One of the many advantages that distinguish comparatively undiscovered investment trusts from their ubiquitous unit trust cousins is the access they give investors to niche assets.
Today’s attractively priced trust offers exposure to one such niche. Investors are familiar with the phenomenal rise of “peer-to-peer” lending, where individual investors (lenders) and borrowers connect directly to one another, excluding banks from the transaction and hopefully achieving preferential rates for both parties.
Britain has been at the forefront of the movement with some of the earliest and most successful platforms (including Zopa and Funding Circle, each of which have lent more than £1bn) originating here. Private individuals with an appetite for the new have embraced the idea, lending directly to small businesses or individuals for rates of return generally exceeding those obtainable on cash.
