Qardus is the UK’s first ethical & Sharia-compliant business crowdfunding platform.

Qardus is primarily a social impact investment platform that promotes financial inclusion. The SMEs that are financed by this platform were prior to this financially excluded due to the lack of financial products that conform to their ethics & values.

Recently there have been a number of new entrants into the UK halal investment market, and the halal investment options in the USA and globally have significantly increased as well.

The driving force behind this uptick is that enabling technology and regulation has become increasingly user-friendly and a new generation of millennials are designing halal online investments that are going directly to the Muslim consumer rather than via financial advisors, banks, or other financial institutions.

There is a strong growth spurt projected for the next 10 years not only in the European countries (United Kingdom, Germany especially) but also in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. In Europe, in particular, we are seeing second-generation Muslim immigrants that are more financially savvy and better educated than their parents and are thus looking for this kind of product.

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The peer-to-peer lending phenomenon has since made its way to the ever-growing cryptocurrency scene. That is to say, there are several platforms in the space that match borrowers and investors for cryptocurrency-backed loans. One such provider that I sought to explore further is that of MyConstant.

Not only do investors have the chance to earn up to 7% APY on crypto-backed loans, but MyConstant offers a bank-beating 4% APY on fiat deposits. You can also earn 9% APY by allowing MyConstant to allocate your cryptocurrency for the purpose of providing decentralized exchanges with liquidity.

At the other end of the spectrum, borrowers can take out crypto-backed loans. There is no minimum loan term in place and interest rates start at 6% APR. You can elect to receive the funds in real-world fiat currency direct to your bank account. To benefit from this, you’ll need to deposit some cryptocurrency as collateral.

If you’re keen to find out more about what the peer-to-peer provider offers, continue reading through this review. I cover everything there is to know about the provider from the perspective of both investors and borrowers.

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In this review, I’ll be taking a look at Swaper, one of my favorite P2P lending platforms in both function and design.

Swaper is one of the latest entries into the P2P lending space in Europe, having started operations in May 2019. They have found success pretty quickly though, amassing more than 4000 active investors, 160m euro in investments and 2.1m euro in interest paid back to investors.

What is Swaper?

Swaper is a P2P lending platform, where you can earn up to 16% annually. The minimum investment is €10. There are no fees for investors, including the secondary market.

Swaper differs from other platforms by operating with only one loan originator, Wandoo, as well as offering all loans at a fixed 14% interest return. If you’re a VIP investor (details below) you will earn 2% more, therefore 16% annually.

You can invest in either EUR and GBP to avoid money transfer fees.

A buyback guarantee is also in place, whereby when borrowers are late for more than 30 days, Swaper will buy back the loan from the investor.

As an investor, you can also make use of the auto-invest system to invest money automatically, for example a set amount every week, or also to reinvest the interest received.

Swaper operates and provides its services under the legislative acts of the Republic of Estonia. Swaper is not a regulated financial institution and the claim rights offered for purchase on Swaper’s website are not considered as securities or any other regulated financial instruments.

Therefore the business activities of Swaper do not fall under the supervision of any Financial Supervisory Authority. Your investments are not guaranteed in any way. This is pretty normal for P2P lending platforms, although if this is your first P2P lending investment I would advise that you take this into consideration and make sure you’re comfortable with the risk before taking the plunge.

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The peer-to-peer (P2P) lending space in the UK has grown to exponential heights in recent years – with more than £6.1 billion funded in 2018 alone. This makes sense when you consider just how low UK high street interest rates are, with savers fortunate to get anything above 2% these days.

With that being said, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – the UK-s chief financial watchdog, recently noted that it is looking to tighten its grip on P2P sites. Crucially, this centers on the amount that retail investors can inject into P2P loans in relation to their total invested assets.

Nevertheless, with dozens of leading UK P2P sites now active in the market, knowing which platform to invest with can be challenging. For example, while some focus on real estate financing, others target the consumer loan space.

In this article, I explore some of the best UK P2P lending sites of 2020. I’ll unravel the good and bad points of each platform, subsequently allowing you to make an informed decision as to which site is right for you.

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