The best P2P platforms for investors in a regulation check
Last updated: 18 August 2026
P2P loans lure with double-digit returns – but for me the key question isn't the return, it's: who regulates the platform and who owes you your money in the end? This comparison puts 16 platforms to the test – by return, regulation, buyback, minimum investment and risk. Regulated providers are weighted highly, unregulated ones flagged honestly. The research, ratings and data upkeep come from finanzarena – I show which of these I invest in myself.

Licensed with a full buyback obligation
* Historical return, no guarantee.
16 platforms at a glance, the top 3 of my selection are highlighted. The star rating per provider is calculated by finanzarena using fixed criteria.
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| Provider | 1![]() Debitum To provider 1% cashback1% cashback on your investments during the first 30 days via our link, combinable with the four-tier loyalty programme (loyalty bonus up to 2% p.a.). | 2![]() Mintos To provider up to €350 bonusRegistration with the code plus a first investment in the same calendar month, tiered by the amount invested.Code: GO-FINANZARENA | 3 | 4 | 5![]() Lendermarket To provider 1.5% cashbackRegistration via our link, cashback on investments in the first 90 days. | 6 | 7![]() Monefit SmartSaver To provider 0.25% cashbackCashback on transfers in the first 90 days, up to €1,250 deposited. No separate welcome bonus. | 8 | 9![]() Indemo To provider up to 5.5% cashbackNew-investor bonus via our link, currently up to 5.5% cashback on your investments. | 10 | 11![]() Loanch To provider €20 + 1% cashbackFor new investors via our link; plus a loyalty programme with 6 tiers from €3,000 portfolio up to +1.50% interest. | 12 | 13![]() Maclear To provider up to 3% cashbackCashback for 90 days, welcome bonus from €50 invested within 7 days. | 14 | 15![]() Revest To provider up to 1% cashbackNew customer cashback via our link: 1% on business loans, 0.25% on consumer loans (first 90 days). | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our rating | ||||||||||||||||
| Return p.a. | up to 15%* | approx. 10.8%* | up to 6%* | approx. 10-14%* | approx. 13.5%* | approx. 8-16%* | approx. 7.5%* | 9-12%* | 15%* | approx. 11.8%* | up to 15.9%* | approx. 12.5%* | up to 15.6%* | approx. 11.5%* | approx. 13.5-16%* | approx. 22%* |
| Min. investment | €10 | €50 | €1 | €50 | €10 | €10 | €10 | €150 | €10 | €10 | €10 | €10 | €50 | €50 | €10 | 100 USDC (approx. €100) |
| Location | Latvia | Latvia | Estonia | Latvia | Ireland | Bulgaria | Estonia | Latvia | Latvia | Croatia | Croatia (loans in Southeast Asia) | Croatia | Switzerland | Croatia | Croatia | Offshore (Canada / SVG) |
| License / regulation | EU-licensed MiFID II (investment brokerage) | EU-licensed MiFID II (investment firm) | Other supervision The platform itself is not regulated, the parent is EFSA-licensed | EU-licensed ECSP (EU 2020/1503) | EU-licensed ECSP licence (C513967) | EU-licensed ECSP licence (EU 2020/1503) | Other supervision The platform itself is not regulated, the lender Creditstar is | EU-licensed ECSP (EU 2020/1503) | EU-licensed MiFID II (investment firm) | Unlicensed Unregulated (ECSP applied for) | Unlicensed None (unregulated) | Unlicensed No financial licence | Other supervision PolyReg SRO member (Switzerland) | Unlicensed No licence (only Croatian commercial register) | Unlicensed No licence (the operator is explicitly not authorised as an investment firm) | Unlicensed No financial licence (only AML registration) |
| Supervision | Latvijas Banka (Latvia) | Latvijas Banka (Latvia) | EFSA (Estonia) at the level of the parent company | Latvijas Banka (Latvia), with an EU-wide passport | Central Bank of Ireland | Financial Supervision Commission (Bulgaria) | No platform licence, the lender Creditstar is licensed in 8 countries | Latvijas Banka (Latvia), with an EU-wide passport since June 2026 | Latvijas Banka (Latvia) | No financial services licence (pre-licensing) | No financial supervision | No financial services supervision | Swiss self-regulation (SRO), no EU/MiFID/ECSP licence | No financial supervision | No financial supervision | No financial supervision (FINTRAC MSB / PolyReg SRO, a pure anti-money-laundering registration) |
| Loan types | Business loans (B2B), partly agricultural and forestry | Loans, bonds, real estate, ETFs, Smart Cash | Unsecured consumer loans (5 markets) | Agricultural loans (land, machinery, grain) | Consumer and business loans (12 originators) | Business loans, and since 2026 also real estate | Consumer loans of the Creditstar group (8 countries) | Property-secured business loans | Non-performing residential property loans from Spain | Business loans, mortgages, vehicle and long-term loans | Consumer loans (Malaysia/Indonesia) | Short-term business loans (30-90 days), Linqo product up to 24 months | Secured EU SME business loans (15+ countries) | Consumer and business loans from 3 lenders (Malaysia, Singapore, Mexico) | Kazakh consumer loans (25 days) and business loans to the group itself (1 to 24 months) | Business loans (P2B) worldwide, only in USDC |
| Loan term | approx. 3-36 months (per investment) | 1-120 months | Flexible, available at any time | 3-60 months (avg. 21) | from 30 days | 1-60 months | Flexible; Vaults 12-24 months | 12-36 months | Estimated up to approx. 5 years (foreclosure) | 1-12 months | Not officially published | 30 days to 24 months | approx. 9-14 months | 1, 3, 6 or 12 months | 25 days (consumer), 1 to 24 months (business) | 4-16 months (bullet repayment) |
| Buyback / protection | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Secondary market | No | Yes | Not applicable | Yes | No | No | Not applicable | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Liquidity | Classic ABS locked until maturity; the separate Debitum Flow product (8% p.a.) allows withdrawal requests of up to EUR 1,000 next business day / EUR 5,000 per week with no exit fee, but with no withdrawal guarantee | Smart Cash daily; loans via the secondary market (0.85%) | Near-instant access (Go & Grow), practically without limit | Locked until maturity; early exit only via the secondary market (no guarantee) | FLEX: early exit by giving up 50% of the annual interest | SaveSmart: up to 30% early (1% fee), loans locked | Available daily (instant up to €1,000/month) | Locked until maturity (12-36 months), no secondary market and no buyback | Locked until recovery, no early exit | Cash-out/secondary market, but the provider can deactivate it | Illiquid, capital generally locked until loan maturity; no guaranteed early exit | Locked until maturity, no secondary market | Exit via the secondary market (2.5% fee, market-dependent) | Locked until the end of the term, no secondary market; early exit only with the lender's consent and at the cost of all interest | Consumer loans are short at 25 days; otherwise exit is via the secondary market (since 03/09/2026, face value only, only through auto-invest, not guaranteed to be available) | Only via a thin secondary market; per the T&Cs, locked until maturity |
| Default rate | 0% (provider figure) | Yes, rate not public | 0% (provider figure) | Yes, around 4.8% (by volume); Art. 20 ECSPR rate 2025: 5.61% | 0% (provider figure) | 0% (provider figure) | n/a | No meaningful rate: no loan has matured yet | n/a | 0% (provider figure) | No default rate published; per its own statistics page, at Tambadana 21.9% of investments are 1-15 days and 21.64% are 16-30 days overdue (live check 27.08.2026) | n/a | Yes, 1 default, fully recovered | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Investor capital losses | No, none documented | Yes, loss year 2022, individual originators defaulted | No, withdrawal queue in 2020, no capital loss | No investor capital losses reported (provider figure, not externally confirmed); defaults in recovery | Partly, pending-payments crisis 2022-24 (resolved) | No, none documented | No, none documented | None reported, but without significance, because no loan has matured yet | No realised investor losses, a young platform, so far only a rising market | No, none documented | No documented capital losses | No, none documented | No, 1 default in 2025, 100% recovered | No documented investor losses; according to the platform, no payout delays since 2023 | No documented investor losses, but the platform has only been active since December 2025 | No, none documented (a young platform) |
| Operator profitable | Yes, provider figure | No, group loss of €2.74 million (2024) | Yes, profitable since 2017 | Yes, audited (profit 2024: €196,086, 2025: €206,485) | No, loss of around €300,000 (2024) | Partly, the parent Stikcredit is profitable | Partly, the parent Creditstar is profitable | Not officially disclosed (operator founded in 2024, pilot phase) | Operator Indemo SIA at a loss in 2025 (around €0.69 million), going concern with an unqualified audit opinion | No figure, no public figures | Unknown, no audited platform figures (operator: €5,000 share capital) | No, going-concern note (2024) | No, loss in 2024, negative equity | Only the 2025 annual accounts are filed in the register; the Space Crew Finance group does not disclose audited figures | The operator is a company with EUR 2,500 share capital and no figures of its own; the lenders report profits that, per their own reports, stem largely from provision releases and currency gains (operationally negative) | No figure, an offshore operator, no figures |
| Auto-invest | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Payment methods | Card, open banking, SEPA (EUR only) | SEPA/Sofort free, card and Apple/Google Pay (2%) | SEPA transfer only | SEPA transfer, Pay by Bank (instant) | SEPA (EUR only), card | Bank transfer (Lemonway), no card | SEPA free, card and Apple Pay (1%) | Transfer from your own account (wallet via Lemonway) | SEPA (EUR only) | Bank transfer from an EU account | Bank transfer | SEPA transfer only | Bank transfer (EUR) | SEPA in euros only (no card), withdrawal limit €5,000 per week | SEPA in euros only from your own account, minimum withdrawal EUR 50 | Only USDC via a crypto wallet (Base network) |
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| Fees | Deposits and withdrawals free of charge | Account free, inactivity €4.90/month, sale 0.85% | Withdrawal €1 flat, otherwise free of charge | No investor fees, free withdrawal | 1st withdrawal per month free, then €2 | Free of charge for investors | SEPA free of charge, card payment 1% | No investor fees except €1 per withdrawal | Investing, deposits and withdrawals free, inactivity fee €2.90/month | No platform fees | 0% platform fees | n/a | Deposits/withdrawals 0%, sale 2.5% | Investing, deposits and withdrawals are free (the terms allow for a future service fee) | Investing, deposits and withdrawals are free (the terms allow for future service fees) | No platform fee for investors (only gas fee); the 3% is borne by the borrower |
| Investors / volume | 34,700+ investors · €223 million funded | 700,000+ users · €12.8bn funded | 500,000+ investors · €2.1bn invested | 11,158 investors · €63.5 million funded | 29,000+ investors · €657 million funded | €38 million invested | 48,000+ investors · €450 million paid in | 200 registered investors · around €83,000 financed (4 projects) | 23,000+ investors · over €37 million invested | €979 million invested | 16,000 investors · €110.8 million cumulatively invested · €11.8 million outstanding portfolio (own figure, 27.08.2026) | 29,000+ investors · €182 million funded | 41,000+ investors · €114 million funded | 1,025 investors · around €2.2 million outstanding portfolio (€3.7 million cumulative) | 679 active investors · around €3.0 million outstanding portfolio (€10.6 million cumulative) | 2,620 investors · around 19.7m USD funded (8lends only, as of 25.08.2026) |
| Founded | 2019 | 2015 | 2008 | 2019 (as LendSecured) | 2018 | 2023 | 2022 | 2024 (first project June 2026) | 2022 (operating since November 2023) | 2020 | 2024 | n/a | 2022 | 2023 | 2025 (platform live since December 2025) | 2025 |
| Specifics | A licensed niche for business loans, with 0% default so far according to its own figures | The broadest offering, a licensed marketplace and wide diversification across many lenders | A very simple entry from €1, in return capped at a maximum of 6% | Real collateral (property/registered pledge) instead of a buyback promise, a conservative loan-to-value | A high target return on short-term consumer loans | A regulated ECSP structure with a high return | A flexible, daily-available product with a very high Trustpilot rating | A regulatorily clean ECSP newcomer, but only four financed projects and around €83,000 total volume | Discloses the annual accounts of the Spanish recovery firms, unusually transparent, but with no fixed rate and no liquidity | An attractive return and a broad originator network | High advertised interest, but unregulated and internally intertwined within the group (the Fingular group) | A high return and short terms | A high Trustpilot rating and a strong bonus stack, but only a Swiss SRO instead of an EU licence | Small, unregulated platform from the Space Crew group (structurally like Robocash in miniature), three in-house lenders, buyback after 90 days | Structurally a Robocash clone: an unregulated refinancing channel for a Kazakh lending group, three in-house lenders, buyback from 31 days | Crypto crowdlending (USDC/Base), no licence, contradictory own documents, buyback only in the marketing, an illiquid reward token |
| Warnings | – | – | – | – | Strong concentration risk: 7 of 12 originators belong to the Creditstar group | Personally closely intertwined with the main lender Stikcredit | – | Pilot operation: only 4 financed projects, no loan matured yet, no buyback, no secondary market | – | The majority of the lenders belong to the founders themselves | In 2026, a deposit/withdrawal freeze of around three months after the payment provider lost its licence; strong concentration in one dominant originator | Negative equity of around €1.27 million | No audited platform figures and no portfolio or performance metrics disclosed | Unregulated (no licence), buyback in the contract only as a right of the lender, group guarantee without contractual text; the underlying value depends on an undisclosed group. | Unregulated and self-dealing: one owner controls the platform, all lenders and the buyback; the underlying value depends entirely on this group, whose lenders operate at an operating loss. | Operator details inconsistent (Canada per the T&Cs vs. SVG per the glossary), the homepage figure reflects the corporate group, not the platform alone |
| Offer | To provider 1% cashback1% cashback on your investments during the first 30 days via our link, combinable with the four-tier loyalty programme (loyalty bonus up to 2% p.a.). | To provider up to €350 bonusRegistration with the code plus a first investment in the same calendar month, tiered by the amount invested.Code: GO-FINANZARENA | To provider €5 bonusRequires a first investment of at least €50. | To provider 3% cashbackFor new investors via our link in the first 30 days. | To provider 1.5% cashbackRegistration via our link, cashback on investments in the first 90 days. | To provider 0.5% cashbackRegistration via our link. | To provider 0.25% cashbackCashback on transfers in the first 90 days, up to €1,250 deposited. No separate welcome bonus. | To provider 3% cashbackFor new investors via our link (promotion). | To provider up to 5.5% cashbackNew-investor bonus via our link, currently up to 5.5% cashback on your investments. | To provider 0.5% cashbackRegistration via our link. | To provider €20 + 1% cashbackFor new investors via our link; plus a loyalty programme with 6 tiers from €3,000 portfolio up to +1.50% interest. | To provider 1% cashbackRegistration via our link, cashback on every investment. | To provider up to 3% cashbackCashback for 90 days, welcome bonus from €50 invested within 7 days. | To provider 1% cashbackVia our link, 1% cashback on all investments in the first 90 days. | To provider up to 1% cashbackNew customer cashback via our link: 1% on business loans, 0.25% on consumer loans (first 90 days). | To provider 30 USDC + 6% tokenNew investor via our link, a first investment required. |





Strong concentration risk: 7 of 12 originators belong to the Creditstar group

Personally closely intertwined with the main lender Stikcredit


Pilot operation: only 4 financed projects, no loan matured yet, no buyback, no secondary market


The majority of the lenders belong to the founders themselves

In 2026, a deposit/withdrawal freeze of around three months after the payment provider lost its licence; strong concentration in one dominant originator

Negative equity of around €1.27 million

No audited platform figures and no portfolio or performance metrics disclosed

Unregulated (no licence), buyback in the contract only as a right of the lender, group guarantee without contractual text; the underlying value depends on an undisclosed group.

Unregulated and self-dealing: one owner controls the platform, all lenders and the buyback; the underlying value depends entirely on this group, whose lenders operate at an operating loss.

Operator details inconsistent (Canada per the T&Cs vs. SVG per the glossary), the homepage figure reflects the corporate group, not the platform alone
Return figures are average values observed by the platform in the past and are no guarantee for the future. Default rates are provider figures and are not directly comparable with one another. P2P investments carry the risk of partial or total loss and are not covered by the deposit guarantee scheme.
In order of rating. Each provider shows its regulation status as a badge. The detailed assessment comes from the finanzarena data source – where I invest myself, I link my own in-depth review.

Debitum is one of the few P2P lending platforms with a genuine investment brokerage licence under the MiFID II framework and supervision by the Latvian central bank. You invest in secured business loans structured as asset-backed securities via a wholly owned subsidiary. You can start from €10.
The protection is comparatively strong, with a 100% buyback obligation and skin in the game from the lenders. Even so, buyback is an obligation of the originator, not external capital protection. The 0% default rate stated so far is a look back, not a guarantee for the future. There is no real secondary market yet.

For us, Mintos is a standout all-rounder in the comparison, because as a licensed MiFID II investment firm it is supervised by the Latvian central bank while also offering one of the widest selections by far. Alongside classic loans, you can invest here in bonds, real estate, ETFs and an interest-bearing cash product, all from €50 and spread broadly across many lenders.
One important nuance: the MiFID licence and the investor compensation of up to €20,000 protect you against certain breaches of duty by the platform, but not against the default of individual loans. The buyback obligation comes from the respective lender and is not an insurance. The fact that a negative annual result was possible in 2022 shows that the return is real, but it fluctuates.

Go & Grow is Bondora's automatic loan-portfolio product and a particularly beginner-friendly solution, more a P2P-style loan-portfolio alternative than a classic loan-picking platform. You invest from €1 in an automatically diversified portfolio and the target return is up to 6%. By design, there is no option to pick individual loans.
A nuance worth noting: it is the parent company Bondora AS that is regulated, by the Estonian supervisor; the Go & Grow entity itself is not. The model is based on an assignment of claims, there is no classic buyback but an internal cash reserve buffer, and no deposit guarantee scheme. In return, the return is capped at 6%.

LANDE is a Latvian crowdlending platform for agricultural loans in the Baltics and Eastern Europe, and as an ECSP-licensed platform it is supervised by the Latvian central bank, with an EU-wide passport. Instead of a buyback promise, the loans are usually backed by real collateral: a property lien on farmland, a registered pledge on machinery or a guarantee. Some loans are instead covered by a guarantee from the European Investment Fund (EIF). The conservative loan-to-value, at 42% on average, is the real protection.
An important nuance: LANDE deliberately offers no buyback. If a loan defaults, there is no quick money from the lender, but the recovery of the collateral, which can take months to years. The disclosed default rate is around 4.8% by volume. No investor capital losses are reported so far, though that is a provider figure and not externally confirmed.

Lendermarket has held an ECSP licence from the Irish central bank since the end of 2024, which lets it operate across the EU. The target returns, with a weighted average around 13%, are among the higher ones in the comparison, entry is from €10 and new investors receive 1.5% cashback via our link.
To be honest, two points belong to the picture: Lendermarket works with a dual structure, a regulated crowdfunding service and a separate, unregulated claims service. And a large share of the originators belongs to the Creditstar group, which means a noticeable concentration risk. According to its own Risk Disclosure there is no deposit guarantee scheme and no investor compensation.

Afranga is a spin-off of the Bulgarian lender Stik-Credit and works with a clean ECSP structure supervised by the Bulgarian Financial Supervision Commission. Entry is from €10 and new investors receive 0.5% cashback via our link in the first 90 days.
The most important difference from many competitors: Afranga offers no buyback mechanism. The default risk therefore lies directly with the investor. On top of that, some of the lenders are close to the group, and the secondary market is not yet live. The ECSP licence brings standardised investor-protection rules, but no deposit guarantee scheme on the capital you invest.

Monefit SmartSaver is less a classic P2P lending platform than a flexible savings product: the main account, with a target return of 7.5%, is available daily, and the fixed Vaults offer higher target values. With a 4.7 Monefit has the highest Trustpilot rating in the comparison and a large user base.
On regulation it is worth a close look: as with Bondora, the platform entity itself is not regulated, but behind it stands the Creditstar group as lender, licensed in eight countries. Your money flows into its consumer loan portfolio via an assignment of claims. There is no deposit guarantee scheme. On the plus side, the capital sits in a separate SmartSaver account. The rising debt load of the Creditstar group is worth keeping in mind. Returns are target values, not guaranteed interest.

Digilo is a young Latvian crowdlending platform for property-secured business loans, and as an ECSP-licensed platform it is supervised by the Latvian central bank (Latvijas Banka), with an EU-wide passport since June 2026. Investors give the loan directly to the borrowing company, each project is secured with a property lien (LTV of at most 60% per the provider) and managed via a security agent. Structurally this resembles the LANDE model.
The decisive point for assessing it is the early stage: Digilo has so far financed only four projects worth around €83,000, the first in June 2026, and not a single loan has matured yet. The disclosed default rate of zero percent therefore has no significance. There is expressly no buyback and no secondary market either, so your capital is locked until the end of the term of 12 to 36 months.

Indemo is a Latvian investment firm under MiFID II supervision by Latvijas Banka. Unlike classic P2P lending, Indemo sells shares in non-performing Spanish property loans, which a Spanish partner buys from banks at a high discount and recovers through foreclosure. There is no fixed interest rate and no monthly payment, but a payout at the end, whose amount and timing are both open.
The investor protection is narrower than the advertising suggests: the investor compensation of up to €20,000 covers only the case where Indemo itself does not return your money, not a poor recovery or falling property prices. The official KID classifies the product in risk class 6 of 7. There is no buyback, but with an already defaulted loan that is inherent to the system: the collateral is the property, not a promise by the platform.

Esketit offers an attractive average return of around 11.8% and a buyback by the lenders. The platform is closely interlinked with its lenders and is backed by a strategic shareholder from the banking sector. Entry is from €10.
The decisive point for assessing it: according to its own footer, Esketit is not regulated by a financial services licence, though an ECSP licence has been applied for. The model is based on an assignment of claims. In addition, there was a change of registered office to Croatia in 2025, during which some funds were temporarily frozen. This platform is therefore better suited to experienced investors who can weigh the risk.

Loanch is a marketplace for assigned claims from consumer loans in Malaysia and Indonesia, operated by a Croatian company. It advertises up to 15.9% APR, its own statistics page quotes 14.75% average return, and the originator averages run at 11 to 13.82%. The protection comes via a buyback obligation of the respective lender, stated as 30 days in the marketing but as 60 days in the binding Risk Statement, and according to Loanch it does not apply to all offers.
The central point of criticism is the structure: Loanch is unregulated, there is no ECSP, MiFID or banking licence and no deposit guarantee scheme. The marketplace, all originators and the buyback guarantee belong to the same Fingular group, so there is no independent counterparty. The buyback guarantee is therefore worth only as much as this one group, and on top comes a strong concentration in one dominant originator.

Hive5 draws investors with a high average return of around 12.5%, mostly short terms of 30 to 90 days (up to 24 months with the Linqo product) and a well-rated support. New investors receive 1% cashback via our link in the first 90 days, and a loyalty programme lifts the return further.
The platform holds no financial services licence and therefore falls into the high-risk category. On top of this comes a going-concern note in the 2024 accounts, with negative equity at operator level. The buyback promise comes from the originator and is not external protection. Hive5 is therefore suitable only for experienced investors willing to carry that risk consciously.

Maclear is a Swiss stock corporation and finances secured business loans to small and medium-sized companies in more than 15 countries. With a 4.6 it has one of the highest Trustpilot ratings in the comparison and the most extensive bonus stack, across cashback, welcome and loyalty bonus.
On regulation, precision matters: Maclear is a member of a Swiss self-regulatory organisation (PolyReg) and follows FINMA standards, but it is not FINMA-regulated and holds no EU, MiFID or ECSP licence. Instead of a classic buyback there is a segregated, externally audited reserve fund, plus the collateral on the projects. So far there has been only one default, fully recovered, which is a look back and not a guarantee.

Lonvest is a small, unregulated P2P platform from Zagreb that launched in 2023 and belongs to the Ukrainian-rooted lending group Space Crew Finance. It collects euros from European investors and passes them on to three lenders from the same group in Malaysia, Singapore and Mexico. The average rate is 11.5% according to the platform, and investing is done exclusively via Auto Invest from €50 with terms of 1 to 12 months.
An important point for context: Lonvest has no licence and says so openly in its own FAQ. There is no deposit guarantee scheme and no investor compensation. The advertised 90-day buyback guarantee is, in the contract, only a right of the lender, and an obligation exists according to the terms only in the event of its insolvency. The additional group guarantee appears only in marketing and has no contractual text and no named guarantor. There is no secondary market, and an early exit costs all accrued interest.

Revest is the in-house funding channel of a Kazakh lending group. The platform is based in Croatia, collects euros from European investors and passes them on to lenders that belong to the same owner as the platform itself. It offers 13.5% on 25-day consumer loans and 14 to 16% on business loans with terms of 1 to 24 months, and investing is done exclusively via a portfolio automation from €10.
An important point for context: Revest is not regulated and states in its own footer that the operator is not authorised as an investment firm and does not provide investment services. There is no deposit guarantee scheme and no investor compensation. The real catch is the self-dealing: the platform, all three lenders, the buyback obligation and the collections belong to a single person. The business loans finance the group's own holding, so an independent counterparty is missing entirely.

8lends is a crypto crowdlending platform. You invest only in the stablecoin USDC on the Base network via a self-custodied wallet; investing in euros is not possible. It finances business loans to small and medium-sized firms worldwide, with live-observed returns of around 22% and terms of 4 to 16 months.
The core of the risk is the lack of regulation: 8lends holds no ECSP, MiFID or banking licence, only AML registrations (FINTRAC in Canada, PolyReg SRO in Switzerland). There is no deposit guarantee scheme and no investor protection, and the total-loss risk is stated expressly in the T&Cs. The advertised 100% capital protection and the buyback commitment appear only in the marketing and have no basis in the binding T&Cs.
Not every license is worth the same. For me it's the most important selection criterion – and the reason I gradually shift my capital toward regulated platforms.
| License type | What it gives you | What it does not protect |
|---|---|---|
| ECSP (EU 2020/1503) | EU-wide standardised investor protection with information and vetting duties – the P2P gold standard | No deposit insurance, the invested capital stays at risk |
| MiFID II investment firm | EU investor compensation up to €20,000 for certain platform breaches | Does not apply to normal loan defaults |
| Full banking license | Deposit insurance up to €100,000 on cash deposits | Not on capital invested in loans |
| National license (e.g. EFSA) | National supervision of the company | Check reach and EU passporting case by case |
| Swiss SRO | Self-regulation to FINMA standards in the non-bank sector | No EU license, no EU investor protection |
| No license | No regulatory protection | Highest risk – for me only a small, deliberate addition |
The decisive question in P2P is rarely the return for me, but the counterparty. On some platforms I lend directly to a project, on others I buy a claim the platform assigns to me. Depending on the model, my capital hangs on the creditworthiness of the end borrower, the lender or the platform itself. That is exactly what decides what happens when something goes wrong – not the advertised interest rate.
For me P2P is a deliberately small, broadly diversified building block – not the foundation. I share my full P2P portfolio live and transparently via P2P Dash, including every platform, amount and the return. Three ground rules I stick to:
All current bonus and cashback promotions I use myself are bundled on my P2P bonus page.
P2P loans (peer-to-peer) are arranged directly between investors and borrowers via an online platform, without a traditional bank issuing the loans. As an investor you buy shares in these loans and earn interest – but you carry the default risk. This comparison looks at P2P from the investor's side, i.e. as an investment, not as a way to get your own loan.
P2P is not a savings account. There is no deposit insurance, and partial or total loss is possible. A financial license lowers the risk through supervision and duties, but does not protect against individual loan defaults. Diversifying broadly, starting small and favouring regulated platforms can limit the risk – but not eliminate it.
In this comparison, EU financial licenses are held by, among others, Mintos and Debitum (MiFID II, Latvia) as well as Lendermarket (ECSP, Ireland), Afranga (ECSP, Bulgaria) and LANDE (ECSP, Latvia). For Bondora Go & Grow and Monefit it is not the platform itself that is regulated, but the parent or lender company. Providers like Esketit, Hive5, 8lends or Loanch have no financial-services license of their own. The current status is always shown as a badge in the table.
ECSP stands for European Crowdfunding Service Provider (EU Regulation 2020/1503). It sets uniform rules for crowdlending – such as information sheets, a suitability test and a reflection period – and is regarded as the gold standard for regulating P2P platforms. It does not replace deposit insurance, however.
No. Capital invested in loans is not covered by the statutory €100,000 deposit insurance. That only applies to cash deposits at a bank with a banking license. With P2P you carry the loans' default risk yourself.
A buyback guarantee means the lender repurchases a defaulted loan after a certain overdue period – often after 60 days. Important: it is an obligation of the lender, not external insurance. If the lender itself fails, the guarantee can come to nothing.
Interest income from P2P is generally taxable as capital income in Germany. Many platforms do not withhold German tax, so you report the income yourself via Anlage KAP. This is not tax advice – if in doubt, a tax advisor can help.
P2P is one of the riskier asset classes. I only use a small part of my total wealth – money whose loss I could stomach – and diversify broadly across several platforms and lenders. This is not investment advice, but my personal approach.
A good approach is a small start on a regulated platform, a broad auto-invest diversification and gradually increasing once you know the ropes. Watch the license, buyback terms, fees – and above all the question of who actually owes you the money.
Not investment advice. This comparison is for information and comparison purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a buy recommendation. Make decisions based on your personal situation and risk tolerance, if in doubt with independent advice.
Risk notice. P2P investments carry the risk of partial or total loss and are not covered by statutory deposit insurance. Historical returns are no guarantee for the future.
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