This article gives an honest review of i2iFunding, which is a P2P lending platform.
It is not easy to get a loan in a country like India. Applying for loans from a bank involves a long and tedious process without any guarantee of actually receiving it. On the other hand, investments in the form of lending involve a high degree of risk. To solve these issues, the concept of P2P lending has emerged as a good instrument for both borrowers and lenders. The P2P lending industry has witnessed slower growth in India as compared to other developed countries across the globe. With a population of 1.3 billion people, India offers great opportunities for online lenders to provide loan services to the underbanked section of the population. i2iFunding platform has emerged as an integral part of P2P lending in India.
About i2iFunding
Founded in 2014, by a group of 5 co-founders, i2iFunding is a leading P2P lending (Peer-to-Peer Lending) platform in India. It aims to change the way in which financial transactions are being currently carried out. Though i2iFunding was launched as a P2P lending platform, it acts as much more than just a P2P marketplace. It not only offers end-to-end loan servicing but also evaluates the credit risk of each borrower and assigns risk categories to them. On the basis of this categorization, the i2ifunding platform recommends an interest rate suitable for both borrowers and lenders. This benchmark interest rate allows the investors to earn higher ‘risk-adjusted returns’ and the borrowers to access loans at the lowest possible cost. i2iFunding platform also assists the investors in the event of default by the borrower, by offering legal and recovery support to them. i2iFunding (RNVP Technology Pvt. Ltd.) is an RBI registered NBFC-P2P platform and thus is reliable and safe to use. To date, the total loan amount applied by borrowers through the i2ifunding platform is over Rs. 985 crores and total investment commitment from investors is over Rs. 183 crores. On the i2ifunding platform, people can access personal loans at interest rates starting at 12% p.a. and investors can earn returns up to 30% p.a. i2iFunding platform tends to charge one of the lowest fees as compared to other P2P platforms in India.
Why i2iFunding?
i2iFunding platform is aimed at benefiting both investors and borrowers. You should invest at i2ifunding as it offers the following benefits to its investors:
- High Returns: i2ifunding provides you an opportunity to create a source of passive income for yourself. It is one of the best P2P lending platforms in India, offering returns as per your preference up to 30% returns per annum.
- High-Quality Loans: i2ifunding platform does not simply allow any people to borrow through its platform. Each borrower has to undergo a stringent credit analysis including a CIBIL check and physical verification.
- Security & Transparency: i2ifunding has one of the highest data security standards to keep all your data confidential and protected at all points of time.
- Collection & Recovery: In the event when borrowers fail to honor their repayments, the i2ifunding platform offers free collection and legal recovery support. i2ifunding has a set of well-defined processes which ensure a hassle-free experience for their investors.
As mentioned earlier, the i2ifunding platform’s primary objective is the mutual benefit of both borrowers and investors. If you are looking to borrow money, you can do so through the i2ifunding platform as it offers the following benefits to its borrowers:
- Low-Interest Rate: i2ifunding makes sure that the borrowers are offered loans at the best possible interest rate. Through the i2i platform, borrowers can access P2P loans at an attractive rate as the interest rate is determined after examining more than 40 parameters with the help of a proprietary credit score model.
- Loans in a Few Days: When you borrow from a financial institution, it may take a few weeks or even months to disburse the loan amount to you. i2ifunding has a large set of investors and thus once your loan is listed on i2ifunding, it gets funded within a few days.
- Absence of Prepayment Penalty: Generally, banks charge a prepayment penalty if you choose to prepay your loan. But at i2ifunding, you can prepay your loans at any time without any prepayment or other charges.
- Ease of Use: i2ifunding offers a seamless user experience to you in terms of detailed account statements, ease of transactions, account analysis among other features.
Business & Revenue Model of i2iFunding
i2iFunding operates as a platform that facilities P2P lending, connecting verified borrowers with investors looking for an investment opportunity. It is an intermediary party providing a common platform to its participants involved in P2P lending.i2ifunding platform facilitates the entire loan process starting from the loan application to credit evaluation, investment, fund transfer, and repayment. The entire process takes place online. The below figure depicts the complete working of the i2iFunding platform:
The majority of the revenue earned by i2iFunding is through charging certain fees from both the borrowers and the lenders. To apply for a loan, borrowers need to pay a one-time, non-refundable registration fee of Rs. 100 to complete the application process. i2ifunding charges a nominal processing fee from the borrowers for managing the end-to-end loan procedure. This fee automatically gets deducted from the loan amount before the disbursal and it varies in accordance with the category of the loan. Other charges from the borrowers include Rs. 100 for changing the loan amount post listing and Rs. 200 for changing the bank account details.
In order to start investments, investors are required to pay one-time, non-refundable registration fees of Rs. 500 to complete the registration procedure. i2ifunding also charges an investment fee from investors for managing the end-to-end process. For an investment of over Rs. 50,000, the investors are required to pay 1% of the investment amount as fees. Other charges from the investors include Rs. 200 for withdrawal of funding commitment before a loan is fully funded and Rs. 200 for change of bank account details.
Conclusion
The P2P lending marketplace in India is all set to be the next big thing in the financial and debt industry. Many new platforms are coming up to offer their services in P2P lending in India. i2ifunding faces tough competition from platforms such as Lendbox, i-lend, Faircent, OML P2P, etc. i2iFunding is a good option for both borrowers and investors. The number of benefits it offers to its participants beats all the other ways to either borrow or invest money. Borrowers have some added benefits which no other financial institution provides, and investors have the assurance that they will earn a good return on their investments.