Funding Circle Holdings PLC (LON:FCH) shares received a much-needed boost after the peer-to-peer lender achieved a new high of loans under management in the first quarter.
The company, which has seen its shares continue to trade below its initial public offering price of 440p since it started trading in October, said loans under management rose 44% year-on-year to £3.4mln in the three months to March 31 as new business gained 23% to £644mln.
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Growth in loans under management and new business contributed to a 40% jump in revenue.
Revenue was also supported by higher transaction yield, due in part to policy changes last year in the US.
During the period, the group announced it was to launch two new institutional investor products, including private direct lending funds in continental Europe and the UK, and asset-backed security bonds products in the US and UK.
On Wednesday, the European Investment Bank agreed to lend €100mln over the next two years to small businesses in Germany and the Netherlands through Funding Circle.
"Q1 was a period where Funding Circle reinforced its leadership position across each of its markets, reaching a new high of loans under management of £3.4bn,” said chief executive and co-founder, Samir Desai.
“We continue to implement our strategy of diversifying funding sources with a new commitment from the European Investment Bank, as well as launching two new institutional investor products."
READ: Funding Circle reports wider 2018 loss on IPO costs but shares rise on positive outlook
Funding Circle expects investor returns of 4.5% to 8.4% for 2018 and 5.0% to 8.5% for 2019 across all its regions.
Shares advanced 4.3% to 324p in morning trading.
