What is P2P lending
How peer-to-peer lending works, who the parties are, and how platforms earn fees on loan origination and servicing.
Read guide →60+ articles on European P2P lending and crowdlending - platform safety, returns, regulation, tax treatment and passive income strategies. Updated monthly with 2026 data.
P2P lending and crowdlending are alternative investments that connect retail investors directly with borrowers - individuals, SMEs, property developers - via online platforms. Returns range from 9% to 25% advertised, but capital is always at risk and platforms fail. These guides cover the mechanics, risks, regulation and practical strategies for European investors comparing platforms in 2026.
New to P2P lending? Begin with these fundamentals.
How peer-to-peer lending works, who the parties are, and how platforms earn fees on loan origination and servicing.
Read guide →The five risk layers in P2P - borrower default, platform failure, originator insolvency, legal jurisdiction and liquidity gaps.
Read guide →Platforms with MiFID II or ECSP licences, auto-invest, low minimums and transparent track records for first-time investors.
Read guide →Step-by-step: choosing platforms, setting allocation limits, KYC process, first deposit and monitoring performance.
Read guide →Asset allocation framework - P2P within a diversified portfolio alongside equities, bonds and cash.
Read guide →Crowdlending vs P2P lending terminology - how ECSP regulation frames direct loans to SMEs and property projects.
Read guide →How to evaluate platforms and identify warning signs.
Ranking by regulation tier, capital losses, originator structure and liquidity - platforms with MiFID II or ECSP licences score highest.
Read guide →Red flags - unregulated jurisdictions, related-party lending, CEO turnover, withdrawal suspensions, yield promises above 20%.
Read guide →Case studies of EstateGuru, Reinvest24, Kuetzal, Envestio - what went wrong and how investors lost capital.
Read guide →MiFID II vs ECSP vs unregulated - what each licence requires, investor compensation limits, and why Swiss SROs differ.
Read guide →Deep dive on Maclear's Swiss SRO status, AML framework, single default track record and EUR 30 bonus mechanics.
Read guide →What to expect, how to diversify, and portfolio construction.
Advertised vs realised yields - data from 19 platforms show 2-5 percentage-point gaps due to defaults and fees.
Read guide →Platforms offering 14-15% net - Maclear SME loans, Indemo Spanish mortgages, Nectaro consumer notes - with risk trade-offs.
Read guide →Multi-platform allocation model - 3-5 platforms, maximum 20% per platform, split by asset class and geography.
Read guide →How auto-invest algorithms work on Mintos, Maclear, PeerBerry - loan criteria, diversification settings, reinvestment timing.
Read guide →Platforms advertising 14-25% - Indemo, Nectaro, Lendermarket, 8lends - ranked by realised returns and capital-loss history.
Read guide →Platforms with 1-6 month loan durations - Robocash payday loans, Maclear factoring, Indemo bridge finance.
Read guide →Sample allocation for EUR 10,000 across P2P, ETFs and cash - risk buckets, rebalancing triggers, tax considerations.
Read guide →Using P2P in pension portfolios - income stability, withdrawal strategies, platform longevity and estate planning.
Read guide →Head-to-head reviews of top platforms.
14.5-14.9% SME loans in Zurich vs 9-11% diversified notes in Riga - regulation, buyback, liquidity and investor compensation compared.
Read comparison →Swiss SRO vs pending ECSP - asset classes, originator concentration, EUR 51M Ukraine-war loan recovery and fee structures.
Read comparison →Operating Swiss SME lender vs Estonian property platform in workout - 14.7% net vs 10.4% and 60% portfolio in recovery.
Read comparison →14.5% P2P SME loans vs 0.5% savings accounts - liquidity, deposit insurance, tax reporting and capital risk trade-offs.
Read comparison →MiFID II Riga marketplace vs ECSP-pending Zagreb aggregator - EUR 600M AUM vs EUR 51M Ukraine recovery, secondary markets.
Read comparison →Two Latvian MiFID II platforms - EUR 600M diversified vs EUR 1.1B cumulative with legacy Russia exposure and weak recent reviews.
Read comparison →ECSP-pending vs unregulated - both offer payday-loan exposure, secondary market plans, 100% originator concentration risks.
Read comparison →Five platforms with similar diversification but different regulation - Capitalia, Nectaro, PeerBerry, Twino, Maclear.
Read guide →Property-backed lending without the workout phase - InRento buy-to-let ECSP, Crowdpear development loans, Profitus rentals.
Read guide →Platforms with similar consumer-loan exposure but better transparency - Nectaro MiFID II, Lendermarket ECSP, Robocash unregulated.
Read guide →Return, liquidity, regulation and risk comparison - 14% P2P vs 7% equity ETF vs 3% term deposits, capital-at-risk differences.
Read comparison →Building income streams with P2P and other strategies.
How P2P generates monthly cashflow - interest accrual, auto-reinvestment, withdrawal mechanics and tax treatment by country.
Read guide →Capital required for EUR 500 per month at 10-15% yields - platform allocation, compounding timeline, withdrawal strategy.
Read guide →P2P lending, dividend stocks, rental property, REITs, bonds - effort, capital and risk profiles compared.
Read guide →Buy-to-let vs real-estate crowdfunding vs REITs - InRento, Crowdpear and Profitus compared to direct ownership.
Read guide →Definitional framework - earned vs unearned income, tax treatment in France and Germany, portfolio construction implications.
Read guide →Multi-asset path to independence - P2P as 10-20% allocation within diversified income portfolio, withdrawal-rate rules.
Read guide →Long-term asset accumulation - P2P reinvestment compounding, equity index funds, tax-deferred accounts, rebalancing discipline.
Read guide →P2P, private equity, art, commodities, crypto - liquidity, minimums, regulation and portfolio-fit comparison.
Read guide →P2P loans, corporate bonds, term deposits, bond ETFs - yield, credit risk, duration and liquidity ranked.
Read guide →Platforms with monthly interest accrual - Maclear, InRento, Mintos - compared to dividend ETFs and rental property.
Read guide →14-25% options - P2P, high-yield bonds, emerging-market debt, leveraged instruments - risk-return profiles and liquidity.
Read guide →Platform geography - Swiss, Baltic, Balkan jurisdictions compared for regulation, tax treaties, currency and legal-enforcement ease.
Read guide →P2P vs term deposits vs money-market funds - yield pickup of 10+ percentage points with commensurate capital risk.
Read guide →Debt vs equity, asset classes and sectoral focus.
Donation, reward, equity and debt crowdfunding models - how ECSP regulation applies to investment-based models only.
Read guide →Debt instruments vs equity stakes - return structure, risk allocation, liquidity and regulatory treatment under ECSP.
Read guide →Minority-shareholding platforms outside P2PScore scope - illiquidity, dilution risk, no income yield, binary outcomes.
Read guide →Debt vs equity property models - InRento rental equity, Crowdpear development loans, EstateGuru bridge finance compared.
Read guide →SME borrower perspective - Maclear invoice finance, Capitalia working-capital loans, 8lends collateral-backed terms.
Read guide →Maclear SRO framework vs EU ECSP - no investor compensation, AML-only supervision, CHF and EUR loan exposure.
Read guide →Platforms funding small businesses - Maclear, Capitalia, 8lends - collateral types, default rates, recovery processes.
Read guide →Invoice discounting, trade finance, equipment leasing - loan structures, duration, yield and credit-assessment methods.
Read guide →Consumer, business, real-estate loan mechanics - origination, underwriting, servicing, buyback guarantees and recovery waterfalls.
Read guide →How 14.5-14.9% is calculated - borrower rates, platform fee deduction, currency allocation, compounding and withdrawal timing.
Read guide →Bonds, loans, term deposits - coupon mechanics, credit risk, duration and how P2P fits the fixed-income asset class.
Read guide →P2P interest income treatment in major European jurisdictions.
Kapitalertragsteuer 25% plus solidarity surcharge on interest - reporting via Anlage KAP, foreign withholding-tax credits.
Read guide →Flat tax 30% on interest and gains - prelevement forfaitaire unique, declaration via 2047 for foreign platforms.
Read guide →Progressive rates 19-28% on capital gains - modelo 100, foreign-account reporting via modelo 720, double-tax treaties.
Read guide →26% flat rate on financial income - dichiarazione dei redditi, quadro RM for foreign interest, RW for account balances.
Read guide →Box 3 wealth tax 1.2-6.04% on deemed return - actual interest irrelevant, aggregated with savings and investments above EUR 57,000.
Read guide →28% flat rate on interest - modelo 3 anexo J, non-habitual resident exemptions, treaty relief for Swiss platforms.
Read guide →Income tax 20-45% on interest minus GBP 1,000 personal savings allowance - self-assessment via SA100, bad-debt relief provisions.
Read guide →DeFi and CeFi platforms - high-risk niche, outside core P2P scope.
Centralised vs decentralised models - stablecoin yield farming, collateralised loans, platform collapses FTX, Celsius, BlockFi.
Read guide →Liquidity pools, automated market makers, smart-contract risk - APY volatility, impermanent loss, regulatory uncertainty.
Read guide →USDC, USDT, DAI on DeFi protocols - 5-8% advertised, de-peg risk, no deposit insurance, smart-contract exploit history.
Read guide →Maclear holds a Swiss SRO licence and has paid 14.5-14.9% net on SME loans with one default fully covered in four years. New investors receive EUR 30 bonus on first deposit above EUR 500. Minimum investment EUR 50, auto-invest available.
Open Maclear account - EUR 30 bonusCapital at risk. Returns not guaranteed. P2PScore earns affiliate commission.