Online Lending Platform vs Banks: The Pros and Cons

It’s not surprising that the market for online lending platforms is increasingly becoming popular in this day and age. After all, not only do they present a level of convenience that more traditional methods are unable to provide. But their process in securing the desired funds is generally quicker as well.

And when considering the fact that we heavily rely on technology these days, the model is expected to rise in demand in the next few years and become more than just a mere trend in both established businesses and small startups alike.

However, are online lending platforms the way of the future? In this article, we will discuss a few of their pros and cons as well as provide insight that will hopefully show how it can be advantageous.

The Advantages

These days, securing a sizable capital for a business is no longer as challenging and frustrating as it once was in the past. With an online lending platform, the procedure is as simple as it is straightforward. And listed below are just a few advantages that it yields for its customers.

The process is faster:

Get a precise assessment of your business:

Convenience in use:

Little to no paperwork:

With online lending platforms, you only need to fill a few lines and you’re done with the loan application. The forms are usually straightforward, easy, and only asking for the most basic details such as personal information and your reasons for asking for a loan, unlike the bank process that needs paperwork, physical visit, or even a guarantor to be completed.

Encourages growth and hard work:

For most startups, online lending platforms provide a quick push for their business growth. This is so because their process is mostly quick, easy, and less discouraging. Some of the top lending platforms also have a partnership program (A.K.A affiliate program) that lets its users get some fixed amount for each person they refer to their platform, while some lets you invest or fix some amount for high-interest yields. All these added together help to encourage business growth, hard work (on the part of the user or affiliate), and access to small business funding.

The Disadvantages

Online lending may yield several advantages but it doesn’t necessarily come without its own fair share of risks too. After all, it is a relatively new process. And as such, remains untamed and unfamiliar. Listed below are just a few of the potential disadvantages that this platform can yield.

Lack of face-to-face interaction:

Over-reliance on technology:

Technology plays a critical role in the process that online lending platforms utilize. And in the event of a technical issue or power outage, there’s a good chance that it will incapacitate the system.

Prone to Error, Privacy Leaks, and Other Misdemeanours:

Since the online lending concept is relatively new, a learning curve is typically needed for a good percentage of business persons (especially, elderly people), and this can lead to a few errors on their part.

Another challenging part of online lending platforms is that – some rogue companies can harvest user’s private details, misuse their fixed amount, etc. by creating such platforms.
Even the best of VPN solutions can’t be able to prevent such data leaks as they’re typically entered by users of such platforms.

For this reason, it is a good idea to stick with reputable, trusted, and well-regulated online lending platforms for all your quick loan needs.

Wrapping it Up:

Despite being in their relative infancy, online lending platforms are slowly becoming the first choice for many businesses rather than a mere alternative. And for a good reason: it boasts of several advantages in both efficiency and convenience of the process.

However, it’s critical to choose the right company when looking for an online lending platform. In this way, you’ll reap its benefits and avoid any potential problems that may arise.