The 2nd Annual European Alternative Finance Industry Survey

Thank you for participating in the 2nd Annual European Alternative Finance Industry Survey!

This study builds upon the success of our previous European Alternative Finance Industry Report, Moving Mainstream, which received world-wide mainstream media attention and informed evidence-based policy-making and regulation across continental Europe. The University of Cambridge has also led a global benchmarking initiative, culminating in the successful publication of our third annual UK Alternative Finance Industry Report: Pushing Boundaries, and the publication of two additional new annual reports which introduced the Asia-Pacific region and the Americas to our research purview.

Our previous European-focused study documented the rise and development of alternative finance across Continental Europe, but many questions remain. Together with the support of seventeen industry bodies across Europe, this industry tracking survey will highlight the size and the growth of the European alternative finance market, as well as focus on key market trends that emerged in 2015.

Focusing on crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending and other forms of alternative finance, this tracking survey aims to gather aggregate-level industrial data only. The survey consists of only 15 questions and should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. All platform identifying information will be stripped from the analytical and reporting process. After the survey is completed, data that you submitted will be encrypted and stored safely to ensure the continued anonymity and confidentiality of participating intermediaries. Commercial exploitation of the data will be strictly prohibited.

Findings from this important tracking survey will provide headline industrial figures for our high-profile Annual European Alternative Finance Industry Report, which is due to be published in June 2016. The report itself will be disseminated freely to governmental departments, financial regulators, industrial trade associations and major media outlets to inform policy-makers and raise public awareness of alternative finance across Europe.

All participating alternative finance platforms/providers will be prominently acknowledged (e.g. via logo display) in our final report. Should you have any questions concerning the survey or the final report, please do not hesitate to contact Tania Ziegler (tz285@cam.ac.uk) or Alexis Lui (al803@cam.ac.uk) directly.

Please now proceed to the questionnaire on the next page. Thank you.