Definitions & Terms

Secondary markets are financial marketplaces where investors trade previously issued assets like stocks and bonds. These markets enable securities exchange between investors, driving prices toward their actual value and providing liquidity.

Explore the world of crowdfunding: dive into various models, understand platforms like Kickstarter, and unravel the community essence of collective financing. Turn ideas into reality with communal support and investment.

In balance sheet lending (also called portfolio lending), the platform entity provides a loan directly to a consumer or business borrower. The loan is on the platforms balance sheet. The loan process is direct, like working with a bank.

Real estate crowdfunding is democratizing the world of property investment, opening doors for everyday investors to get involved in this lucrative market. Enabled by online platforms and regulatory changes, it offers an alternative to traditional investment options like REITs. With low upfront costs and opportunities for portfolio diversification, it's an increasingly popular choice among investors.

First-rank mortgage (also first-rank, first-lien or senior debt) refers to the most secure available form of loan security. Senior debt takes priority over other more “junior” debt (such as mezzanine debt or equity). Learn about First-rank Mortgages and what it means for lenders and borrowers.

Online P2P lending began in 2005 with the launch of Zopa in the UK. Back then “shady”, or "niche" at best, was eagerly used words to describe the sector. Fifteen years on, people lend and borrow billions. Here is the history of P2P Lending.

A Buyback Guarantee obliges loan originators to buy back overdue loans from investors. The buyback guarantee is a protection mechanism for retail investors and is also often referred to as a buyback obligation. All buyback guarantees aim to protect investors from non-performing loans and to recover the investments from borrower default. This article will teach you everything you need to know about Buyback Guarantees.

Peer-to-peer lending (P2P) is an innovative form of borrowing and investing money without the involvement of traditional financial institutions. P2P lending is also known as "social lending", "lending-based crowdfunding", or "crowd lending". Learn how it works.

In the Crowdfunding context, a ring-fence is the act of segregating investor funds from assets of the platform. It serves the purpose of creating a barrier against any claims to a platform itself for the protection of investor funds.

The history of crowdfunding goes back to 1200 when crowds financed shipping ventures, but the game changed with the internet. Crowdfunding as we know is a recent innovation but the history tells the story: Crowdfunding is here to stay.

Not a long time ago, crowdfunding was a niche associated mostly with local charities or struggling rock bands. Today it is possible to crowdfund a court case through litigation crowdfunding. But how exactly does litigation crowdfunding work?

For social enterprises, it can be challenging to find sufficient unrestricted funds via bank finance to scale up their activities or develop a new line of business. Social Impact Lending can be a solution to earn a return while impacting societies.