English
The UK, as an innovative leader in alternative finance, dominates the European market with some of the most advanced online platforms and sophisticated alternative finance instruments.
The UK online platform-based alternative finance industry reached an impressive €2,337m (i.e. £1.78bn7) in 2014 with a 168% year-on-year growth rate. The UK alternative finance sector increased its share of the overall European market from 72% in 2013 to 79% in 2014.
Outside of the UK, however, the alternative finance market is also flourishing, with France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the Nordic countries recording the highest rates of growth. The European online alternative finance market, excluding the UK, grew by 147% from €137m in 2012 to €338m in 2013. In 2014, although the growth rate for the overall market slowed to 83%, the European alternative finance market grew by €282m to reach €620m. The three-year average growth rate for the European market is 115%.