5 Personal Lending Trends in 2021

The peer-to-peer economy has revolutionized the way people do business. Consequently, the financial sector has made impressive advances. Microloans are small loans that are issued by individuals and not by banks or credit unions. These loans can be made by one person or combined between several persons each of whom contributes a portion of the total amount.

Lending or microlending is a financial innovation made possible by technology and an up-to-date economy. People looking to lend money for potentially high returns can finance borrowers. However, they may not have access to credit due to their geographic location or cannot get credit from traditional sources such as banks or credit unions, they can also rely on the services like https://directloantransfer.com/instant-cash/ for quick money.

Many lenders can issue one loan while others can spread investments across a loan portfolio to increase their risks. Microloans have high-interest rates as they tend to be much riskier than other forms of borrowing. Ordinarily, they do not provide collateral in the event of default.

While many financial players are investing heavily in lending transformation, financial products themselves have not changed significantly over the past few decades. Instead, innovation has largely focused on digitizing and automating existing loan products and processes using modern techniques to more accurately assess credit risk.

However, all of these trends have very little impact on mainstream financial products. Therefore, on the flexibility and control of clients over their financing. We believe that in the coming years we will also see an evolution of major financial products that will become more adaptable and more focused on specific customer needs.

1.   Non-Banking Organizations Enter the Lending Market

Non-bank organizations have entered the lending industry more actively than ever. These institutions are seizing the opportunity to meet consumers they’ve spent a lot of time on and using their trust in the company of origin to launch new financial products. Small and medium business owners were one of the biggest targets. A sharp rise in unemployment and a shortage of available jobs pushed many people towards entrepreneurship expanding hobbies and additional business jobs. The same way they adapt to emerging social needs.

Why do clients apply for a loan from a financial institution?

  • Funding for a project that you usually cannot finance yourself. The financial institution borrows money and the client pays over time. Typical examples are a personal loan or home mortgage, or a mortgage or business loan.
  • Eliminating short-term liquidity shortages, that is, replenishing temporary liquidity shortages which can usually be compensated fairly quickly. Typical examples are overdrafts or lines of credit, credit cards, bridging loans, or invoice financing/factoring. Typically, these are short-term loans are often renewable. They are repaid in part or in whole when a certain event occurs (after receiving wages, paying bills, or selling your house).

However, loans can also be used if borrowing from a financial institution is cheaper than using your own internal reserves even if they are available. This usually occurs in the following three scenarios:

  • An individual or company can generate income from their own money and assets in excess of the cost of financing. For companies, this may be because assets are set aside for acquisitions or investments. A risk buffer similar to capital buffers for solvency rates or distribution to shareholders in the form of dividends. For individuals, this may be due to leverage, that is, borrowed money is reinvested in securities.
  • Fiscal incentive associated with the loan. Many countries allow tax withholding of interest on loans which makes lending more attractive than using internal reserves.
  • The interest is paid by a third party. Typical examples are deferred payments or consumer loans offered by car manufacturers, electrical stores, and other traders.

Depending on the client segment, underlying object/collateral, loan term and loan type (revolving or installment), dozens of loan products have been invented to support these different types of financial goals.

2.   Embedded Finance

Finance and technology are the crossroads for impeccable shopping. Digital wallets allow you to store information and instantly access it to make a purchase by scanning a QR code or clicking the “Pay Now” button built into the app. Perhaps one of the most famous non-bank payment processors was cashless fare service Uber which quickly expanded to Uber Eats and other related offerings. However, the most beneficial aspect may not be a consumer-oriented application but a driver-oriented application. With Instant Pay, drivers can access their earnings without having to wait for their paycheck or go to the bank.

Other built-in options include point-of-sale (POS) financing which lags a full three percentage points behind credit cards between 2015 and 2021 ($ 10 billion in revenue). It is expected to grow another 50% on top of that at the expense of EOY 2021. This option allows buyers to finance for $ 50 over a six-week period with four small payments at 0% per annum.

3.   Generation Z Growth

Generation Z is the first digital generation that has been known as a world connected to the Internet. Thus, they turn to technology for solutions and are the largest users of non-bank lending. Only two-thirds have a traditional bank account. Millennials may have begun a shift towards lending by financial technology that is a trend that surpassed traditional bank lending in 2015. Gen Z is warier of money and more likely to finance a large purchase with credit than using a credit card. Gen Z can be expected to strongly influence the continued growth of nonbank personal lending in the future.

4.   Digital Personal Loan Borrowers

Gen Z digital natives are not alone in taking advantage of digital borrowing. The pandemic has forced many traditional banking customers to leave their comfort zone and dive into the world of online shopping and contactless payments. This image of personal lending has also undergone major changes as the bar for customer satisfaction with digital financial services has risen sharply.

In almost no time, loan officers switched from bank to home loans. Borrowers saw stacks of documentation and multiple authentication visits streamlined into a cloud interface, document upload portals, and fast remote authentication resulting in rapid digital approval.

5.   Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are also changing the face of personal lending. Huge amounts of data are now available for each candidate. This results in a higher and more accurate approval rate for buyers, a lower loss rate for lenders, and a shorter time to finance. Personal lending went digital as investing in artificial intelligence and machine learning may be the most effective way to reduce costs and expand operations in the new world of lending. These tools can help you get a complete bird’s eye view of customer loan lifecycles, dig deeper into transaction history, and identify risks to make informed lending decisions. The result is a strong loan portfolio with built-in risk management and a high return on investment.

Adam Hansen
 

Adam is a part time journalist, entrepreneur, investor and father.