The British government has given another £40m ($66.72m) to person-to-person lender Funding Circle for distribution to UK businesses.

Under the arrangement, the government’s contribution will be used to fund 10% of each borrower request, with the other 90% coming from private investors using the site’s marketplace platform.

The platform is a marketplace for small to medium businesses to secure loans from private investors. Current borrowers include a burlesque club, LED furniture builders and a wine company.

The £40m sum will be given through the government’s new British Business Bank. Whilst the bank will by default invest in all borrower’s requests, the body states that its involvement is not an endorsement, recommendation or warranty about the borrowers creditworthiness.

The British Business Bank’s money will be lent at the same rate as the private investors.

This latest government funding is on top of the £55m contribution the government made to four major P2P players in March 2013.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The initial payment was split between Funding Circle, Zopa, Boost and Credit Asset Management and came as a result of mounting frustration with high street banks’ unwillingness to lend to small to medium sized businesses.

 

Related articles:

Indian government announces capital injection for public sector lenders

Banks lending to UK businesses again – Deloitte

Caps are coming to the UK payday lenders