In Europe banks seem to have become more active with Santander and RBS teaming up with platforms
Banks remain noticeably few and far between in the booming field of online marketplace lending. The two largest U.S. platforms in this budding industry, Lending Club and Prosper, facilitated a combined $2.4 billion in loans in 2013, nearly triple the 2012 figure. Some investors are expecting explosive growth in the sector to continue over the next decade. Banks do in some cases act as investors in marketplace loans and refer customers to the marketplace lenders. But no bank has emulated fully the model pioneered by Lending Club and Prosper — making loans online and selling them to investors.