Peer-to-peer (P2P) business lending platforms act as marketplaces: your loan request is listed, and individual or institutional investors bid to fund it. Credicorp is a direct balance-sheet lender — we underwrite and fund from our own book, with no investor marketplace in the chain.
Certainty of funding
On a P2P platform, drawdown is conditional on your loan being fully funded by investors. In periods of lower investor appetite this can be slow, partial, or unsuccessful. With a direct lender like Credicorp, an approved facility is funded by us — there is no investor pool to fill before your money moves.
Decision and data handling
P2P platforms typically publish a loan listing that investors can read, which may include some business information. Credicorp's process is bilateral — your application data is assessed by our team and not exposed to a marketplace. For businesses that are sensitive about financial information becoming visible to third-party investors, this is a material difference.
Regulation and redress
P2P platforms are FCA-authorised investment platforms; the regulatory framework governing them and the investor protections that apply are distinct from the framework that applies to Credicorp as a commercial lender. Neither route involves FSCS protection for the borrowing company, but the regulatory context differs and is worth understanding before choosing.
We lend only to UK limited companies and LLPs, and the loan is to the company with no director personal guarantee. As business finance outside the consumer-credit regime, it is not covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service or FSCS.
See also: Credicorp vs a government-backed loan, Secured vs unsecured business finance