Zopa

Zopa is a P2P money lending service that allows lenders and borrowers to deal directly with one another, cutting out the banks that act as middlemen. Zopa provides an app designed to help users manage their loans, credit cards, and savings and monitor their credit scores conveniently. Zopa also mitigates lenders' risk by enforcing monthly direct debit repayment, making borrowers sign a legal contract, and allowing lenders to lend small chunks of money to individual borrowers (e.g., someone lending £1000 would have their money spread across, say, 100 borrowers). The company itself makes money by charging a fixed fee for borrowers and a 1% annual fee for lenders. Zopa has received public acclaim as well, having been awarded CNET Technology Awards' 2006 Internet Innovation of the Year, the 2007 Webby Award for Best Banking/Bill-Paying Website, the 2008 Webby Award for Financial Services, the Banker 2007 Award for Best Internet Project, and Moneywise 2009 Awards for Best Customer Service and Best Personal Loan.