Marketplace Lending In 2018: A DIY Mindset

There is no doubt marketplace lending, by offering speed and flexibility not historically seen in traditional banking, has done its part to foster the "do it yourself" (DIY) era. At its core, the DIY mindset starts with a question – why pay someone to do a job or share your profits or glory, when you can do it on your own? And ideas come to fruition through the vast amount of information now available to model success. In this DIY age, it seems anyone can start a company, create a fund or even start a blog. This spirit had always been present, to some degree, in the corporate world, and has already been seen in online lending (think Eastern, Marcus by Goldman Sachs and Barclays). It wouldn't be surprising if this year, market dynamics foster more DIY strategies, playing out in a number of ways that will reshape marketplace lending's trajectory.