“It wasn’t obvious to people then, but the idea of consumer lending through a peer-to-peer model is obvious to everyone now,” he said. “Entrepreneurs who make the most money are the ones who start something when it’s not obvious. In 2014, online lending is obvious. But it wasn’t then.” The business is so obvious now, a number of startups have launched in recent years focused on online lending catering to certain groups, such as small businesses, the underbanked and students. Some incorporate the peer-to-peer model, while others are using the data-driven approach to speed the lending approval process.

http://www.pehub.com/2014/03/growing-number-of-online-lenders-aim-to-disrupt-banks/