Tom Groenfeldt , CONTRIBUTOR
I write about finance and technology.
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“Basically the thinner the credit infrastructures the more value we add to a lending environment where there is good smart phone and social media penetration.”
Some banks are moving quickly to adopt Lenddo, others are acting like, well, bankers and holding endless meetings while they avoid making an actual decision.
“We have had discussions with some of the largest banks in the world and they realize change is afoot especially in cross-border movement of money. Proliferation of next generation money companies like TransferWise, new technologies, digitization and risk management techniques result in lower costs, and new entrants are taking advantage to move money around.”
Lenddo is finding a lot of interest in its lending application from outside of banking. Telcos are interested because they already have a credit history with their customers, and because their revenues are going down as people use mobiles more for texting and data and less for voice.
“With the proliferation of smart phones, they have direct customer relationships and data that can be used for administration of credit. They are also looking to make their customers more valuable and get more revenue per customer.”
With Lenddo, lenders acquire individuals’ credit risk management through an API. While most of the company’s business is in emerging markets, it is also working with a telco in the US, he added.
A recent column by Schumpeter in The Economist points out that developed economies contain pockets, or large areas, that look like emerging economies, so perhaps Lenddo has room for growth in the US and other northern markets.