Another day, another deal in the alternative-finance sector as it marries itseld off to mainstream banking and finance. The latest pairing brings a surprisingly positive comment – good maybe, but “made in heaven”? – from our friends at AltFi, who report:
Another partnership that seems to be a match in fintech heaven, this time for credit marketplace ClearScore and digital bank Zopa.
Currently, four million people in the UK use open banking in their day-to-day lives, with the technology spreading across all fintech sectors and now, for the first time, into the world of credit cards too.
The collaboration is the first time that a credit marketplace and a credit provider have teamed up to utilise open banking.
By combining real-time open banking data held by ClearScore and Zopa, users will be able to find out immediately if they are pre-approved for a Zopa credit card.
The Zopa credit card offered via ClearScore’s marketplace will have a personalised APR and limit depending on a customer’s creditworthiness and personal financial situation.
Loan Offer Latest
Historical Performance And IFISA Process Guide
That figure is the result of over £20 million of loans facilitated on the site, as we bring individuals looking for a good return on capital together with carefully vetted small companies seeking funds for growth. Bear in mind that lenders’ capital is at risk. Read warnings on site before committing capital.
All loans on site are eligible to be held in a Money&Co. Innovative Finance Individual Savings Account (IFISA), up to the annual ISA limit of £20,000. Such loans offer lenders tax-free income. Our offering is an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) that can hold the peer-to-peer (P2P) business loans that Money&Co. facilitates. For the purposes of this article, the terms ISA and IFISA are interchangeable.
So here’s our guide to the process:
The ISA allowance for 2020/21 is unchanged from last tax year at £20,000, allowing a married couple to put £40,000 into a tax-free environment. Over three years, an investment of this scale in two Money&Co. Innovative Finance ISAs would generate £8,400 of income completely free of tax. We’re assuming a 7 per cent return, net of charges and free of tax here.
Once you have made your initial commitment, you might then consider diversifying – buying a spread of loans. To do this, you can go into the “loans for sale” market. All loans bought in this market also qualify for IFISA tax benefits.
Risk: Security, Access, Yield
Do consider not just the return, but the security and the ease of access to your investment. We write regularly about these three key factors. Here’s one of several earlier articles on security, access and yield.