Category Archives: Referrers
Financial System Reform – Recommendation 18- facilitate crowdfunding for debt – SME finance – Marketlend well poised for the future.
Financial System Review – click for the full report
Government should continue its current process to graduate the fundraising regime to facilitate securities-based crowdfunding. This would enable entities to make public offers of securities to a potentially large number of people (the ‘crowd’). The risks associated with crowdfunding investments would require some adjustments to consumer protections, including capping individuals’ investments and clearly communicating the risks.
Government should then use the policy settings for securities as a basis to assess wider fundraising and lending regulation to ensure it facilitates other forms of crowdfunding, including peer-to-peer lending.
A range of crowdfunding models are emerging globally. Crowdfunding facilitates the funding of projects or businesses, where small amounts of money are raised from the ‘crowd’ via an online facilitator (or platform).68 Financial crowdfunding models include:
- Securities-based crowdfunding, where the ‘crowd’ invests in an issuer in exchange for securities — either equity (crowd-sourced equity funding, CSEF) or debt.69
- Peer-to-peer lending, where an online intermediary facilitates lending between individuals, often in the form of unsecured personal loans, potentially to fund a business.70
Objectives
- Graduate fundraising regulation to facilitate innovations in fundraising emerging from new technologies and ensure policy settings are consistent across funding methods.
- Provide firms, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with additional funding options.
Financial Reform Recommendations for allowing the development of crowdfunding options for business to access
Article by Neil Slonim – Financial Reform Report released on 7 December 2014
If adopted, the financial reform recommendations made by the team headed up by businessman David Murray could usher in some of the biggest changes to Australia’s banking system in recent history.
The recommendations are broad, but the key ones impacting small business are those calling for super funds to drop their prices and the government to relax rules around governing crowdfunded equity.
The big banks will be required to hold much more common equity capital against their mortgage business if the inquiry’s recommendations are adopted, while financial planners would need to hold a relevant tertiary degree and be able to prove their competence in managing superannuation.
The inquiry has recommended a ban on self-managed super funds borrowing to buy assets and says the corporate regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, should be granted more power to crack down on white collar crime.
Numerous professional bodies expressed their support for the recommendations yesterday, including CPA Australia, whose chief executive Alex Malley said in a statement that the report “addresses some of the fundamental issues facing Australia’s financial system and signposts some of the critical work that needs to be done”.
“Recommendations for allowing the development of crowdfunding options for businesses to access, the establishment of a new ‘innovation collaboration’ and an emphasis on removing unnecessary regulatory impediments to innovation all have the potential to help business prosper,” said Malley.
However, SME banking expert Neil Slonim says that the 2.1 million small Australian businesses have missed out.
Slonim, who heads up advisory firm ‘The Banking Doctor’ told SmartCompany the report’s lack of specific recommendations relating to the SME banking sector is “disappointing”.
“There was really nothing specific in the 44 recommendations that related to SMEs and startups, other than a generic statement that the inquiry wants to encourage the development of crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending, which would potentially give SMEs more funding options than they currently have,” says Slonim.
“But other than that, there is really very little if anything else in the inquiry that would give SMEs hope they would get better access to funding.”
Slonim says the two key banking issues facing SMEs are a lack of access to finance and the need for greater competition between the big four banks.
“The inquiry makes some recommendations that would level the playing field between the big four banks and smaller providers of mortgage finance, which will help the consumer sector, there is nothing similar for SMEs,” he says.
“There is a lack of genuine competition between the big four banks, which control more than 80% of the marketplace, in an environment in which it is very difficult for smaller players to compete for SME business.”
And while the Murray report recommends that the government extend protections from unfair contracts for SME loans, Slonim says that “assumes” small businesses are able to sign a contract with a lender in the first place.
Slonim believes it is likely the government will adopt most of the recommendations contained in the Murray report, but says there will be another period of consultation with Treasury before the government officially responds at the end of March 2015.
“Joe Hockey will now be lobbied by all and sundry, particularly the banks” he says.
Marketlend – New Theme Picture
Marketlend new theme picture
We have also have established our new theme picture, meaning new kids shining light on a stagnant banking industry
Trust Documents executed by Trustee, Marketlend, Tyndall Capital and Jardine Lloyd Thompson
In a first for the peer to peer industry, Marketlend from inception is operating a securitisation trust structure to offer investors the most secure and protected funding opportunity available.
Master Trust Deed, Security Trust Deed, Sale and Origination Deed, and Back Up Servicer Deed were executed on 24 December 2014.
AET, a wholly owned subsidiary of IOOF, who manages approx. 123 Billion of wealth funds in Australia was appointed the Trustee, and Security Trustee.
Jardine Lloyd Thompson, listed on the UK stock exchange will perform the role of back up servicer.
“We have structured our lending platform with a solid foundation, that will be built to last. From the mom and dad investor to the large financial institutional investors, all investors are protected and purchase a secured bond where the underlying asset is a loan in the trust or part thereof if the investor wishes. These notes will have the traditional trading aspects to them, and whilst liquidity take a while to build, the notes are tradable instruments in the capital markets.” Leo Tyndall, Founder and CEO.
An interview with Marketlend CEO – Leo Tyndall
Interview with Marketlend CEO – Click here to listen
Marketlend is a new Australian lending platform founded and led by Leo Tyndall.
Launched in the same week that the Financial System Inquiry (FSI) of Australia released its “blueprint” for the Australian financial system for the next ten years, this new platform shows how innovation in financial products is global.
We were lucky enough to get a chance to speak to Leo in the week of his launch.
Leo provides us with an interesting insight as to how Marketlend is a necessary addition to the Australian business finance marketplace and what makes its offer so distinctive.
The FSI report is generally encouraging towards crowdfunding and new and novel approaches to finance and we can be sure that where Leo’s team lead others will certainly follow.
You can stream the interview from here, our Podbean account or download it for later listening
Marketlend in the Press
Banking Day article
Marketlend jostles in P2P sector
12 December 2014 7:02am
Marketlend, another P2P style lender, is making its debut in the Australian market.
Leo Tyndall, a former head of capital markets in Asia for UniCredit, is the founder and CEO. Paul Roffey, a former JP Morgan and NAB banker, is the second director.
Marketlend is a subsidiary of Tyndall Capital Pty which holds the Australian Financial Services Licence.
Business loans (especially working capital, including a line of credit linked to invoices) are the initial target product with personal loans to come.
Like others in the segment, Marketlend is not really a peer to peer lender as its investment is confined to a well-heeled few and professional investors. However, there is a bidding platform to match investments with loan requests.
Retail investors may be able to join later.
One difference in the Marketlend model is a market for secondary trading in investments in loans.
ThinCats is another recent entrant in this niche, while RateSetter and SocietyOne have more of a consumer loans focus.