p2p lending: Vested expands alternative assets portfolio, adds P2P lending, bonds, and solar

Digital investment platform Vested on Tuesday said it is expanding its alternative investment portfolio by offering of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) lending via Vested Edge, and INR (Indian Rupee) bonds and solar projects via Vested Solar. With its solar offering, Vested is looking to give individuals the opportunity to earn while helping India transition to clean energy, a company statement said.

Through Vested Solar, investors can own solar panels in rooftop projects and earn 10-13 per cent rate of return from the electricity generated over the panel’s lifetime.

The INR bonds offer another alternate fixed income investment opportunity to Vested customers.

Vested offers a curated selection of listed corporate and government bonds, with corporate bonds rated A and above, and government bonds backed by the Indian government, offering 9-12 per cent returns.

Vested Edge allows investors to add P2P lending to their alternative fixed income portfolio, offering potential returns of up to 12 per cent.

Unlike other platforms, Vested Edge helps investors minimise risk by helping them automatically distribute their investments across multiple Reserve Bank of India-regulated P2P platforms, starting with two such platforms: Faircent and Lendbox, it stated.

Since the RBI’s 2017 regulations, P2P lending has witnessed significant growth in India, with projections estimating a market size of USD 10 billion by 2026. “Vested expands its alternative asset portfolio by offering investors easy access to peer-to-peer (P2P) lending via Vested Edge, bonds via INR Bonds, and solar projects via Vested Solar,” it stated.

“We are excited to add additional alternative assets to our existing US investing offering. We believe that alternative assets are the future,” Vested CEO Viram Shah said in the statement.

Over the next decade, “our investment portfolios will look very different from what they do today with investors participating in multiple assets like bonds, solar, P2P lending, real estate, global stocks and more, along with traditional mutual funds, FDs and gold”, Shah stated.

We chose to add these three assets first, based on their market potential over the next 10 years and the safety guardrails inherent in these assets relative to other alternative assets, he said.

All in all, the company will continue working towards helping Indian investors diversify with ease, it stated.

Along with the new asset classes, the company has also launched its Vested Academy, which provides comprehensive information on alternative assets so that investors can make informed decisions.

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