Peer-to-peer investing platforms
Peer-to-peer lending is growing in popularity in Europe. Online P2P platforms make it easy to invest, and funding loans for businesses or other individuals can be quite profitable. Some of the best P2P websites in Europe offer returns that reach 10% of more.
Please note: investing in peer-to-peer loans involves risks, you can (partially) lose your investment.
Best peer-to-peer investment platforms in Europe
There are many online platforms where you can invest in P2P lending. Particularly in Europe, there are large brokers that have already funded billions of euros in peer-to-peer loans. These websites offer a wide range of P2P investment opportunities. Below, you will find a selection of the most popular P2P platforms in Europe.
Offers investment options for passive investors, including bonds, ETFs, and real estate. European market leader in p2p lending, with an average return of 10.9% on Core Loans or 3.25% interest on instantly accessible savings via Smart Cash. Currently, new investors receive a welcome bonus.
Debitum is a rapidly growing Latvian p2p lending platform. It allows you to invest in financing for small businesses. With the auto invest function, you can easily spread your investments across multiple loans. The annual return often exceeds 10 percent. Regulated under a MiFID II license.
PeerBerry, located in Croatia, is one of the largest European platforms for p2p loans. Between 2017 and 2024, over 2,5 billion euros was invested on this peer-to-peer lending platform. It has almost 100K investors from more than 70 countries, with an average annual return of 10-12 percent.
Irish p2p platform Esketit has been around since 2020. Investments are automatically spread across loans from individuals. By its own admission, the platform provides an average annual return of 12 percent. Investing is possible from as little as 10 euros.
Robocash is a p2p lending platform from Croatia. Investing on the website is fully automated according to your preferences. In 2021, Robocash had funded over 300 million euros in loans. The average annual interest is around 11 percent. Most loans are very short-term, lasting up to 60 days.
Bondora is a p2p lending platform based in Estonia, where most of its business also takes place. Between 2007 and 2024, over a billion euros has been invested on the platform. Bondora offers peer-to-peer loans with high interest rates, but also has a product with a fixed rate of 6,75 percent.
Viainvest is an online investment platform from Latvia. On the website you can invest in both consumer and business loans. To date, over 500 million euros has been invested. Viainvest has an average interest rate of 10 percent.
Lendermarket is a platform for P2P consumer lending located in Dublin. The service has over 17 thousand users that have invested around 377 million euros to date. The average interest rate is 12 to 15 percent for loans that last between 1 and 53 months. Annual returns are up to 15,5 percent.
Bondster is a peer-to-peer lending platform from Czech Republic that is active in 20 countries. The broker offers individual and business loans that last up to 120 months. Since 2017, over 100 million euros has been funded by more than 15 thousand investors. The interest is 5 to 16 percent.
International platform Monefit automatically spreads your investment across p2p loans, with an average annual return of 7 percent. According to the platform, it has already paid out 83 million euros in interest to investors.
TWINO was founded in 2009 in Latvia. Currently, it is active in 6 countries. It has over 58 thousand registered users, who have invested around 1 billion euros. According to the platform, investors are earning a total of 12 million euros in interest.
IUVO is based in Estonia and offers individual loans. In 2022, over 265 million euros was invested to date. The platform has more than 30 thousand registered users from 166 countries worldwide. The majority of loans last 6 to 24 months, with an average interest between 5 and 15 percent.
The European platform Lonvest offers p2p loans in cryptocurrency. This involves buying crypto coins and lending them to other users. The average return is 13 percent.
What is P2P lending?
Peer-to-peer lending is a popular alternative investment. It means you fund (part of) a loan for a business or other individual. Borrowers may be looking to invest in their company, finance their education or buy a house, for example. Banks are usually not interested in funding smaller consumer or business loans. However, funding personal loans can be very profitable.
Peer-to-peer lending means you fund a loan for a business or individual.
Crowdlending is very popular, firstly because both borrowers and investors get better conditions than at a financial institution. The interest rates with peer to peer investments are often much higher than a regular savings account. In addition, the application process for borrowers is much easier and often cheaper than to borrow money through a bank.
In Europe especially, investing in peer-to-peer loans is very popular. This is because bank rates in European countries are relatively high. The overhead costs of peer-to-peer platforms, however, are much lower.
How do peer-to-peer platforms work?
To invest in peer-to-peer loans, you need to register with an online platform that connects borrowers with investors. After signing up, you can deposit money into your account. It is possible to start with small amounts, even just a few euros.
On these P2P platforms, you will find different loans with various risk levels and interest rates. The platform usually these based on the borrower’s creditworthiness. Loan applicants must share details such as income, expenses, age, and spending margin. Besides the platform’s checks, an independent third party may also review creditworthiness, helping investors understand the risks.
Because there are many loans available, you can easily diversify your investments. Most platforms offer a wide range of lending options, but some focus on specific loans, such as those for small and medium businesses. You can choose investments yourself or use automated investing (auto-invest) to create a passive income stream.
To invest in P2P loans, you need to register with an online broker.
Fees of P2P platforms
When choosing a peer-to-peer lending platform, it is important to look at the costs. First of all, most platforms have free registration for lenders. But there can be currency exchange fees in place. Typically, the exchange fee does not exceed 2 percent.
Furthermore, if you agree to put your money away for a certain amount of time, you may be charged a fee for withdrawing funds early. Some platforms also ask for secondary market fees. These apply if you want to sell your loan before repayments are finished.
How to choose a peer-to-peer lending platform
There are many P2P investment platforms to choose from. It is important to check the average interest rate, as this gives an idea of the expected returns. Another important factor to consider is the default rate of a platform. This is the percentage of outstanding loans that is unpaid after an extended period of failed payments.
The most important factor to consider is the percentage of unpaid loans.
Also, consider how much protection investors have. Borrowers may not always repay their loans, but some platforms offer a buyback guarantee. If payments fail multiple times, the platform, or usually the financial partner that provided the loan, buys back the loan.
Another key factor is whether the peer-to-peer loan provider has a secondary market. This allows investors to buy and sell funded loans after repayments have started. It helps improve liquidity, making it possible to exit a loan early. The fee for using the secondary market is usually between zero and two percent.
