A high growth rate in volumes within the alternative finance industry, recorded in a new report, has been warmly received by industry leaders who say the latest data show an increased mainstream acceptance of the market.
The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance’s report, entitled Entrenching Innovation, found the UK online alternative finance market grew 43 per cent in 2016 to £4.6bn
Julia Groves, Head of Debt-Based Securities platform at Downing Crowd says many of the new entrants to the debt- based securities space have been established investment managers – “a clear sign that the grown-ups have started to arrive in the crowdfunding market.”
This is an important milestone, she says, as it shows more experienced investors are gaining exposure to the asset class quelling early views of alternative finance as being too high-risk.
