Total lending facilitated by P2PFA platforms passed £10 billion during the third quarter of 2018 with the sector’s contribution to the UK economy approaching nearly £11 billion by the end of September – with the most pronounced growth continuing to be found in lending to small businesses.

The quarterly data – which for the first time includes statistics from CrowdProperty which joined the P2PFA in July – reveal that during 2018, platforms have lent more than £900 million each quarter, with the net lending flow of capital increasing between the second and third quarters of the year.