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LendInvest

Fintech · London, United Kingdom · Founded 2008 · IPO 2021

LendInvest is a UK-based asset manager and fintech platform specializing in property finance. It connects a diverse range of investors, including individuals, corporations, and major financial institutions like J.P. Morgan, HSBC, and Blackrock, with property professionals seeking financing. The company's proprietary technology platform, which includes the Genesys online loan origination portal and an automated Loan Engine, aims to simplify and accelerate the mortgage application and management process for borrowers and intermediaries. The company's origins trace back to 2008 when Christian Faes and Ian Thomas founded Montello Bridging Finance, a traditional short-term property lender. Faes, a former real estate lawyer, and Thomas, a qualified chartered surveyor with a background in property development and investment, identified a market gap for specialized property finance during the global financial crisis. In 2013, they launched LendInvest, taking the business online to create a technology-driven marketplace for property lending and investing. Key milestones include launching Buy-to-Let (BTL) mortgages in 2017, completing the UK's first fintech securitisation of BTL loans in 2019, and becoming a public company via an IPO on the London Stock Exchange's AIM market in July 2021. LendInvest's business model is increasingly capital-light, focusing on generating recurring fee-based income from structuring, servicing, and asset management, rather than relying solely on net interest income from its own balance sheet. This strategy involves managing the majority of its assets on behalf of third-party investors. The firm serves property professionals, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), developers, and landlords across the UK. Its product suite includes short-term bridging loans for quick property acquisitions or refurbishments, development finance for residential projects, and professional Buy-to-Let mortgages for portfolio landlords. The platform is designed to handle complex needs, such as financing for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and supporting borrowers from initial refurbishment with a bridging loan to larger projects with development finance. Keywords: LendInvest, property finance, mortgage platform, fintech, asset management, online lending, real estate technology, Buy-to-Let mortgages, bridging loans, development finance, property investment, non-bank lender, peer-to-peer lending, UK property market, Christian Faes, Ian Thomas, institutional investors, mortgage technology, securitisation, AIM listed, property entrepreneurs, SME lending, landlord finance, residential mortgages