Peer-to-peer Investment
Smart investments in real people
- Generate target returns of up to 5.2%
- Best results over the mid to long-term (3+ years)
- Also available as a tax-free ISA
Your capital is at risk, fees apply when selling loans. Tax treatment depends on your circumstances and may be subject to change in the future.
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We're fully regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). But remember, this investment is not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)
What is the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)?
The FCA is the UK’s financial regulator. Its role is to make sure consumers get a fair deal, keep the financial services industry stable and promote healthy competition. Zopa is fully FCA regulated.
What is the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)?
The FSCS is a compensation scheme for customers of financial services firms that have failed. It protects up to £85,000 if an authorised bank or building society goes bust. Our peer-to-peer investments are not covered by the scheme.
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About Zopa
1st
The world's first peer-to-peer platform14 years
of personal loan investment expertise£4.5 billion
in personal loans lent to over 470,000 UK consumers£280 million
interest generated for over 60,000 active investors
Numbers as of June 2019
Understand Zopa in under 90 seconds
We bring borrowers and investors together
Start off from as little as £1,000 and we'll split your money across specially selected loans to reduce risk and help you reach your target return.
Feel good knowing your investment will help people across the UK fund everything from home improvements to new wheels for getting to work.
We find people in the UK that want to take out a loan for a maximum amount of £25,000. Drawing on our wealth of lending experience, we assess their risk and calculate a fixed interest rate for a period of up to five years.
Then, we match them with people like you – people who want to earn a good return while helping others achieve their goals.
Here's a breakdown of the process
- 1
- Zopa splits your investment into small chunks. These are then put in a queue to be matched with different loans.
- 2
- We’ll work out how to distribute your investment so you’re set up to match your target return.
- 3
- You’ll receive monthly repayments, including interest but minus our loan servicing fee.
- 4
- Some loans default. We factor this in when calculating target returns.
- 5
- By letting us reinvest your repayments as they come in, you can earn interest on interest.
Who you invest in
Our borrowers come in all shapes and sizes, but we run checks on every single one. Here's a snapshot of what they look like.
* average January 2018 - April 2019
Can demonstrate a good track record of repaying debt
Are current UK residents
Have at least three years of UK address history
Average age 40 years old*
Average income of £40,000*
How we manage the risks
We've been doing this for 14 years and use all of our experience to decide who we will approve for a loan.
Your investment will be spread across many different loans. This reduces your risk as no one person is lent more than 1% of your initial investment.
We know that sometimes repayments may be missed. That's why we factor this into your target returns and have an experienced Collections team based in London who help to get things back on track. The vast majority of our borrowers who miss a payment will go on to fully repay their loan.
If four months of repayments are missed, we default the loan. If this happens, you'll stop receiving your regular repayments from this particular borrower. But even after a default, a team will continue to work with them to try and make recoveries on your behalf.
Borrower risk profiles
Our borrowers have to meet high standards. We only approve about 20% of people who apply for a loan with us.†
Everyone that we do approve is categorised to assess their risk and given an interest rate personalised to them. The profiles range from A* to E. Our A* borrowers are the most reliable and E the riskiest. This process is informed by 14 years of lending data and the latest credit info from three major UK credit bureaus.
† Based on applications via ClearScore May 2018 – March 2019, representative of Zopa's borrower approval rates.
20%
of Loan applications
80%
of Loan applications
A* A B C D E
Applicants we view as too risky
Here's a breakdown of how we calculate annual projected returns across our risk categories. Your Zopa investment will be unique to you, containing a mix of these profiles tailored to help you reach your target return.
Source: Indicative ranges based on weighted average interest rates and projected default rates by risk profile in 2018.
Although the majority of loans are unsecured, less than 10% are secured car loans. Given their risk, we classify these under our A and B profiles.
Investment tailored to your appetite
We offer two options for investors to pick from, Zopa Core and Zopa Plus:
- Both contain A*, A, B and C borrowers
- Zopa Plus adds higher risk D and E loans into the mix
- Both Zopa Core and Zopa Plus are available as ISAs so you can enjoy your peer-to-peer returns tax free.
The target return we show is the net annual return we expect the average investor to earn. It is made up of a blend of the interest rates of the different loans you invest in, minus expected losses from defaults and our loan servicing fee (which is paid by the borrower). Your actual return could be higher or lower depending on the rate of defaults.
We sometimes revise our target returns based on the latest market conditions. If you choose to reinvest your repayments this will be done at the latest target rate.
A 1% sale fee applies when selling loans early: this is not taken into account in the target return.
The target return we show is the net annual return we expect the average investor to earn. It is made up of a blend of the interest rates of the different loans you invest in, minus expected losses from defaults and our loan servicing fee (which is paid by the borrower). Your actual return could be higher or lower depending on the rate of defaults.
We sometimes revise our target returns based on the latest market conditions. If you choose to reinvest your repayments this will be done at the latest target rate.
A 1% sale fee applies when selling loans early: this is not taken into account in the target return.
Our borrowers have to meet high standards. We only approve about 20% of people who apply for a loan with us.
Everyone that we do approve is categorised to assess their risk and given an interest rate personalised to them. The profiles range from A* to E. Our A* borrowers are the most reliable and E the riskiest. These decisions are informed by 14 years of lending data and the latest credit info from three major UK credit bureaus.
A*, A, B & C
Our borrowers have to meet high standards. We only approve about 20% of people who apply for a loan with us.
Everyone that we do approve is categorised to assess their risk and given an interest rate personalised to them. The profiles range from A* to E. Our A* borrowers are the most reliable and E the riskiest. These decisions are informed by 14 years of lending data and the latest credit info from three major UK credit bureaus.
A*, A, B, C, D & E
Typically, D and E loans are limited to 20% of your personal mix£1,000
£1,000
No fixed term
Best results over the mid to long-term, but you can choose to access your money early by selling loans you have invested in. This process depends on demand from other investors to buy your loans so can take several days. A 1% sale fee applies.
Not protected
Your capital is at risk and is not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) when you invest.
FAQs
What else do you need to know?
Up next: Proof
Take a look at how we've performed in the past and the contingency plans we have put in place to make sure your money is in safe hands.
Your capital is at risk and is not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Fees may apply.
We're here to help
Monday to Thursday (8am to 8pm), Friday (8am to 5pm)
We have savings and investment specialists on hand to assist you. UK residents only. Calls may be monitored or recorded.
