Understanding how all of these dynamics will impact marketplace lending was perhaps best expressed in the final paragraph of the white paper, which we released last month — prior to all of these industry jarring announcements.
"Old School financial services firms and even modern FinTech platforms will need to find new ways to employ technology and regulations in order to accommodate an increasingly influential retail clientele. New leaders will rise. Some unexpected frontrunners will fall. The businesses that will best be able to oblige the retail customer, adapt to these regulatory changes, and penetrate retail's $14+ trillion retirement capital will prevail. But of all of the victors in this new democratized investing landscape, by far the greatest winners of all will be the American people."
If this is indeed the end of marketplace lending, I would surmise that it is the rebirth of true Peer-to-Peer investing.
Commentary by Dara Albright, a recognized speaker, writer & influencer on topics relating to market structure, new issues, FinTech, P2P & crowd finance. She is also the co-founder of the FinFair and Lendit conferences. Follow her on Twitter @tothestoics.
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