The popularity of P2P investments is on the rise according to a new survey by Robo.cash, which found that 69 per cent of respondents started investing over the last two years, and 35 per cent of investors allocated more than EUR10,000 on P2P lending platforms in 2018.
Compared to a similar survey conducted by Robo.cash in 2017, the age group of P2P investors hasn’t changed significantly: the majority of them (52 per cent) still belong to the generation of Millenials (23-38 years old). The typical P2P investor is well-educated – 37 per cent of respondents hold a Master’s degree or higher, and 26 per cent have a Bachelor’s degree. Nine per cent of respondents mentioned that finance had been their major at university.
The majority of respondents belong to the working category – 75 per cent of them work full-time or part-time, and 13 per cent run business. At the same time, only 3 per cent of investors mentioned career as a life priority. This can be explained by the fact that employment is not the only source of income for investors. Some 28 per cent named P2P investments as a major source of additional income. In addition, 47 per cent say they rely on income from investments to secure enough money for retirement.
According to the survey, the preferred type of investments is consumer loans (35 per cent), with 51 per cent of respondents preferring short-term loans, as they ensure a high turnover of investments. Only 10 per cent chose long-term loans. Along with consumer loans, the respondents mostly invest in shares (25 per cent), real estate (20 per cent), SMEs (9 per cent) and bonds (9 per cent).
The findings of the survey prove the growing popularity of P2P investments over the last years: 69 per cent of respondents started investing 2 years ago or less, while only 11 per cent have been investing for more than five years. Besides, the majority of investors (35 per cent) allocated more than EUR10,000 on P2P platforms in 2018. On the whole, respondents showed a positive attitude towards P2P investments: 80 per cent of them think about increasing the volume of investments on P2P platforms in the next few years.
