Taking Internet Finance to the Next Level, Part 1

E-Commerce Times: Taking Internet Finance to the Next Level, Part 1

Internet banking and stock trading was all the rage during the late 1990s. Now, two emerging areas of e-finance — peer-to-peer lending and microfinance — are disrupting the status quo even further and moving their markets into a new stage of development.

Facilitators of peer-to-peer borrowing and lending, such as Prosper.com, GlobeFunder and Lending Club, are taking advantage of the networking and online application processing power of the Internet.

These companies are doing business mostly overlooked by their more established brethren — enabling individual lenders, borrowers, entrepreneurs and investors to find and connect with each other directly.

Similarly, the Net is also key to the rising prominence of the corporate social responsibility and ethical investing movements, as well as the extension of philanthropy well beyond the wealthiest individuals who have traditionally been the source of charitable donations. …