year because we’re drastically underestimating how much we need to save to live comfortably in old age, as study has shown. The average income people expect after giving up work is £12,590 per year – but savings and investments will [...]
Building the next five years in alternative finance: How marketplace lending is becoming part of industry furniture July 15, 2015 When we look back, 2015-16 will be seen as the watershed moment: when peer-to-peer (P2P) lending and crowdfunding made the big time, transitioning from quirky innovation to a respected alternative source of finance and investment opportunities. The government has clearly been persuaded of the potential benefits of so-called alternative finance – especially as a [...]
