Launched in late-2016, VIAINVEST is a new peer-to-peer lending marketplace provided by Latvia-based VIA SMS Group. The platform allows both individuals and companies to invest into loans originated by non-banking lenders.
Commenting on the launch, Eduards Lapkovskis, Member of the Board at VIA SMS Group, stated:
“By launching VIAINVEST we aim to ensure an easy-to-use P2P lending marketplace that offers secure and transparent investment opportunities. Our priority is to focus on the needs of each investor despite their level of experience.”
Loans available for investment on VIAINVEST are originated by the VIA SMS Group and its associated companies operating across Europe. All listed loans are secured with a Buyback Guarantee. “This allows also a less confident investors to invest their funds safely and get knowledge on personal finance management,” Lapkovskis said
“P2P lending is another tool that helps to educate society on well-considered and responsible behavior, so our investor support team is ready to address all related issues at any time.”
Lapkovskis said that the company plans to expand the list of loan originators and become “one of the leading peer-to-peer lending platforms in the Baltics states.”
He added: “Shortly, we are planning to offer our clients to invest in loans originated in other countries where our companies operate – Latvia, Poland, Sweden. We are also continuously updating VIAINVEST investor dashboard and developing new features to provide easy-to-use investment environment and give our investors the best experience they can get.”
Founded in 2008, VIA SMS Group is a financial services provider operating across Europe and one of the leading short-term lenders in the region.
The group’s portfolio includes a number of short-term consumer lending companies and related products operating across Europe. Brands owned by the company include VIASMS, SAVA.card, VIACredit,VIACONTo and VIASPAR. The company offers loans for up to 12 months in markets that include Latvia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden and Spain. The company has also issued its bonds in Nasdaq Riga stock exchange.
VIAINVEST comes at a time when the number of peer-to-peer lending platforms has started to mushroom in Europe and most particularly in the Baltic States (Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia).
A report by KPMG and AltFi released in November 2016 suggests that although the UK remains the European leader in alternative finance, Continental European countries are catching up quickly and expected to experience significant growth in the coming years.
The top three countries in Continental Europe for overall online alternative finance market volume have been France, Germany and the Netherlands. However, the picture changed in 2016 with Latvia breaking into the top 3 with the third largest volume of funded loans in Q’1-Q’3 2016.
The report notes that the current top players in the peer-to-peer consumer lending market are Younited Credit (France), Auxmoney (Germany), followed by Mintos and Twino, both from Latvia.
Featured image via Viainvest.com
