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6 October 2025
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Marketplace or P2P lending has come a long way in Australia in the last five years. Most investors will be surprised by the type of borrowers and purposes of the loans, and how they are priced.
ASIC's recent report on marketplace lending provides a statistical base to study the different features of the industry. It continues to grow strongly but at a slower rate than previous years.
Marketplace or peer-to-peer lending is well established overseas and growing rapidly in Australia, but investors should understand the risks and the returns, as described in the first part of this debate.
In the second part of this debate on marketplace lending, a market participant explains the steps taken to mitigate the risks in lending for consumer credit.
The peer-to-peer (P2P) or marketplace lending market is winning market share, but there is a question whether it is truly a market of peers, or more an aggregator of small loans for large investors.
As fintech funding platforms and instant payment systems grow, small businesses will benefit from greater choice and bargaining power when it comes to obtaining finance and managing cashflows.
Although many people regard FinTechs as threats to banks and large incumbents, most of the new kids on the block see the value in forming beneficial relationships and cooperating rather than competing.
Advances in technology have allowed peer to peer lending to thrive, offering credit to more potential borrowers at lower interest rates than those offered by banks. How does it work and will it last?
Peer-to-peer lending allows borrowers and lenders to come together via online market places. Although in its infancy compared with overseas, the P2P lending model is now gaining traction in Australia.
This AI cycle feels less like a revolution and more like a rerun. Just like fibre in 2000, shale in 2014, and cannabis in 2019, the technology or product is real but the capital cycle will be brutal. Investors beware.
An explosion in low-skilled migration to Australia has depressed wages, killed productivity, and cut rental vacancy rates to near decades-lows. It’s time both sides of politics addressed the issue.
LICs are continuing to struggle with large discounts and frustrated investors are wondering whether it’s worth holding onto them. This explains why the next 6-12 months will be make or break for many LICs.
Australian housing’s 50-year boom was driven by falling rates and rising borrowing power — not rent or yield. With those drivers exhausted, future returns must reconcile with economic fundamentals. Are we ready?
Younger Australians think they’ll need $100k a year in retirement - nearly double what current retirees spend. Expectations are rising fast, but are they realistic or just another case of lifestyle inflation?
This week, I got the news that my mother has dementia. It came shortly after my father received the same diagnosis. This is a meditation on getting old and my regrets in not getting my parents’ affairs in order sooner.