Crowdfunding
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Crowdfunding 101: How UK Businesses Can Use Crowdfunding As A Viable Alternative Finance Option

Over the last decade, many new types of alternative finance have emerged in the UK market. Some of these have built upon the traditional methods of funding a business, while others have quite successfully disrupted the market to a certain degree.

Crowdfunding belongs to the latter category.

Getting a group of individual investors to pitch in together to fund a business isn’t something new, but crowdfunding, with the help of available technology, has made it possible for thousands of people to back a product, a service or even just an idea in their personal capacity.

What Is Crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is exactly what it says it is.

Up and coming businesses (especially the ones that find it tough to raise finance via traditional channels) share their ideas, business plans, product prototypes and everything else that is relevant on a crowdfunding platform and individual investors decide if or how much they want to contribute.

The investors, in return, can get equity in the business, dividend from the revenue or royalty from each sale made, depending on the terms of contract.

It sounds quite simple, because it is. The only decisive factor here is the merit of the idea being pitched.

The UK Crowdfunding Market

Crowdfunding, as we noted earlier, is exciting for both businesses and investors. However, these are still early years, and it would be unfair to compare crowdfunding with other finance/investment avenues such as business loans or commercial finance.

It is estimated that from its inception in 2011 to 2018, crowdfunding has contributed over £600mn to UK businesses.

Is Crowdfunding The Right Choice For Your Business?

Not all businesses are built the same. Crowdfunding can, however, be extremely helpful in getting your business off the ground. Many young businesses and start-ups use crowdfunding just to get through the proof of concept phase (building a prototype, sending products out for testing, acquiring relevant licences and clearances, and so forth).

Crowdfunding may be the right choice for your business if:

  • You only need small capital, but you need it fast,
  • Your products/ideas are relatable and solve real life problems,
  • You can’t raise money via other, more private finance options like personal loans, overdrafts and lines of credit.

Types Of Crowdfunding

Most crowdfunding pitches belong to one of the following types:

Equity Based Crowdfunding (Investment Crowdfunding)

This is, by far, the most important type of crowdfunding.

As a business owner, you ask for and receive funding from investors who, in return, receive a proportionate stake in your business (in the form of equity).

Equity based crowdfunding is ideal for businesses looking to raise a significant sum of money upfront. This is very similar to syndicated angel finance (please read through our guide to angel finance to learn more).

Equity Crowdfunding And Tax Reliefs

Equity based investments in qualifying businesses are eligible to receive tax reliefs (as applicable) under the EIS and SEIS.

Credit Based Crowdfunding

Credit/loan-based crowdfunding is nothing but peer-to-peer finance (P2P finance).

Contributors here act as private lenders who lend you money upfront via the crowdfunding platform you choose. You are then required to repay the crowdfunding platform at a pre-set interest rate.

This is a good alternative finance option for businesses that don’t want to part with equity.

Reward Based Crowdfunding

Reward based crowdfunding allows you – as the borrowing business – to reward contributors in a variety of ways. The most common reward is early access to your products/services.

Donations/Charity Based Crowdfunding

Not all businesses can afford to pay their contributors back. Social enterprises can raise money in the form of donations/charity and use it to fund their business goals.

How Does Crowdfunding Work?

Crowdfunding platforms play an important role here.

There are dozens of crowdfunding platforms presently operational in the UK. Seedrs and Crowdcube are two prominent examples.

Once you know what type of crowdfunding you want to go for, you will need to make public a few important details about your business.

  1. What you’re offering in terms of products/services
  2. How they make a difference
  3. If you have any intellectually protected assets
  4. How much you want to raise
  5. How much you’ve already raised from other means
  6. How you plan on using the funds raised
  7. What the timeline of progress will be
  8. What you’re offering in return

Is Crowdfunding Regulated In The UK?

Most crowdfunding activities in the UK are now regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Loan-based crowdfunding and investment/equity-based crowdfunding are regulated heavily considering the risks involved. The FCA also regulates crowdfunding platforms in line with their policies.

Things To Avoid While Preparing Your Crowdfunding Pitch

As things stand today, there’s no way really for us to tell what percentage of crowdfunding pitches manage to meet their goals. We do, however, have observed a few key trends that seem to be common denominators among campaigns that fail.

Here are the things that you may want to avoid while preparing your crowdfunding pitch:

Confusion And Chaos

This is probably the biggest red flag for any investor. When you prepare your pitch, you need to be as sure as you can about what you’re pitching. Your pitch needs to speak to the investor and answer their questions before they have the chance to even ask them.

Bad Ideas

There’s no way you can sell a bad idea to people and hope to succeed. Paying enough attention to whether the idea is viable, profitable and scalable should be at the centre of your considerations.

Bad Valuation

Many start-ups and young businesses tend to overvalue their ventures. It helps if you bring on board experienced professionals who can evaluate your business for you without any bias. A reasonable evaluation means that potential investors can see how it makes sense to invest.

Crowdfunding Alternatives – Have You Considered These?

Raising money on your own – through personal finance and from your friends/family – is usually the safest bet when dealing with small amounts. However, if you want your business to really take off, you need to take commercial finance more seriously.

There are quite a few commercial finance solutions available in the market that, when utilised properly, can prove to be much more affordable and much less tricky than crowdfunding.

Business Loans

Raise money as and when you need it and use it towards the business expense of your choice – from fulfilling purchase orders to settling existing loans.

Asset Finance

Finance the purchase/lease of expensive equipment through fast, affordable and easy asset finance.

Angel Finance

Bring experienced investors on board and benefit from their expertise and industry connections.

Specialty Loans

Use specialty loans like HMO finance, development finance, bridging loans, BTL mortgages and more to raise money from specialist lenders at low interest rates.

Commercial Finance Network, a leading whole of market broker in the UK, makes it easy for you to match with UK-wide lenders. Every commercial finance application we receive is decided upon within 24 hours – that’s our promise!

To know more or to request a call back, call us on 03303 112 646. You can also fill in this short online form to get started.

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Property schemes are confusing for investors

Investors are struggling to understand the risks in property investment platforms, research has found.

Secured property lender Fitzrovia Finance polled the clients of 20 of the top UK schemes and found three quarters wrongly believed first charge secured loans were riskier than second charge mezzanine options, while seven per cent did not know which was riskier.

The study, carried out in June, also showed 18 per cent of retail investors felt some of the property investment platforms failed to clearly explain the level of risk involved in their investments, and that returns ranged from a modest 2.8 per cent to 15 per cent, reflecting a significant variance in risk and return.

Brad Bauman, Fitzrovia Finance’s chief executive officer, said: “The industry must strive to ensure that each opportunity promoted to private investors is clearly explained, the risks are transparent and the returns appropriate. This will help ensure that investors have the necessary information they need before deciding to invest.

“There are some ‘property’ investment opportunities being offered to private investors where, for example, the returns are 8 per cent or 14 per cent – or even higher. These will include a lot of features that represent higher levels of risk such as second charge loans or unsecured debt, and this must be clearly explained to investors.”

Property investment platforms facilitate investment in individual properties or a property portfolio, and often promise high returns.

They have started to sprout up in recent years in many guises including crowdfunding, P2P lending, real estate investment trusts and bonds, and their aim is often to provide retail investors with access to property investments.

One of the easiest ways to invest is through P2P lending, where investors lend money to borrowers, with the cash secured against residential and commercial properties or new-build developments.

Fitzrovia’s findings followed last month’s announcement that later this year the FCA will introduce new rules which will mean individuals will not be permitted to have more than 10 per cent of their assets in peer-to-peer investments, unless they have taken financial advice.

The rules are designed to prevent investors taking what the regulator considers excessive risk, and will require platforms to assess casual investors’ knowledge and experience of P2P before they allow them to invest.

There will also be a more explicit requirement to clarify what governance arrangements, systems and controls platforms need to have in place to support the outcomes they advertise.

Christopher Woolard, executive director for strategy and competition at the FCA, said: “These changes are about enhancing protection for investors while allowing them to take up innovative investment opportunities.

“For P2P to continue to evolve sustainably, it is vital that investors receive the right level of protection.”

By James Colasanti

Source: FT Adviser

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Alternative finance platforms report stellar growth

The UK alternative finance market grew by 35% to £6.2 billion in 2017, with P2P and crowdfunding accounting for 30% of all deals, according to a report by Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance.

Peer-to-peer business lending retained the top spot, with £2 billion in transaction volume in 2017 and 65% year-on-year growth, estimated to be equivalent of 29.2% of all new bank loans to small businesses in 2017. That’s nearly double the 15.3% figure in 2016.

Consumer lending in the P2P space commanded £1.4 billion, with property lending standing at £1.2 billion and invoice trading at £787 million.

Equity-based and real-estate crowdfunding platforms also had a stellar year, with the former growing by 22% year-on-year to £333 million, and the latter hitting 200% y-o-y growth at £200 million.

But debt-based securities stagnated at £79 million, while rewards-based models decreased by £4 million to £44 million in 2017.

Institutional financing helped propel the figures, accounting for 40% of funding for P2P business lending. This trend of institutionalisation was also seen in equity-based crowdfunding, where 49% of the funding was provided by venture capital funds and professional investors “co-investing” with retail investors.

The CCAF also asked UK online alternative finance platforms to provide an indicative breakdown of their operating costs and budget allocation, finding that on average and across models, they spend about 15% on IT, 14% on research and development, 14% on sales and marketing, and eight per cent on reporting and compliance.

Bryan Zhang, the executive director of the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance says: “This report reflects an industry that is playing an increasingly important role in helping consumers and businesses access finance, whilst growing to become more diversified, sophisticated and institutionalised.”

Bruce Davis, director of the UK Crowdfunding Association adds: “As we move into uncertain times with Brexit discussions ongoing, the UK will need to ensure its home-grown providers of investment capital can keep providing vital investments to grow businesses and improve the UK’s productivity and international competitiveness. We hope that policy makers and regulators alike will think about ways that they can further support the growth of the industry as it matures and diversifies further.”

Source: Fin Extra

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A Complete Guide to Financing Start-ups in the UK – Start-up Loans, Governments Grants & More

Financing a start-up can be challenging. In this post, we explore the various ways – from start-up loans to crowdfunding – in which you can go about overcoming this challenge.

The world has seen unprecedented innovation in the last 30 years. By many estimates, these years account for more path-breaking, paradigm-shift-inducing inventions, innovations and ideas than the rest of the human history combined.

It wouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that this culture of innovation has impacted the economy just as definitively as it has our everyday lives. The smartphones we use, the smart payments we make and the big data we routinely stand in awe of – these innovations have left few aspects of modern life untouched. Much the reason why, there has also been a remarkably noticeable upsurge in the number of people answering their entrepreneurial ‘calling’.

The numbers are telling in this regard. In the last five years, the business registration rate has steadily increased despite all the uncertainties around the impending Brexit. If your start-up is among these, it’s quite likely that you are looking for better ways than putting your life savings at stake to raise enough capital.

The Importance of Financing a Start-up Correctly

Choosing a right set of financing options is of utmost importance for any commercial activity.

For start-ups, however, this becomes an even more sensitive proposition. Unfortunately, many promising start-ups pay the price for indecisiveness, inaction and incorrect decision-making. We have seen that the start-up culture is booming in the UK – but there’s always a downside to every argument. The statistics released by the ONS suggest that 48% of new businesses do not survive their first four years of trading. In 40% of such cases, financing problems is the major reason.

By weighing the start-up financing options discussed below, you can avoid your start-up from meeting this grim fate.

1. Start-up Loans

When it comes to funding start-ups in the UK, start-up loans should be the first option you explore.

In the last few years, start-ups have managed to instil a good deal of confidence among lenders. More and more private lenders and banks have started looking at start-ups as huge opportunities, and not mindless, risk-filled adventures. This pattern means that getting a start-up loan is the most affordable and convenient funding option for start-ups across industries.

What is a Start-up Loan?

Start-up loans, even though granted exclusively to start-up businesses, are more like personal loans than commercial loans. This is primarily due to the fact that start-ups don’t have any history of trading to refer to. In most cases, start-ups are founded by a small group of partners and have no history of business credit for the lenders to go by, either.

In essence, a start-up loan is a small, unsecured loan that hinges entirely on the viability of the business model and the personal credit history of the proprietor or the partners.

With one or more start-up loans, you can expect to raise capital up to £25,000.

Why Choose Start-up Loans?

Start-ups, unlike established businesses, have very specific needs, and start-up loans address these needs better than any other financing alternative.

  • Easy to Secure

Start-up loans are much easier to secure when have a good-enough business plan and a blemish-free credit report.

  • Fast Processing

Start-up loans are processed just as quickly as personal loans. This saves you precious time and resources that can be directed towards a successful launch.

  • Little to No Collateral Required

Most lenders offer unsecured start-up loans, once they are convinced of your repayment potential. For higher loan amounts, some collateral may be required to offset the risk taken by the lender.

  • Industry Expertise

This is one feature few other start-up financing options can offer.

If you receive a start-up loan offer from an experienced lender specialising in your industry of operation, it can add immense passive value to your business.

How to Get a Start-up a Loan?

Although most mainstream lenders offer start-up loans, the eligibility criteria and repayment schedules differ wildly from one lender to another. The easiest and fastest way of securing a start-up loan that is tailored to meet your needs is to have a reputed broker like Commercial Finance Broker on your side. Whole of market brokers can approach UK-wide lenders on your behalf, increasing your chances of getting affordable and customised start-up loan quotes.

2. Government Grants for Start-ups

If you are familiar with the start-up culture in the UK, you’ve probably heard of government grants. Even though relying solely on government grants to finance your start-up is impractical, it’s equally unwise to dismiss this option altogether.

What is a Government Grant?

A government grant is essentially a reward granted to various businesses and charitable organisations under various schemes and from various public funds. The primary motive behind the establishment and distribution of government grants is to incentivise innovation, foster entrepreneurship and, in turn, create more employment in various business sectors.

Depending upon the objectives of the grant, your start-up can receive upfront cash rewards, tax incentives, equipment support, technical support and no-interest/low-interest loans. UK start-ups can receive grants from the local authorities, the UK Government and the European Union.

Government Grants for Start-ups: Types and Features

  • Direct Grant (Direct Finance)

This is the most popular type of government grant available for start-ups and young businesses. When you apply for a direct grant, most schemes and trusts will require you to match the grant reward 1:1. In other words, you can expect to raise up to 50% of the required capital using the grant, while the rest will need to be raised through private funding.

  • Available for start-ups
  • Grant size varies from £500 to £500,000 (subject to available schemes)
  • Non-repayable
  • No interest
  • Soft Loans (Subsidised Loans)

Soft loans or subsidised loans aim to strike a balance between direct grants and private or peer-to-peer start-up loans. These loans, available as government grants, are subsidised with public funds so that cash-strapped start-ups can afford them.

  • Loans up to £25,000 are available for start-ups
  • The interest rates (4 to 6% p.a.) are much lower than other loan alternatives.
  • The repayment terms are lenient and generous.
  • Equity Finance (Tax Incentives)

This is a lesser-used but extremely powerful government grant. Through such schemes, the government promotes investments in start-ups by offering up to 50% rebates in the income tax for the investors. The rebate percentage depends upon the size of the business and the business sector.

  • Income tax rebate up to £100,000 can be claimed.
  • Available for start-ups and young businesses with fewer than 25 employees

Government Grants: What Start-ups Should Know

  • Applying for and winning a government grant is often a time-consuming process. If your start-up requires an urgent finance package, grants may not always be useful.
  • The competition is fierce. In recent years, it has become nearly impossible to win government grants in business sectors that do not have a direct impact on the socio-economic policies of the government.
  • Even if you manage to win a government grant, you will still be required to secure an external loan to raise enough capital.

How to Apply for Government Grants

The application process is, in itself, a bottleneck. The slow processing times and ambiguous terms mean that you will need to prepare an extremely thoughtful grant application to qualify.

If you want to win a government grant for your start-up, a proven and systematic approach must be adopted.

  • Know What the Grant is Trying to Achieve

Many start-ups choose to send applications to any and every grant scheme that comes up. This approach usually results into a great deal of wasted time and resources. Instead, you should aim to apply for grants that have specific objectives relating to your business sector.

  • Communicate with the Grant Body/Organisation

It’s always advisable to have a clear communication with the grant body if any of its objectives or terms are unclear. This will help you understand whether you should invest your resources into preparing a grant application.

  • Prepare a Grant Application That Stands Out

Remember – dozens, if not hundreds, of businesses will be competing against you to win the grant in question. Preparing an outstanding grant application will improve your chances significantly. Your grant application should be able to convey how your start-up aligns well with the grant objectives.

  • Supplement Your Grant Application with a Business Plan

You will need a great business plan to bolster your grant application. In the business plan, emphasise the aspects of your business that directly concern the grant objectives. Additionally, you will be required to furnish any external funding commitments you may have received – especially if you are applying for a direct grant.

  • Keep Checking for New Grants

Dozens of new start-up grants are introduced each month. It’s widely believed that the early-bird applications have a higher chance of winning government grants. The definitive list of available grants can be found at the Business Finance Support Portal launched by the UK Government.

3. Investments

If there’s one thing that has added an extra touch of glamour to the very idea of entrepreneurship, it’s the awe-inspiring risk appetite shown by external investors. The stories of start-ups receiving outlandish investment deals regularly make the rounds in start-up circles – and not without their reasons.

Having an external investor on board can be the most cost-effective way of financing your start-up. There are many ways in which your start-up can bring in external investments. Some of these are:

  • Equity investments (selling a share of your equity in the business)
  • Capital investments (mortgaging a share of your equity in the business)
  • Credit lines (flexible credit lines on an as-needed basis in exchange for a fixed percentage of revenue/profits)
  • Custom investments (fully customised investment plans)

4. Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is an effective way of raising small sums of money, especially for consumer-facing start-ups. It’s all about letting numerous people contribute in their personal capacities in exchange for a stake in your business.

Crowdfunding is a good way to raise money in order to address specific business objectives such as:  fuelling research, manufacturing prototypes, financing marketing campaigns and entering new markets.

Is Your Start-up the Next Big Thing? We’d Love to Hear from You!

There’s something innately attractive about dreaming of an idea, working hard to bring its seed to life and watching it grow into something significant. The unfortunate reality is that many such dreams are routinely cut short for the want of more funding.

At Commercial Finance Network, we’ve been living the entrepreneurial dream – with all its highs and lows – for over a decade. With the help of our UK-wide panel of specialist lenders, we’ve helped numerous start-ups overcome their financing problems. Customised to the highest degree, the start-up loans we broker are more than just loans – they are what the ambitious start-ups of today need to turn the corner and scale newer, higher peaks of success.

Don’t let the funding shortfall stifle your start-up even before it takes off. Call us on 03303 112 646 or fill in our contact form to request a free start-up loan quote.

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FCA threatens clampdown on P2P lending

Regulators are considering making peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding less accessible to investors who aren’t professional or very rich, says David Stevenson.

Can you be trusted to be a sensible investor? The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been pondering whether investors looking to put some money to work in alternative finance are capable of making sensible and informed decisions about the range of products on offer. If they can’t, should their cash be channelled into more open, transparent, mass-market products, such as unit or investment trusts or exchange-traded funds?

I realise this all sounds a bit policy-wonkish, but when it comes to the world of alternative finance, especially peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, this regulatory attitude may be about to have a direct impact on your investments. A few weeks ago, the FCA produced a consultation paper entitled “Loan-based (‘peer-to-peer’) and investment-based crowdfunding platforms: feedback on our post-implementation review and proposed changes to the regulatory framework”.

These fussy new rules…

Most of the suggestions in the paper are good old-fashioned common sense, designed to make P2P lending more mainstream and less risky. But one key proposal stands out like a sore thumb. The regulators suggest that future P2P investment “promotions” should only be able to target the following groups: those certified or self-certified as sophisticated investors, those certified as high net worth investors, those under advisement from an authorised person, and those who certify they will not invest more than 10% of their net investable portfolio in P2P agreements.

So, to be clear, in the future, if you are a new customer at, say, Zopa, Ratesetter or Funding Circle looking to bolster your income, you’ll have to prove you are independently wealthy or a finance professional, or certify that you only have 10% of your portfolio in online lending.

The reaction of many experienced private investors has been negative, to put it mildly. The industry website www.altfi.com, of which I am an executive director, asked for views. M. Thomas said the FCA “has once again demonstrated its antipathy towards individual… investors and the original spirit of P2P (to cut out the middleman)… these FCA proposals demonstrate a nanny-state mentality – people must be protected against themselves”.

Another unnamed pensioner added that “as a former company director, I’m well able to decide for myself what investments I make, and have no plans to reduce my current level of P2P lending (30% of my total). The FCA may wish to reflect on the fact that had its predecessor been rather better at monitoring the activities of Equitable Life, many of us would now have less need to consider some higher-risk investments in our retirement.”

…wouldn’t work

Many investors I’ve talked to with an interest in alternative finance are deeply troubled. Most simply intend to ignore the changes, even if they come in. And that, of course, is the real problem with any form of regulatory overreach. The intended beneficiaries simply ignore the good intentions and just fib and say whatever the regulator wants to hear. Witness the world of stockbroking, where investors already have to self-certify if they want to deal in securitised options such as covered warrants. Most retail stockbrokers send out pointless forms asking all the right questions about attitudes to risk. Most of them know full well that investors who sign the forms aren’t entirely truthful but connive in the charade.

But even if these changes were easy to apply, I’m not convinced they are fair. Is P2P really that risky? In effect, the regulators are saying online lending is as risky as, say, crowdfunding. With all due respect to successful crowdfunding platforms such as Seedrs and Crowdcube, the risk from investing in start-ups is immeasurably higher than that from lending to consumers or even established small companies with clear credit track records. With the former, most experienced investors are used to the idea that a large proportion of their investee companies won’t make it. With online lending, most credit investors (institutions are active in this space) don’t expect losses to exceed 5%-10%, even in the worst years.

Even if policymakers are worried about risk, there is a better way of managing this downside – sharper, smarter regulation. Or as Rhydian Lewis of P2P lending platform Ratesetter puts it, rather than block access, why not “eliminate the high-risk elements of P2P lending and… keep it accessible”? Wouldn’t it be better to close down rubbish platforms, force through far greater transparency about risks and impose heavy penalties for rule-breakers? Why should the wealthy or financial professionals be the only ones to benefit from an alternative to the lacklustre yields on offer at high-street savings institutions – most of which haven’t even passed on the recent increase in the Bank of England base interest rate?

Source: Money Week

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Property crowdfunding: should you become a virtual landlord?

Property crowdfunding is becoming an ever more popular way to buy into bricks and mortar. But think carefully before putting your money in.

Many people put their money into residential property, particularly buy-to-let. But with increased stamp duty on second homes and fewer tax breaks for buy-to-let landlords, that has become less attractive. Another way of putting money into property is through real-estate investment trusts (Reits), which own commercial property assets. But the rise of peer-to-peer (P2P) lending has opened the sector to a new audience, offering potential returns in excess of the typical 5%-6% of a traditional Reit.

The biggest platforms are LendInvest, which makes bridging and development loans and has lent out some £1.4bn, according to AltFi Data, which collates information on the P2P finance sector. Landbay offers buy-to-let mortgages and has lent out £166m, while Lendy, which finances development loans and property purchases, has made more than £400m of loans.

Virtual buy-to-let

Equity-based crowdfunding is perhaps the closest thing to traditional buy-to-let investments – you buy a share in a property (usually via a “special purpose vehicle” – a company set up for that purpose) and the property is let out. You receive a share of the rental income in return, plus any profit if the property is sold. Examples include Yielders, Uown and Property Partner. A benefit of equity crowdfunding is its wide reach – it can be used to invest in line with Islamic finance principles; because income comes from rent rather than interest payments, the products are sharia-compliant.

Debt crowdfunding

Debt crowdfunding is probably the most common form of property crowdfunding today. Investors lend money, often in the form of a secured bridging or development loan, to a property developer, which builds or renovates the property and repays the investment. Many platforms secure loans on the assets, which in theory should provide some protection if the developer goes bust, although it might not be easy to sell a half-finished development in Wolverhampton, for example – and certainly not for the full price.

With property price appreciation dwindling in the capital, many platforms concentrate on the provinces, where the potential for capital growth is higher. For example, the House Crowd funds developments mainly in the north of England, and indeed builds properties itself via its House Crowd Developments arm. Another platform, the Blend Network, finances developments mainly in Northern Ireland, taking a first charge on a borrower’s assets. But when the slowdown does reach the rest of the country, you could end up out of pocket.

P2P pitfalls

One feature of P2P is that you can pick a specific property to invest in. The flip side to this is that you are making a decision on very specific local markets where you may have little or no knowledge. How familiar are you with the residential market in Chorley, for instance?

Also, consider the illiquidity of P2P compared to Reits. Platforms may have a secondary market, but it could take a very long time to sell your investment, assuming you can find a buyer. Reits have the advantage of being traded on the stock exchange, and can be disposed of quickly if necessary.

Finally, if you really want to spice things up, it will soon be possible to take fractional ownership of property using blockchain. Several start-ups are now working on platforms that will allow property owners to “tokenise” their property, and sell those tokens to investors. But if you’re not ready for the risks of P2P crowdfunding, you’re certainly not ready for that.

Source: Residential Landlord

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Housing development boosted by crowdfunding efforts

A housing development in Greater Manchester has secured a cash injection of more than £1m through a crowdfunding platform.

The House Crowd was founded in 2012 by Frazer Fearnhead and Suhail Nawaz. It was the first property crowdfunding platform in the world and has helped give rise to the industry.

Over a period of 24 hours, £1.3m was raised with the majority going towards the Egyptian Mill Development in Lees, which comprises 41 houses and 15 apartments. House Crowd Developments – which is part of the House Crowd Group of companies – is behind the initiative.

The rest of the balance – £98,000 – was invested in the House Crowd’s Innovative Finance ISA, which allows individuals to use their annual ISA allowance to lend funds through property investment, while receiving the benefits of tax-free interest.

Fearnhead said: “Raising £1m in a single day is not just a confidence boost for The House Crowd and the service that we offer, but also for housing developments in the North West. The numbers don’t lie – there is clearly a big appetite amongst retail investors for property development financing and peer to peer secured lending, which is exactly what we offer.

“It’s important that we keep up this momentum to continue helping solve two of the major problems within our society – the lack of quality housing and people’s difficulties in saving their money.

“If we can continue building much needed housing, whilst providing our members with a reliable way to build a nest egg for their retirement, then we are serving our purpose.”

Source: Insider Media

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The Crowdfunding Trend – Threat or Opportunity?

Crowdfunding was previously only an approach for start-ups to get up on their feet, but the method is now showing potential for established companies to shift their strategy and encourage positive and profitable change. Lauren Razavi analyses the potential of crowdfunding as both a disruptive threat and an opportunity for established companies.

Crowdfunding has been gaining more and more ground in recent years, especially among European consumers. It might seem like a trend embraced only by start-ups desperate for cash, but in reality crowdfunding is quickly becoming a useful tool to recruit and maintain an enthusiastic client base for companies across multiple industries.

We live in a world in which failure to adapt to technological advances can spell destruction for a company. But is crowdfunding a dangerous threat that start-ups will use to disrupt industry, or an opportunity for established players to make profitable changes to their process?

Alternative Finance 101

A report by CrowdfundingHub.eu identified four major types of crowdfunding:

  • Donation Based crowdfunding relies on the charity of the customer base, with little to no anticipated reward. The biggest risk is that the company won’t raise the funds they need to deliver on their promises – in which case, they are responsible for either returning the donations or funnelling them into an acceptable project.
  • Reward Based crowdfunding provides security to the investor by giving them a sample of the finished product. This will satisfy most consumers, who aren’t looking for a share of the profits but simply to support an idea they find compelling. However, this type of crowdfunding requires the company to actually have a sample product they can ship, which means that the initial funds will have to come from another source.
  • Equity Based crowdfunding is similar to traditional investment methods in that the backer will receive a stake in the company, and possibly even some control over the final product. The primary issue with this type of crowdfunding is that in Europe the company will be subject to the regulations and policies of the European Banking Authority.
  • Peer-to-Peer Lending is also similar to traditional financing – the backer will provide funds on the understanding that those funds will be paid back with interest at some point in the future. In some countries such as Italy and Belgium, peer-to-peer lending is prohibited, and there are various other restrictions in place across Europe.Each type of crowdfunding has its own pros and cons, but a major advantage of all of them is that they are more accessible to less established companies who may not be able to guarantee a consistent return on investment.

Industry Disruption

There are some concerns that the rise of crowdfunding will cause major disruption across industries. According to the world bank, 2016 saw more money raised from crowdfunding than from venture capital.

That’s bad news for investment managers – instead of paying costly legal and management fees, big investors are now choosing to cut out the middleman and interact directly with the companies they feel best align with their interests. As more and more platforms choose to cater to specific industries, investors are better able to make decisions for themselves, instead of relying on financial experts who charge fees for their knowledge.

The unregulated nature of the crowdfunding sector is also a cause for concern. In Europe, regulators have struggled to harmonise the challenges that  crowdfunding brings with existing financial practice. In Finland, for example, there is no requirement for crowdfunders to have an MiFID licence, which means that companies who have obtained a licence are more strictly regulated than their unlicensed competitors. Other nations have been quicker to adapt – in France and the UK existing legislation has been brought smoothly up to date to be compatible with crowdfunding.

However, it can’t be denied crowdfunding is bringing in some much needed changes, especially in European markets. Traditional investors tended towards funding large, trusted companies during the financial crisis, which meant that many small to medium businesses were lagging behind in capital investment. Crowdfunding means that general consumers can now invest in local, small to medium businesses from their smartphones – and that means that those same struggling companies are able to gather the funds they need to compete in the big leagues.

Power to the People

Easy access to the internet and the simplicity of digital payment options is the driving force behind the crowdfunding boom. Europeans are demanding a more transparent financial market, and right now it seems as though crowdfunding is answering that demand. The European Crowdfunding Network hosts articles on its website guiding companies through everything from designing compelling incentives to identifying the motivations of their funders. Crowdfunding means that companies are connected to their consumer base more closely than ever. Whether that’s a curse or a blessing depends on the company’s willingness to engage with their backers.

The rise of crowdfunding presents a golden opportunity for established companies to reconnect with their audience and test the waters before fully committing to a project. Your funders will eventually become your customer base. They know exactly what they’re looking for in a project, and they are more than happy to talk about it. When you engage with your audience on this level you’re essentially bringing them on board as co-creators – and their advice can be more helpful than you’d think. Your funders might not be the most seasoned market analysts, but they can be valuable mentors and smart beta testers.

One of the major advantages is that it combines financing and marketing in one easy package. Your funders will be your biggest cheerleaders – they know every feature of your product, every drawback, every brilliant innovation. Some of them will be marketing professionals themselves. Some of them will be experts in their field who are desperate to share this helpful new tech with their colleagues. All of them will be guaranteed customers by the time your product hits the shelves.

Whether it is a threat or an opportunity for your company depends on your willingness to embrace change. Those who have so far failed to adapt to the crowdfunding trend are already suffering repercussions, but those who have taken the time to adjust their methods and bring them in line with the trend are finding that crowdfunding isn’t so scary after all – in fact, if you play your cards right, it can be an important tool for your business going forwards.

Source: Eureka

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Investing in property the crowdfunding way: Is it really worth it?

If you were to ask people in the UK whether they would like to invest in property, most would say a resounding yes.

However, investing in property today is an expensive business – tens of thousands of pounds are needed for a deposit, and that’s before figuring out whether the rental income could cover the interest for a buy-to-let mortgage.

And let’s not mention the effort required to let, manage and stay the right side of all the regulation that has cropped up recently targeting landlords.

This is where property crowdfunding sites profess to be the future: invest in property from as little as £50 and they do all the work for a fee, including sourcing the properties, finding the tenants and providing management services.

The most popular sites are Property Partner and The House Crowd – with Property Moose (the first to be fully regulated) and Bricklane (the first to offer a property ISA account) providing a supporting cast.

But how successful is property crowdfunding as an investment, compared, say, with premium bonds and cash ISAS, which remain the most popular places for Brits to store their money – if you don’t count our own homes as an investment?

The numbers are staggering – 25m people have savings with premium bond provider NS&I and there is a combined £585bn held in ISA accounts.

So naturally we should judge the success of property crowdfunding websites – and their promise to democratise property investing – by the amount invested.

Here are all the websites we could find data on:

Property Partner – £107.8m of property invested in (£2.7m income earned)

The House Crowd – £74.5m (£16.7m income earned)

Property Moose – £13m

Bricklane – £8m

There were several other websites that are open to investors but were seemingly too small to divulge how much they have invested in and therefore were difficult to rank: Brickvest, Yielders, Crowdwithus, Crowdlords, Uown, Crowd2let, Capitalrise and Propertycrowd.

The combined c. £200m accumulated by property crowdfunding websites over the past few years is at best disappointing.

This isn’t the panacea of investing we were promised by endless articles on the topic of property crowdfunding.

Looking at posts on forums like Moneysavingexpert, many of the comments focus on the small amount of income after fees.

And in this climate of lower property price growth, income is all you can truly rely on when it comes to property investment.

Articles in the FT also point to the risks of investing for property price appreciation rather than for secure income.

Maybe that’s the problem: most people associate buy-to-let with runaway house prices – but that is something that few people believe in today.

Source: Property Industry Eye

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An introduction to crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is an increasingly popular alternative method of raising finance. But what is crowdfunding? In this article we explain how crowdfunding works, the risks and rewards and the UK regulation.

What is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is the practice of raising money from a large number of individuals for the purposes of financing a project, venture, business or cause. Traditionally, crowdfunding has been carried out via subscriptions, benefit events and door-to-door fundraising. However, today the term is typically associated with raising money through website platforms, which allows crowdfunding to reach a larger pool of potential funders.

How does crowdfunding work?

Crowdfunding usually takes place on a light-touch online platform rather than through banks, charities or stock exchanges. The business or individual seeking finance will typically produce a pitch for their business, project or venture, which is then uploaded to the online platform with the aim of attracting as many loans, contributions and investments as possible. Websites such as Kickstarter, Seedrs and Crowdcube are examples of the available online platforms, which enable project initiators to reach a pool of thousands, if not millions, of potential funders.

What are the different types of crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding can broadly be split into four main categories:

  1. Loan-based: also known as peer-to-peer lending (P2P), this involves individuals lending to businesses or other individuals in return for interest payments and a repayment of capital over time.
  2. Investment-based: individuals invest directly or indirectly in new or established businesses by buying investments such as shares, debt securities or units in an investment scheme.
  3. Donation-based: people give money to individuals, organisations or enterprises they want to support, with no expectation of any return on their investment.
  4. Pre-payment or rewards-based: individuals give money to receive a reward, product or service (for example, concert tickets, artwork, a new product etc.).

In addition, less-common forms of crowdfunding exist whereby funders invest in order to receive, for example, software value tokens (see A guide to initial coin offerings) or a share of the compensation from the results of litigation.

Crowdfunding examples

Crowdfunding’s success is not just limited to industry – it has been used to successfully raise funds for a range of not-for-profit organisations and charitable causes. Children’s charity, Kids Company, successfully raised over £100,000 in under two months in 2014/15 with their campaign on the platform Crowdfunder. In 2016, crowdfunding campaigns raised £12.3 million on the platform JustGiving, a platform for online charitable donations.

That said, businesses are also benefiting from crowdfunding initiatives. Starting in 2007 as a two-man partnership, BrewDog successfully crowdfunded their way (using an equity-based platform) through year-on-year growth to become an international company valued at circa £1 billion in 2017. Perkbox, a cloud-based employee perks and engagement platform for businesses, raised circa £4.3 million with its campaign on Seedrs. Finally, in 2016 Crowdcube raised circa £6.7 million, effectively making the crowdfunding platform its own biggest success story.

How is crowdfunding regulated?

In the UK only certain crowdfunding activities are regulated. Donation-based and rewards-based crowdfunding are not regulated, whereas firms carrying on activities associated with loan-based or investment-based crowdfunding may require FCA authorisation under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA). Accordingly, what follows is a high-level summary of the regulation of both loan-based and investment-based crowdfunding in the UK.

Loan-based crowdfunding

The platforms

In 2013, with loan-based crowdfunding becoming an increasingly popular means of raising money and recognising that it was difficult to regulate the practice under existing regulatory provisions, the FCA took the step of adding a new activity, at article 36H, to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 (SI 2001/544) (RAO).

Under article 36H of the RAO, loan-based crowdfunding became regulated as the “activity of operating an electronic system in relation to lending“. Under this provision, online platforms facilitating loan-based crowdfunding between two individuals or between individuals and businesses will be carrying on a regulated activity and will, therefore, require FCA authorisation (unless certain exemptions, such as for charities or appointed representatives apply).

Regulated platforms will be required under the FCA rules to comply with certain consumer protections around the clear disclosure of information and the protection of customer funds.

The participants

Generally speaking, where the borrower is an individual (or a partnership or unincorporated body of individuals), and the investor is lending in the course of a business, the terms upon which the loan is made may constitute a regulated credit agreement and consequently be subject to the full requirements of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (CCA). The investor will then need appropriate FCA authorisations for the provision of consumer credit and will be required to comply with the relevant rules in the FCA Handbook (CONC in particular). To help with this, the FCA has published a webpage, which provides a useful summary of the key provisions of the FCA Handbook that apply to loan-based crowdfunding firms.

Where the investor is not acting in the course of business, so that the agreement is a non-commercial agreement under the CCA the investor will not require FCA authorisation. There are, however, additional obligations on the operators of the platforms in CONC to help protect consumers from some of the risks associated with these non-commercial agreements.

Participants acting by way of business should also take care not to inadvertently carry out other regulated activities when crowdfunding. In this context, the FCA has warned that businesses which borrow through a crowdfunding platform with a view to lending this to other individuals may be carrying out the regulated activity of accepting deposits – which will require additional authorisation.

Investment-based crowdfunding

The FCA regards investment-based crowdfunding as a high-risk investment activity, with the potential for capital losses. This is likely due to the fact that the instruments traded on such investment-based crowdfunding platforms are non-readily realisable securities that are not listed on regulated stock markets and are instead traded over the internet and via other means.

The platforms

Unlike the bespoke regulatory rules for loan-based crowdfunding, activities associated with investment-based crowdfunding platforms typically fall under the existing rules, including article 25 of the RAO which covers both arranging deals in investments and making arrangements with a view to participating in deals in investments. Accordingly, online platforms facilitating investment-based crowdfunding are likely to be carrying on a regulated activity and therefore require FCA authorisation.

While the FCA has not published a webpage summarising the FCA Handbook provisions applicable to investment-based crowdfunding, it is thought that many of the provisions applicable to loan-based crowdfunding will be relevant to investment-based crowdfunding.

The FCA introduced further rules around financial promotions applicable to firms operating investment-based crowdfunding platforms in 2014. As a result, such firms may only make direct offer financial promotions to retail clients if such clients either:

  • have taken regulated advice
  • are high net worth or sophisticated investors (as defined in the COBS provisions of the FCA Handbook)
  • have confirmed that they will invest less than 10% of their net assets in the relevant investment.

Regulated platform operators must also be able to assess whether retail clients understand the risks involved with investing if they do not take regulated advice – the FCA expects this to be done as part of the online registration process for the platform.

The participants

Businesses buying and selling investments through crowdfunding platforms should take care not to accidentally fall within the UK’s regulated activities and financial promotions regime. In particular, businesses contemplating raising equity finance via investment-based crowdfunding platforms should be careful not to fall foul of the restriction on offers to the public under section 755 of the Companies Act 2006. For more information on the implications of this legislation on investment-based crowdfunding, see our previous article Crowdfunding: restriction on ‘offers to the public’.

How is regulation likely to change/develop in the future?

In December 2016, the FCA published a feedback statement (FS16/13) in response to their previous call for input to the post-implementation of their crowdfunding rules. Following the publication of the feedback statement, the FCA has indicated that it intends to consult on, among other things, additional requirements relating to wind-down plans, cross-investment of loans on different loan-based crowdfunding platforms and mortgage lending standards where the investor is not lending by way of business.

In addition, the FCA has raised concerns regarding the quality of communications with potential investors on loan-based and investment-based crowdfunding platforms. Accordingly, it intends to consult on more prescriptive rules in respect of financial promotions and the content and timing of disclosures.

What is the UKFCA code of conduct?

The UK Crowdfunding Association (UKCFA) is a self-regulatory body that was set up in 2013 with the purpose of promoting the interests of crowdfunding platforms, their investors, and clients. Members of the UKCFA are required to agree to the code of conduct which, among other things, promotes and implements transparency, security, appropriate safeguards and compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

What are the benefits of crowdfunding?

Investors

  • Involvement – investors may find it rewarding to be involved in the development of a specific business, project, venture or cause. Crowdfunding enables potential funders to choose how they invest their money more freely.
  • Returns – crowdfunding may offer investors higher returns than those available from other, more traditional, financial products.
  • Costs – by obviating the need for various intermediaries such as brokers, investors may receive benefits via reduced search and transaction costs.

Borrowers

  • Accessibility – crowdfunding enables borrowers to access finance where it may not necessarily have been available to them from banks or other institutional lenders.
  • Numbers – crowdfunding enables individuals and businesses to receive finance from a potentially unlimited pool of investors and with relatively low associated access costs.
  • Exposure – raising finance via crowdfunding provides borrowers with significant exposure may help to raise the borrower’s profile and provides them with free access to market feedback.

What are the risks of crowdfunding?

Investors

  • Information asymmetry – potential funders may face the problem of information asymmetry and find that they lack the ability to conduct proper due diligence on the borrower.
  • FSCS – investment via crowdfunding platforms does not provide the investor with any access to the government’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme, which may leave the investor with no access to compensation in the event that the borrower becomes insolvent.
  • Liquidity – due to the lack of any established secondary market for crowdfunded investments, investors may find it difficult, if not impossible, to cash-out their investment.
  • Start-ups – many borrowers on crowdfunding platforms are start-ups or businesses in the early stages of their development. There is a significant risk that the borrower business will fail, resulting in a capital loss to the investor.
  • Shares – it is unlikely that shares issued on crowdfunding platforms will carry any associated voting rights or rights to dividends for the investor. In addition, the value of any investment many be significantly diluted if more shares are issued.

Borrowers

  • Reputation – whether through lack of experience or time-pressures, borrowers may fail to achieve their proposed goals set out in their initial pitch. This may result in irreversible reputational damage to their business and the borrower’s public support.
  • Intellectual Property – in order to receive public backing, borrowers may find that they have to make a trade-off between producing a detailed and thorough initial pitch and exposing designs or products that have not yet been properly protected.
  • Management – successful crowdfunding campaigns may result in a borrower having to manage a large number of investor’s expectations, demands and investments. Without the appropriate resources, borrowers may struggle to successfully carry out this task.

Source: Lexology