Lendermarket Review 2026: Why I'm Topping Up to €6,000 (ECSP-regulated, buyback, 12.21% return)

A short but important update from my P2P portfolio: I'm topping up my position on Lendermarket* – it currently stands at €6,000 invested with a displayed return of 12.21%. In this post I explain why I'm adding right now: Lendermarket is now ECSP-regulated, offers over 13% interest, a buyback guarantee, and recently – with Auto Invest FLEX – finally an early exit. We'll also look at regulation, Creditstar, taxes and the bonus – and of course the risks.

As always, the most important note up front: this is not investment advice and not a buy recommendation. I only show my personal investments and my personal opinion. I'm responsible for my money, you for yours – especially in P2P and credit investing the risks are significant, up to total loss. Do your own research and always make your own decision.

Lendermarket at a glance

If you're short on time, here's the short version:

• What: a P2P platform run by Lendermarket Limited from Dublin (Ireland) for consumer loans.
• Lender: mainly the Creditstar Group, plus a few other originators.
• Regulation: ECSP licence from the Central Bank of Ireland since December 2024 (a mix of regulated and unregulated loans).
• Interest: weighted average around 13%, individual loans more.
• Protection: buyback guarantee after 60 days plus, on many loans, a Creditstar group guarantee.
• New: early exit via Auto Invest FLEX (since April 2026, return then ~10.5–12.5%).
• Costs: €0 fees for investors, no foreign withholding tax.
• My position: €6,000 invested, 12.21% return – I'm topping up right now.
• Bonus: 1.5% cashback on all investments in the first 90 days via my partner link*.

What is Lendermarket?

Lendermarket* is a P2P marketplace run by Lendermarket Limited, based in Dublin, Ireland. You invest in consumer loans issued mainly by the Creditstar Group – an established European lender that has been on the market for over 15 years. Lendermarket is the platform you invest through; the actual lending happens at Creditstar and a few other originators.

This model – marketplace up front, lender in the background – is one you know from many established providers. The big difference from young high-yield platforms: Lendermarket now has real EU regulation and a long, if not always smooth, track record. That's exactly what makes it a core position for me rather than just a small test bet.

Is Lendermarket regulated and safe?

The main reason for my top-up is the regulation. Since December 2024, Lendermarket* has been ECSP-licensed – supervised as a European Crowdfunding Service Provider by the Central Bank of Ireland. That puts it in a different league from the many unregulated providers out there.

One quirk you should know: Lendermarket currently offers a mix of regulated and (still) unregulated loans that you can choose between – rather unusual in P2P. And, as always, this is important: the ECSP licence does not protect against loan defaults and does not replace deposit insurance. It provides supervision, transparency obligations and segregated processes – but the credit risk still stays with you. On top of that there's a clear concentration risk on the Creditstar Group: if this one lender fails, it hits a large part of your loans at once.

Interest and the buyback guarantee

The terms are the second reason for topping up. The weighted average interest rate is over 13% per year, with individual loans paying more at times. The loans are protected by the buyback guarantee: if a loan is more than 60 days overdue, the lender repurchases it in full – including outstanding principal and accrued interest. On Lendermarket*, many loans also carry an additional group guarantee from the Creditstar Group.

To date, per the platform, the buyback guarantee has always been honoured. That's reassuring, but not a free pass: like any buyback guarantee, it stands and falls with the lender's solvency. As long as Creditstar is healthy, the mechanism works – if the group runs into trouble, the guarantee helps little. That's exactly why diversification across several platforms remains a must for me, as across my whole P2P portfolio.

New: early exit with Auto Invest FLEX

Lendermarket's biggest drawback for a long time was the lack of liquidity: once invested, your money was locked until maturity – there was no secondary market. That changed in April 2026. Via the Auto Invest FLEX product you can now request an early exit.

Two things to keep in mind: first, the FLEX return is lower (around 10.5–12.5% instead of over 13%) – that's the price for flexibility. Second, the exit is tied to replacement financing and not guaranteed: it needs enough fresh capital from other investors to take over your loans. So there's still no instant, guaranteed exit like a savings account – but at least the emergency exit is there, and that's a real step forward.

Why I'm topping up right now

For me, several things currently line up on Lendermarket*: the ECSP regulation, a solid lender with a group guarantee, over 13% interest, and with FLEX finally some liquidity. My account stands at €6,000 invested with a displayed return of 12.21% – which is exactly why I keep adding here rather than putting fresh capital into smaller, unregulated bets.

This fits my overall strategy, which I describe in the net-worth updates and P2P updates: I tend to shift capital from unregulated toward regulated platforms and grow a few core positions – Lendermarket among them – step by step toward €10,000. Lendermarket is no longer a test for me, but a fixed building block.

Fees

Short and sweet: for investors Lendermarket is completely free – account opening, investing and deposits/withdrawals cost nothing. There are no hidden fees; the platform earns on the margin between lender and investor, not directly from you.

Taxes on Lendermarket

One pleasant point: no foreign withholding tax is deducted on Lendermarket interest. As with all foreign platforms, you report and pay German withholding tax yourself via Anlage KAP in your tax return. You'll find an annual statement of your earnings in your Lendermarket account. (This is not tax advice – if in doubt, ask your tax advisor.)

The Lendermarket bonus: 1.5% cashback

If you want to try Lendermarket yourself: via my partner link* you secure 1.5% cashback on all investments in the first 90 days after registration. It's tracked automatically through the link, no code needed. That's €15 on €1,000, or €90 on €6,000.

A tip from experience: only sign up once your starting capital is actually ready – the 90 days start at registration, not at your first deposit. That way you get the maximum out of the cashback.

Conclusion: a solid base, deliberately diversified

Lendermarket* is one of the more interesting P2P updates of the year for me: a platform that has matured from an unregulated high-yield provider into an ECSP-regulated, structurally sound marketplace. Over 13% interest, a buyback guarantee after 60 days with a Creditstar group guarantee, and with Auto Invest FLEX now even some liquidity – that's a rounded package, which is why I'm topping up to €6,000.

Still, the same applies here: no deposit insurance, a real concentration risk on Creditstar, and a buyback guarantee that hangs on its solvency. For me that means: a core position, yes – but always only as part of a broadly diversified portfolio, not as a single bet.

If you'd like to test Lendermarket, grab the 1.5% cashback via my partner link*. And if you want to see how Lendermarket fits into the bigger picture: my full P2P portfolio is publicly viewable, and all current promotions are bundled at finlen.de/p2pbonus.

Links marked with * are partner links. If you start through them, you support my work – nothing changes for you; on the contrary, you secure the cashback. Thank you!