Frequently asked questions
We get lots of questions from investors and borrowers about peer-to-peer lending. On this page, we've set out the ones that get asked most often.
If you can't find the answer you're looking for, our team is ready and waiting to help you.
Get in touchA. Two-Factor Authentication
What is Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)?
Two-factor authentication (2FA) helps keep you safer online by providing an extra layer of security that requires a time-restricted, single-use code sent directly to your phone. You have the option to receive your unique code either by traditional text (SMS), phone call or via the 'Authy' app available for free on your iOS or Android device. The choice is yours.
Why have you introduced 2FA?
This change is for your benefit – to make the platform, and your funds, more secure from online threats.
How do I set up 2FA?
You can set up 2FA by clicking this link:
https://investors.assetzcapital.co.uk/lender/notify/two-step-authentication-opt-in.
Follow the on-screen instructions to progress. If you need any assistance, please contact our office via:
- Live Chat
- Email: enquiries@assetzcapital.co.uk
Can I use a landline?
Yes, you can use a UK or non-UK landline to listen to your code.
What is Authy?
Authy is a free mobile / desktop app for Two-Factor Authentication, as well as security partner and SMS delivery service, for many websites that want to make Two-Factor Authentication work better for their customers. For more information click here
Can I use Authy offline?
Once set up, both Authy for desktop and the Authy mobile apps support working offline with no internet connection. You simply open the app, select the site / service you wish to authenticate, and type the code that is shown into your web browser.
Does Authy work on Windows, Mac and Linux desktops as well as non-smartphone mobiles?
Authy provide options for different platforms. They provide a smartphone app for Android and iOS, desktop apps for Windows and Mac and a browser plug-in for Chrome. Whilst there is no Authy desktop app for Linux, the Chrome browser plug-in is supported on Linux. Please visit Authy for more details to find out which solution is most suitable for you.
Can I register multiple Authy accounts on the same device?
No, your Authy account is tied to your mobile phone number, so you can only use a single Authy account per mobile device.
Can I use the same Authy account to access multiple Assetz Capital accounts?
Yes, you can setup 2FA on more than one Assetz Capital account using the same Authy account.
I don’t have a smart phone. Can I still use the Authy app?
Yes, you can download a desktop app for either Windows or Mac, or alternatively download the Authy plug-in for the Chrome browser.
Authy is asking me for a QR or Key. What do I do?
This would happen if the Authy app does not recognise that you have registered your Assetz Capital account for 2FA with Authy.
Please take the following steps:
- Ensure that your authentication method is set to “Authy” - https://investors.assetzcapital.co.uk/lender/account/profile
- Ensure that the phone number you have registered with Authy matches the telephone number you have registered with Assetz Capital - https://investors.assetzcapital.co.uk/lender/notifications/manage
- If your telephone number matches and you have your authentication method set to Authy then you should receive codes on your Authy app or plug in.
- If you’re still having issues please contact us via email - enquiries@assetzcapital.co.uk or Live Chat
When I reach the maximum number of login attempts (5) what should I do?
Get in touch with our Customer Service Team and once you have passed standard security verification, we will aim to remove the lock on your account. You should then be able to log in.
Please note that repeated failed attempts to complete 2FA with Authy may result in your Authy account being locked out for up to 1 hour.
Why is there not an email option for 2FA?
Two-Factor Authentication uses an app or phone line (mobile and landline) because it adds an additional layer of security that is more secure than email alone.
What should I do if I don’t receive my 2FA code to my mobile phone?
- Check that you have good network coverage. You will need coverage to receive text messages and phone calls.
- Try turning your phone off and on before requesting a new code. Always use the latest received code during the 2FA.
- If the codes are not being delivered by SMS or you’re having other technical issues, please contact our Customer Service Team via email - enquiries@assetzcapital.co.uk or use our Live Chat facility.
What should I do if I don’t receive 2FA codes to my landline number?
- Check that your line is active. If you are having issues receiving calls from other numbers, then this would suggest the issue is with your telephone connection.
- Check that your line is free, if someone is using the line your codes may have been delivered to your voicemail. The codes do expire after a few minutes so you may want to request a new code.
- If you have any call blocking software on your landline this may prevent the code being delivered. You may wish to disable this software temporarily when you need the code.
- If you’re still having issues please contact our Customer Service Team via email - enquiries@assetzcapital.co.uk or use our Live Chat facility.
When will I need to use 2FA?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the need for 2FA has reduced slightly and you now only need to use it for:
- Changing your password
- Changing your address
- Changing your memorable word or pin
- Adding a bank account
- Activating a bank account
- Changing your 2FA method
- Voting in a Loan Vote
- Writing off loan holdings
Is a valid phone number a requirement for 2FA?
A valid phone number is required for initial setup. If you’ve selected Authy as your authentication method, once you’ve set it up, you can complete 2FA either via Authy’s app or desktop version.
If you don't have access to the phone number you registered Two-Factor Authentication against, please contact us via email - enquiries@assetzcapital.co.uk or Live Chat and we can update your number after we complete standard security verification.
Can I opt-out of 2FA?
No, 2FA is a mandatory requirement on our platform. It will still be required for sensitive areas of your account.
B. Creating an Account & Account Settings
How do I set up an Account / Register?
Since the closure of the Retail Investor Platform in December 2022, it is no longer possible to register or set up an Account.
I have moved address. What documents do I need to provide you with?
You can contact us via Live Chat and we will make the change for you. Alternatively, if you want to make the change via email you will need to provide a scanned copy of one of the following documents, showing your new address:
• A Bank Statement or Utility Bill (not mobile phone), dated within the last 3 months and that has been received in the post
• Driving Licence
Please send the document(s) to enquiries@assetzcapital.co.uk
How do I reset my password?
Please visit our password-reset page and enter your username or email address to receive a link via email to reset your password.
If you still need further assistance in requesting a new password, please get in touch with our Customer Service Team via email – enquiries@assetzcapital.co.uk or via Live Chat.
I need to change my surname to my married name. Do I need to send in my marriage certificate?
Yes. We require a copy of your marriage certificate. Please send a scanned copy of the document to enquiries@assetzcapital.co.uk
I am being asked to change my password, why is this?
As part of our efforts to improve security for investors we are ensuring that all investor passwords meet a minimum standard.
C. Protecting your investment
Is my money protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme?
It is important for our lenders to be aware that, like all peer-to-peer lending platforms, we fall outside of the scope of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (“FSCS”), though we are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This means that, should a peer-to-peer lending platform fail for any reason, those investing (lending) directly via the platform would have no recourse to the FSCS.
You can read more about the FSCS here: http://www.fscs.org.uk
Where is investor money held?
Any monies transferred to our platform, but not yet lent to a borrower are held in a designated client money account in accordance with FCA rules. This account is “ring-fenced” from Assetz Capital’s own money and is protected in the event that anything should happen to Assetz Capital, safeguarding clients’ funds. The account is held with Barclays Bank.
Monies which are lent to borrowers via any of our accounts are with the borrower for their use under the terms of their loan agreement and as such there is a degree of risk to your capital; in this case, if the borrower is unable to repay their loan.
I have failed my registration. What documents do I need to provide you with?
We will require Proof of Address and Proof of Identity. We can accept scanned copies of the following documents:
- Proof of Address: A Bank Statement or Utility Bill (not mobile phone), within the last 3 months and that has been received in the post
- Proof of Identity: Driving Licence or Passport
Please send the documents to enquiries@assetzcapital.co.uk
D. Starting to invest
Are there any maximum investment limits in any of the accounts on the platform?
Since the closure of the Retail Investor Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to make any investments.
Historically, there were maximum direct investment limits per person for the Quick Access Account (QAA) and the Money Supermarket 30 Day Access Account (MSM30DAA) which can be found on the relevant investment account pages.
There were no limits on any other investment accounts or the Cash Account.
Why do some accounts have lower interest rates than others?
The features of the different accounts affect their target interest rates. For example:
- Some accounts are designed to be more liquid than others in normal market conditions and may offer lower target rates of return as a result.
- Some accounts allow automatic investment and automatic diversification.
- Our Manual Lending Account typically offers the highest gross rates of return (before allowances for any possible losses) but requires lenders to select loans, allocate funds and diversify themselves manually. Actual net returns from the Manual Lending Account (after any losses which might occur) could be higher or lower than from one of the automated accounts depending on the loans selected by the lender.
How long does it take for funds to be fully invested?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to make investments.
Historically, depending on the account chosen, investment could be immediate (if loan parts were available) but investors may have had to wait until there was sufficient capacity to accept their funds. We didn’t restrict investors or the amounts they could place on the platform and loans were equally available to all. As such it could take longer for larger amounts to be invested than a smaller amount. Loan origination was also a factor as investment was limited by the volume of loans available.
Do I need to deposit funds into the Manual Lending Account (MLA) when setting up ‘Buy Instructions’ manually?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to make investments.
Historically, yes, you had to ensure that in addition to setting ‘Buy Instructions’ you also deposited funds into the Manual Lending Account (MLA) so your 'Buy instructions' can purchase available loan parts.
How long is my cash tied up for?
Loan term lengths can be anything from 1 month to 5 years.
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to list loan parts for sale.
Historically, Investors had the option to list their loan parts for sale at any time if they wish to free up their capital. The sale of loan parts was subject to demand from other investors (including any auto-invest accounts). For this reason, Assetz Capital couldn’t guarantee that loan parts would be sold on the secondary market, only that it was possible to do so if there were other Investors willing to buy those loan parts.
When using one of our investment accounts, if you wished to take some, or all, of your capital out at any point, you needed to click on the “Withdraw” button and enter the amount you wished to remove from the account. The system would then attempt to sell loan units for you as fast as possible in order to free up your funds. However please remember that these sales were still subject to demand from other Investors.
Will the funds sitting in my Cash Account be automatically used by the Manual Lending Account (MLA)?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds via any account.
Historically, no, any funds on the platform sat outside the Manual Lending Account (MLA) would not automatically be used by the MLA, e.g. money in the Cash Account or any of the other accounts.
How do I deposit/move funds into the Manual Lending Account (MLA)?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to move funds into the MLA.
Historically, to deposit funds into the Manual Lending Account (MLA) you could either send funds directly to it by following the instructions on the Manage Funds page, or if you already have funds on the platform in your Cash Account you could click on the 'Start Investing' button on the MLA, which would allow you to transfer in funds. Only funds from your Cash Account could be transferred in.
Why do I have funds sitting at ‘Awaiting Investment’?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to have funds sat at “Awaiting Investment’.
Historically, it could take longer for funds to get invested on our platform when there was more money placed into the accounts than there were loan parts available. If this happened, we made it clear if some or all of your funds were awaiting investment. You could then decide to wait or move them to another interest generating part of the platform.
How do I calculate my tax liability?
Any interest earned from any loan is treated as investment income by the tax man. The return you receive on your investment with Assetz Capital is paid gross; no tax is deducted “at source” by peer-to-peer lending platforms. Our investors are responsible for the payment of any tax due of them to HM Revenue & Customs. Tax will be payable at your marginal rate.
Investors can download a tax statement from their account dashboard which will calculate the amount of interest earned within a specified period for tax purposes.
We are not able to offer specific tax advice, so we recommend that you consult a tax adviser if you are uncertain about the treatment of your investment returns.
Is there a minimum investment amount?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds via any account.
Historically, the minimum investment amount per loan on the Assetz Capital platform was £1.
What does ‘Target Capped Rates’ mean?
Some of our accounts offer ‘Target Capped rates’. This means the account is aiming to achieve a maximum advertised return, but it could be lower.
How do I manually browse loan opportunities?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds in any loans.
Historically, with Assetz Capital, you had the choice to use our automated investment accounts or to manually browse loan opportunities to hand-pick your portfolio. To see all of our loans that were available for manual selection, please visit the ‘Manual Lending Account’ section of your account dashboard.
How often is interest payable?
Loans can have differing repayment plans. Some pay interest and capital monthly. Others may be interest only, whereby your interest is payable monthly and capital repaid upon loan term. Some shorter-term loans also offer a single bullet repayment of accrued interest and capital at the end of the loan term. Please note that individual repayment plans for borrowers can vary - some have interest only plans followed by specific principal profiles (quarterly, monthly etc.).
Is there a limit on the ‘Invest Idle Funds’ sweep function?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds via any account.
Historically, yes, you could invest up to a £100,000 of your idle funds via our sweep function in your standard and another £100,000 in your IFISA accounts. This figure was accurate as at May 2019.
Is there a limit to the amount of funds that can be deposited onto the platform?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to deposit onto the platform.
Historically, no, any amount of funds could be deposited.
E. Assetz Capital Investment Accounts
How do the Assetz Investment Accounts work?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds on the platform.
Historically, the Assetz Investment Accounts offered Investors an easy way to invest through our platform, without having to spend time manually managing their loan selection.
Based on predefined types of security and rates of return thresholds, our product range allowed Investors to be as prudent or as adventurous as they liked in their strategy. This investment option auto-diversified your portfolio across loans that fell within predefined targets for a more hands-off investment experience.
What happens if there aren't enough loans to allocate my funds to?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds on the platform.
Historically, when you transferred funds into an investment account, the system would automatically diversify your account funds across many matching loans at any given time, with the aim of doing so in an equal and proportionate way and subject to loan availability. For example, if 50 suitable loans were available, the account would aim to invest approximately 2% of account funds into each loan. Likewise, with only five suitable loans, the account would aim to invest approximately a fifth (20%) of account funds into each loan.
Please note that in situations where the number of loans matching the account criteria was low, diversification was only possible across the matching loans - this may have meant that the actual extent of the automatic diversification could be limited unless/until new loans became available. In such a scenario, the percentage invested in any one loan may have risen.
Any funds sat in a particular account, which were yet to be allocated, would be displayed on the account as “Awaiting Investment.”
Can I exclude certain loans from investment accounts?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds on the platform.
Historically, no, you couldn’t opt out of any loans which met the mandate for an investment account.
What is Assetz Capital’s definition of "Normal Market Conditions"?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Platform is no longer in “Normal Market Conditions”.
“Normal market conditions” meant economic conditions were reasonably stable, our Investors were making withdrawals from the ‘Access Accounts’ (Quick Access, 30 Day Access & 90 Day Access Accounts) in the normal course of business and other Investors were willing and able to buy their loan units through those accounts and others that we offered. Our Access Accounts also held a certain amount of cash “liquid” to help increase the liquidity of withdrawal requests above and beyond normal market supply and demand.
However, past performance doesn’t guarantee future performance and abnormal market conditions could possibly change the speed of withdrawals. Abnormal market conditions would be if there was a very large, sudden and extended demand to withdraw cash from the Access Accounts. This might be caused by a global recession, an abrupt and widespread loss of faith in peer-to-peer lending or a number of other situations. Therefore if a significant number of Investors chose to withdraw their cash in significant quantities and no (or few) new Investors were available to buy their loan parts, conditions would at that point be abnormal and the Access Accounts would not be then able to maintain their current speed of access for withdrawals.
Ultimately this could mean that Investors may have to wait until a buyer could be found for their loans held within the Access Accounts, or until the loans were repaid over time by the borrowers (through monthly repayments made by borrowers or by loans naturally reaching the end of their term for full repayment). The repayment of loans should continue to create some capital which would be available for withdrawal by Investors regardless of market conditions being abnormal.
This is the reason that we quote the “in normal market conditions” message everywhere that we refer to Access Account withdrawal times; we couldn’t guarantee access times in all possible economic scenarios and we wanted our Investors to understand that.
How many loans will my portfolio be diversified across?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds on the platform.
Historically, when using our Investment Accounts, the system would automatically diversify your portfolio for you. The platform would attempt to diversify your portfolio down to 2% of your total holdings in any loan, provided there are at least 100 loans matching the account criteria. Please note that in situations where the number of loans matching the account criteria was low, diversification was only possible across the matching loans – this meant that the actual extent of the automatic diversification could be limited unless/until new loans became available. In such a scenario the percentage invested in any one loan may have risen.
For more detailed information on how the system works, please read our terms and conditions.
What happens if a loan defaults?
If there is an adverse-material change within a loan you are participating in, we will inform you via the web site as soon as we know. Once a loan goes into default, it will be marked on the system.
For more information on our default procedures please visit our Defaults & Losses page - https://retail.assetzcapital.co.uk/key-investing-information/defaults-and-losses/
F. Account Queries
What is the ‘Invest Idle Funds Feature’ and what does it do?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest idle funds on the platform.
Historically, it was a way to earn loan interest on funds that were awaiting investment or sat in your cash account. If you turned it on funds were swept into your Quick Access Account (QAA), up to a maximum of £100,000 (accurate as of November 2019) and would earn loan interest at the rate the QAA was generating. However, if the funds were needed back by the source account, the QAA aimed to release them as fast as possible, subject to normal market conditions. Access times couldn’t be guaranteed.
G. Defaulted Loans
If you invest in one of the Access Accounts and a loan goes into default and ultimately experiences a loss, will it only affect the Lenders who have invested in that loan?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds in the Access Accounts.
Historically, all Investors using the Access Accounts (Quick Access, 30 Day Access, MoneySuperMarket 30 Day Access and 90 Day Access accounts) were diversified across all the loans within those accounts. Any loan which resulted in a default and subsequent loss would affect all Investors in those accounts equally.
What security does Assetz Capital take over loans?
The main criterion for loan approval is the ability of the business to repay the loan. The amount of security offered proportionately reduces the risk for the Investor, which in turn reduces the level of interest they are seeking on the loan.
All loans listed on the Assetz Capital platform have asset security. We take the following forms of security over loans:
- A legal charge placed on a property.
- A debenture providing a floating charge over the business’ assets including stock, debtors, cash and any fixed assets that are not currently charged to another lender.
- Asset specific charges such as a chattel mortgage on a piece of equipment or interest registered at HPI on a vehicle.
- A personal guarantee from the directors or partners in a business, or a company guarantee from a related company.
The actual security pledged in support of a loan is described in the credit report for that loan.
H. Account Terms and Conditions
I am a Non-UK Resident; will I need to provide Assetz Capital with ID documents when registering an account?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to register an account.
Historically, yes, we did require Proof of Address and Proof of Identity to complete a ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) check. We accepted scanned copies of the following documents to satisfy these checks:
• Proof of Address: A Bank Statement or Utility Bill (not mobile phone), within the last 3 months and that has been received in the post
• Proof of Identity: UK Driving Licence, EU issued ID card or Passport
Documents had to be sent to enquiries@assetzcapital.co.uk.
I am an EU resident and I don’t hold a UK Sterling Bank Account; can I invest with Assetz Capital? If not, what can I do to be able invest with you?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds on the platform.
Historically, if you didn’t have a UK Sterling Bank Account, then you couldn’t invest with Assetz Capital.
Some UK Banks offered UK Sterling bank accounts for Non-UK residents, living in the EU. Please find below a list of some of the UK Banks that we believed may have provided this service:
- Barclays
- The Co-Operative Bank
- HSBC
- Lloyds Banking Group
- Nationwide
- Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)
- NatWest
- Ulster Bank
- TSB
You would have had to contact these banks to see if they could provide you with a UK Sterling Bank Account before applying to become a Lending Member.
Can Non-UK residents invest with Assetz Capital?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds on the platform.
Historically, yes, overseas residents could invest on our platform as long as they held a UK Sterling bank account and we are able to verify their address and identity overseas.
Do I need to hold a UK Sterling bank account in order to invest with Assetz Capital?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds on the platform.
Historically, yes, a UK Sterling bank account was required.
I have adverse credit and I don’t hold a UK Sterling bank account, but I want to invest on Assetz Capital, what can I do?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest funds on the platform.
Historically, basic (fee free) bank accounts were available to anyone who doesn’t already have a bank account or who couldn’t use their existing account due to financial difficulty. Please find more information regarding this on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-basic-fee-free-bank-accounts-to-help-millions-manage-their-money
Can an under 18-year-old register an account on your platform?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to register on the platform.
Historically, no, persons under the age of 18 were not able to enter into a formal contract and therefore were unable to make a loan to a third party. As such they couldn’t participate.
I. Transfer of Payment
Can I withdraw money from my Assetz Capital account to an account in somebody else’s name?
No, funds can only be withdrawn to a bank account in your name.
Can I set up a regular payment to my Assetz Capital account?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to deposit funds on the platform.
Historically, yes, you could set up a standing order with your bank, telling them how much to send and how often. You would have needed to give them our bank details and the reference numbers from your ‘Manage Funds’ page.
If I want to transfer money from my Bank Account to my Dashboard, how long will this take?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to deposit funds on the platform.
Historically, if all the required reference numbers had been supplied, as per the 'Manage Funds' page, and they matched up correctly, then the fastest it could have been was within 1 hour for Faster Payments. For other payments, including CHAPS, this would have been a minimum of next working day. If your payment is was not visible after 2 working days, you were advised to contact us immediately as additional information may have been needed in order to allocate your payment correctly.
J. Withdrawal
How long do withdrawals take?
Typically, withdrawal requests may take up to 2 working days to be processed providing you already have a Designated Bank Account set up.
How do I withdraw funds?
You can withdraw your funds by completing the ‘Withdraw Funds’ boxes on the ‘Manage Funds’ page. Please ensure that the bank account specified is in your name which matches your Assetz Capital registration details and please double check to ensure that all details entered are correct.
Is there a charge/fee for making withdrawals since the closure of the Retail Platform?
Yes, from the 18/03/2024 we have had to introduce a charge of £1.00 to cover the costs associated with transferring your funds from the Assetz Capital Client Account to your Designated Bank Account.
There is a cost associated with each withdrawal that was previously being borne by all Lenders, regardless of how many withdrawals they made, via the Lender Fee. Taking into account our responsibilities to treat customers fairly and in order to make the process financially viable into the future, we have decided to apply a fee to each individual transaction, rather than looking at an increase in the Lender Fee generally, as this more focused fee will only affect those who are directly creating the cost rather than applying the servicing cost to everyone.
This small charge will allow us to maintain the ability for Investors to withdraw on a daily basis if they need/want to without threatening the financial viability of the run-off.
Is there a way that I can avoid the charge/fee for making withdrawals?
We are able to accommodate 1 free withdrawal every 90 days which will allow Investors who don’t need/want to remove funds on a daily basis to avoid the fee completely, but still remove funds on a regular basis.
This free withdrawal is not financially supported by the introduction of the transactional Withdrawal Fee and is funded by the Lender Fee. However, as all Lenders are able to make use of this periodic free withdrawal it is fair that the cost is borne by all Lenders via the Lender Fee.
K. Interest
Can I automatically withdraw the interest earned in my investment accounts, so it goes back to my Cash account?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, all net interest that you are due has automatically been sent to your Cash Account(s).
Historically, yes, you could. By simply clicking the ‘On Repayment’ button on any of the investment accounts and selecting the ‘Withdraw Interest’ option. As interest is received it would then automatically be moved to your Cash Account(s). From here you could then withdraw it back to your bank account via the Manage Funds page as required.
If I invested my money in the Access Accounts when does interest get paid to my account?
If you invested in either the Quick Access, 30 Day Access, MoneySuperMarket 30 Day Access or 90 Day Access accounts, the interest earned in any particular month gets paid into your account on the on the first day of the following month.
If I invest in the Manual Lending Account (MLA) when does the interest get paid to my account?
Interest gets paid on invested funds throughout the month at different times depending on each individual borrower’s repayment date.
Why does my accrued interest figure on my Dashboard fluctuate?
Accrued interest is due but not yet received. The dashboard figure will go up as interest falls due and will decrease when it is received. The figure on the dashboard is there to give investors an idea of what they can expect to be paid, assuming the borrowers make payment in full and on time.
L. IFISA
What is my annual ISA allowance?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Assetz Capital IFISA Accounts have been closed to new investment.
The annual ISA allowance may vary each tax year. The ISA allowance for 2022-23 tax year, during which the retail Investment Platform closed, was £20,000. You may wish to consult the government website for updates and changes to the annual ISA allowance. https://www.gov.uk/individual-savings-accounts/overview
Who can open an IFISA?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to open an Assetz Capital IFISA Account.
Historically, you had to be 18 or over (16 or over for a Cash ISA), a resident in the UK or a Crown servant (e.g. diplomatic or overseas civil service) or their spouse or civil partner if you did not live in the UK. You could not hold an IFISA with or on behalf of someone else.
What is an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA)?
The IFISA allows individuals to use their annual ISA allowance to lend funds through investments such as Loan Based Crowdfunding or Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Lending and Crowdfunded Debt Securities.
When is the tax year?
The tax year runs from 6th April one year to the 5th April the following year.
Can I earn interest on cash?
No, uninvested cash funds do not earn interest.
What is an Individual Savings Account (ISA)?
An ISA is an Individual Savings Account and is not a product in its own right. An ISA is a 'wrapper' in which you can shelter savings and investments from tax.
There are multiple types of ISA available; Cash ISAs, Stocks and Shares ISAs, Innovative Finance ISAs and Lifetime ISAs.
Since the start of the 2024/25 tax year, there is no limit on the number of ISAs that you can open with different providers (apart from lifetime ISAs).
Historically, you could put money into one of each kind of ISA, up to a set limit, each tax year. This limit is known as your ‘ISA allowance’. Any returns or gains made from money placed in an ISA are not subject to income and capital gains tax.
What is the difference between a cash ISA, a stock and shares ISA and an Innovative Finance ISA?
Cash ISAs can include savings in bank and building society accounts and some National Savings and Investments products.
Stocks & Shares ISAs can include shares in companies, unit trusts and investment funds, corporate bonds and government bonds.
Innovative Finance ISAs can include Peer-to-Peer Loans (loans that you give to other people or businesses without using a bank) and Crowdfunding Debentures (investing in a business by buying its debt).
How many ISAs can I have in one year?
Since the start of the 2024/25 tax year, there is no limit on the number of ISAs that you can open with different providers (apart from lifetime ISAs).
Historically, you could have one of each type of ISA each tax year, so long as the total amount invested into your ISA is within the limit of the annual ISA allowance. For example, you could subscribe to one cash ISA, one stock and shares ISA and one Innovative Finance ISA in each tax year.
In the next tax-year you can subscribe to an additional ISA of each type again.
Can an IFISA be held with more than one provider?
Since the start of the 2024/25 tax year, there is no limit on the number of ISAs that you can open with different providers (apart from lifetime ISAs).
Historically, it was more complex due to the ‘one of each type’ rule.
- Every tax year the IFISA provider could be changed so there were multiple IFISAs with multiple providers. This required opening a new IFISA each year with a different provider.
- Investors could transfer funds between ISA managers. This was especially useful if there were funds subscribed to ISAs in previous years that investors wanted to invest in Peer to Peer. Investors could transfer funds to more than one IFISA provider. See the relevant FAQs below, for more detail on transferring ISAs.
How can I set up my Assetz Capital IFISA?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to set up an Assetz Capital IFISA Account.
Historically, you were able to set up your IFISA Account by registering for an Assetz Capital Account here:
https://retail.assetzcapital.co.uk/lender/registration/
Existing Assetz Capital account holders were able to log into their account and choose the ‘IFISA’ option on their Dashboard page. You would have needed your National Insurance Number to complete the process.
How do I subscribe to my Assetz Capital IFISA?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to set up an Assetz Capital IFISA Account.
Historically, you subscribed by creating an IFISA Account via the Dashboard page of your existing Standard Assetz Capital Account. If you didn’t already have a Standard Assetz Capital Account you would have needed to create one first – See Section B, above, regards creating an Account. Once your IFISA was created you could deposit funds to any of the Accounts contained within the IFISA wrapper. This depositing of funds then formalised your subscription. Setting up the account and not depositing any funds did not count as subscription. You could do this by sending cash, not already in an ISA, directly to any of the accounts by using the Depositing Funds section of the Manage Funds page. You could also subscribe by transferring in previous years ISA contribution from other ISA providers, but you would have to kick off this process by contacting your current ISA provider and completing their own transfer out form.
All subscriptions had to be in cash, so any non-cash ISA holdings had to be converted to cash prior to being placed into your IFISA with Assetz Capital. Your current ISA provider would have been able to provide details on how this works specific to the ISA in question
How do I make an investment in my Assetz Capital IFISA?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to invest into an Assetz Capital IFISA Account.
Historically, once you had successfully created your IFISA Account you could place funds into any of the Accounts available via your IFISA Dashboard in the normal way.
Is there a minimum subscription amount?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to subscribe to an Assetz Capital IFISA Account.
Historically, yes, the minimum initial subscription amount was £1.
Can I switch ISA provider?
You may switch providers for Innovative Finance or cash or stocks & shares ISAs, or vice versa, by transferring your existing ISA to your new ISA manager.
Click here to learn more in our 'how to' guide
When can I transfer my ISA from another provider to you?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to transfer an ISA from another provider to an Assetz Capital IFISA Account.
Historically, you were able to transfer your ISA at any time, you did not have to wait until the end of the tax year.
Click here to learn more in our 'how to' guide
How much of my existing ISA can I transfer?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to transfer an ISA from another provider to an Assetz Capital IFISA Account.
Historically, you could transfer all of your existing ISA; however, the minimum transfer in amount was £1.
For current year subscriptions:
Since the start of the 2024/25 tax year, there is no limit on the number of ISAs that you can open with different providers (apart from lifetime ISAs).
Historically, if you had subscribed in the current year, you had to transfer the amount subscribed in whole to the new ISA manager. Any income/interest credited to the ISA relating to the current year subscription would also need to be transferred.
For previous years subscriptions:
Investors could transfer whole or part of previous years’ investments to the new ISA manager.
Click here to learn more in our 'how to' guide
What is an Assetz Capital account?
An Assetz Capital account is our standard investment account. This account was always created when Investors signed up to Assetz Capital.
You did not have to make investments with your standard investment account. You could have chosen only to invest through your IFISA account.
Do I have a cancellation period?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to open an IFISA Account.
Historically, if you decided you no longer wanted your IFISA, you had the right to cancel your account within 14 calendar days of the date your account was opened. If you cancelled within this period, you would remain eligible to open an IFISA with us or another ISA manager. You would also not have used up any of your current year subscription. This did not apply if you cancelled your IFISA after this period.
How do flexible ISAs work?
- If you only have an ISA containing cash from previous tax years:- Whatever you withdraw you can replace into the same account but this must be in the same tax year for it to count as replacing the cash withdrawn so not using any of your current year's allowance. You can't put back more than you took out even if you didn't fill last years' allowance.
- Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to subscribe to a current year IFISA Account. Historically, if you only had an ISA with money in it from the current tax year: - You can withdraw and then replace the same amount of funds within the current Tax Year and it won't count towards this year's allowance again.
- If you have both of the above: - Withdrawals are set against the current tax year's allowance first. If you withdraw an amount larger than the amount you have put in so far this Tax Year, then the extra amount is treated as being from previous years. When putting funds back in this works in reverse, with funds allocated to the previous year’s initially and if all replaced, funds are then allocated to the current year allowance. This must all happen in the same Tax Year.
Can I transfer existing investments from my Standard Assetz Capital Account into my IFISA account?
No, you cannot transfer existing investments that you have made in your Standard Assetz Capital Account into your IFISA.
Can I carry forward any unused current year IFISA allowance into the next Tax Year?
No. If you do not use up your IFISA allowance, it will not be carried over to the next year.
What happens if I don’t make any investment in any one particular Tax Year?
If you open an IFISA, but do not subscribe any funds to it over the tax year, then it will be a considered a ‘break year’. This means that, because no subscriptions were made during the tax year, you will have to make a new ISA declaration next time you seek to subscribe in the IFISA.
M. Refer a friend
Can I refer my friends and family to Assetz Capital?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to refer a friend.
Historically, all of our investors, who have completed their registrations and invested on our platform were be able to refer friends and family to our platform. The ‘Refer a Friend’ feature was be made available to investors as soon as they had met this criteria.
How much will I earn by referring a friend?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to refer a friend.
Historically, once your referral had met the criteria of the scheme you would receive a £75 bonus straight into your cash account on the 14th day of the following month, subject to terms and conditions. For more information click here
How do I refer a friend?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to refer a friend.
Historically, if you’d met the above criteria, you would see a ‘Refer a Friend’ tab in your dashboard. In this section you would find your unique referral code that's required at the start of your friend’s registration process to qualify for the scheme.
How you made the referral was up to you. Pass on your code directly or use our automated email service with the option to personalise your message.
How long is my referral code valid for?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to refer a friend.
Historically, your unique referral code would be activated at the start of your referral's registration process, it would then be valid for 60 days. In order for you both to qualify for the refer a friend scheme your referral must have met all the criteria within 60 days. Assetz Capital reserved the right to withdraw the scheme at any time, however you would be given 30 days' notice before your code would no longer be in active.
Can I request an update from your Customer Service Team?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to refer a friend.
Whilst our customer service team were always happy to help, we were limited to the details we were able to provide. If your referral had given their consent for you to track their progress, we would have been able to provide updates on their status, however the same information would be available via your dashboard.
N. Bereavement
My loved one has recently passed away and I believe they had an account with you. What do we do now?
We’re sorry to hear of your loss, and we’ll aim to make the process as simple as we can. To start with, we’d ask you to fill out the Bereavement Form which can be downloaded here. Alternatively, contact our Bereavement Team via the LiveChat feature on the Investor Website - https://retail.assetzcapital.co.uk/ - They can also be emailed directly via - bereavement@assetzcapital.co.uk.
I’m unsure what the Account Reference Number is. What should I do?
The Account Reference Number is useful for us when identifying the correct account. It was used by Lenders to make payments to their Assetz Capital Account and therefore you may find it on a Bank Statement. Should you not be able to locate the reference, leave the field blank on the form and our Bereavement Team will follow up with you.
I’m not sure if there was a balance on the account and therefore do not know whether I need to submit Grant of Probate. What do I do?
Once we have received the other documents listed on the Bereavement Form, we can inform you of the balance on the Account(s). At this point, you can then request Grant of Probate if required. Accounts with balances of more than £5,000 will require Grant of Probate.
My loved one held an IFISA with you – does that change things?
If an IFISA was held, we will only be able to liquidate this for you, you will not be able to perform a Transfer Out. You may be entitled to an Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) if you are the spouse of the deceased. Please contact the Bereavement Team to discuss this if relevant.
I’m unable to provide a document to you as per your Bereavement form – is there any way around this?
Rest assured that we understand that each set of circumstances varies from person to person. We review documentation on a case by case basis and our Bereavement Team will follow-up with you to see if alternative information can be used, where relevant.
How long will it take to return all funds and close the account?
Since the closure of the Retail Investor Platform, in December 2022, all accounts have been set to liquidate all holdings as quickly as possible. Therefore, once all required documents have been received and reviewed, including Grant Of Probate, if required, payments to the nominated bank account will be made on a quarterly basis, where possible. Currently these payments are made free of charge, automatically, in January, April, July & October each year. Since the Platform closure there is no Secondary Marketplace available to attempt the sale of loan parts prior to the end of a loan term. As such, return of funds is dependent upon Borrowers repaying loans over the agreed loan term. Please contact our Bereavement Team if you would like us to explain how this works in more detail.
Why can’t I log into the account to make withdrawals myself?
We have already explored allowing executors to access relatives accounts and it was something that we had scoped out and comparatively prioritised versus other competing Retail Investor Platform needs, prior to the closure of the Platform in December 2022.
Sadly, since the Platform closure there has had to be a complete review and reprioritisation of any work that is needed to make the Solvent Run Off as efficient as possible. This has had to take into account the new constraints on staffing resource and greatly reduced income into the business and although it is something that we haven’t ruled out altogether, it is unlikely to become a top priority versus other competing needs in the foreseeable future.
O. Designated Bank Accounts
How do I add a new bank account?
Log into your Assetz Capital dashboard. Select ‘manage funds’ and then ‘bank accounts’ from the dropdown menu. When you arrive at the ‘Designated Bank Accounts’ page click on ‘Add new account’. When prompted add the account name, sort code and account number of the bank account you would like to add. Click submit and approve the two-factor authentication request. You will then see your bank account details on the page, but it will still need to be verified: we use a third-party system to confirm that the bank account belongs to you to help to protect our lenders from fraud. Most bank accounts can be automatically verified however If we do require further Information from you to complete manual verification, we will contact you.
Please note that a Designated Bank Account must be a UK bank account held in the name of the owner of the Assetz Capital account.
How long does it take to verify an account?
Bank accounts are normally verified automatically. If for any reason the system doesn't verify your account, our team will make contact with you via email within 2 working days. As part of the process we may request more details or documentation before we can complete the manual verification. We will aim to acknowledge receipt of your documents and process these within 2 working days, not including the day of submission.
What does "added from a legacy transfer request" mean?
A "Legacy account" Is a bank account
that has previously been verified for use on withdrawals. We have preloaded
these details into your account to save you some time. You can relabel the
account or delete it if you would like.
How can I change the label or account?
You can change the name of the account by
clicking on the little pencil icon beside the account name. This will make the
existing name editable.
How do I delete an account?
From your account list locate the ‘actions’ column. There will be two icons. If you click on the ‘rubbish bin’ icon to the left-hand side of the page, it will ask you to verify that you want to delete the account by sending you a verification code.
How do I withdraw?
To withdraw to a new account you will have to follow the steps outlined in ‘How do I add a new bank account?”
Once your new account is set up on the dashboard, verified and active you will be able to easily select it from the dropdown menu on the withdraw funds page.
Typically, withdrawal requests may take up to 2 working days to be processed however this does not include the day of submission.
What is pending review?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to deposit funds into your Assetz Capital Account.
Historically, if you deposited funds from an account that was not listed on your Designated Bank Account page a new bank account will appear as "Pending Activation". The bank account would remain at this status until we verified that the account details belong to you.
What does the status 'active' mean?
An account is considered active and ready to use once it has passed all checks.
P. Great British Business Account Series 2 (GBBA2) & Property Secured Account (PSA) closure
Why have you closed the GBBA2 and PSA accounts to new investment?
We’ve closed these accounts to new investment to simplify the platform and create the best possible lending experience. Our Credit Policy is now that all loans must have property security. As such there is no longer a need for a differentiated Property Secured Account (PSA).
As we’ve grown our platform, we’ve listened to your feedback and monitored which accounts you’re investing through. With the popularity of the ‘Access Accounts,’ including the introduction of our 90 Day Account back in March this year, the growth of the GBBA2 and PSA has remained relatively static.
What does this mean for my current holdings in these closed accounts?
You can still hold them for the full term of the loan, however, any capital repayments or interest you receive from investments in the closed accounts will be transferred into your Cash Account.
Are my returns affected by the closures?
If you have loan holdings in these accounts, they will continue to seek to pay the target rate of gross interest (subject to individual loan performance and the provision fund).
Can I still sell my holdings?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to put your loan holdings up for sale on the secondary market.
Historically, if you did wish to sell some or all of your loan holdings in any of the closed accounts, you were still able to do this through the secondary market (subject to demand by other lenders) by selecting the ‘withdraw’ option in your dashboard.
Do I have to sell my holdings?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to put your loan holdings up for sale on the secondary market.
Historically, no, if you had loan holdings in these accounts, they would continue to seek to pay the target rate of gross interest (subject to individual loan performance).
Over time, any interest received, and capital repaid from your investments in GBBA2 & PSA will be returned to your Cash Account for investment in other accounts at your discretion. In due course after all loan repayments or recoveries you will eventually have no holdings remaining in these two accounts.
Can I reinvest the interest earned and capital repaid in the GBBA2 and PSA back into the same accounts?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to reinvest funds.
Historically, no, as the accounts are now closed to new investment all interest received and capital repaid will be transferred out of your GBBA 1&2, PSA or GEA Accounts.
What happens if I send a bank transfer using the GBBA 1&2, PSA or GEA reference?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to deposit funds onto the platform or invest in any accounts.
Historically, this money was credited to your Cash Account where it would not be earning interest. You would then have had to manually move it to one of the available accounts for it to become invested and earn interest.
To avoid this, we recommend you update/delete any standing order or saved bank details you have to ensure you do not use inactive references.
Will the provision fund balance change as a result of an account closure?
The provision fund balance for these accounts will remain at the published level as at March 31st, 2019, less any use of the balance for provision fund payments to investors in the account.
Q. Holding accounts
Why have my funds been placed into a holding account?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to deposit funds onto the platform, unless they are being replaced into an IFISA Account during the same tax year that they were withdrawn.
Historically, in accordance with regulatory requirements, funds could only be invested into Peer-to-Peer loans once lenders have “Certified” the type of investor they are and completed an Appropriateness Test. This was to protect lenders and to ensure that they understood the risks. Your funds were placed in a holding account until this process has been completed.
If I no longer wish to proceed, how can I can transfer my money back?
We are able to transfer unused funds back to the source bank account, but only if we are in possession of the full bank details. If we aren’t, we’ll ask you to register a Designated Bank Account so you can withdraw the funds in the normal way.
To arrange this, simply contact our Customer Service Team via our secure Live Chat on the website. The Team are available to help you between 9am and 5:00pm, Monday to Friday, except Bank Holidays.
I’ve transferred funds over to Assetz Capital but they’re not showing anywhere on my Account Dashboard. Can you help?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to deposit funds onto the platform, unless they are being replaced into an IFISA Account during the same tax year that they were withdrawn.
Historically, for deposits made via the Faster Payments system, which is how banks usually send funds unless you selected an alternative method, your funds would usually be received and credited to your Assetz Capital account within 90 minutes.
Alternative methods of transferring funds, such as CHAPS payments, would be processed by the end of the following business day. An email notification would be sent to you when your funds had been credited.
If there were errors or omissions in the data we received, that were outside our control, it may have taken longer for funds to be credited to your Assetz Capital account. In these instances, we were not able to be held responsible for delays in processing your deposits.
If your payment had not appeared in your account by the end of the following business day, we asked that you please contact us directly via our secure live chat or via email, as additional information may have been required prior to allocation.
How long will my funds be kept in a holding account?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to deposit funds onto the platform, unless they are being replaced into an IFISA Account during the same tax year that they were withdrawn.
Historically, your funds would be kept in a holding account until you had completed Lender Certification and successfully passed the Appropriateness Test. We were unable to hold your funds indefinitely, therefore they would be returned after 20 working days if Lender Certification and/or the Appropriateness Test has not been completed.
R. Depositing funds – effective from 12th March 2020
What has changed?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to deposit funds onto the platform.
Historically, as of 12th March 2020, you were required to confirm the exact amount you wished to deposit in your dashboard prior to transferring funds from your bank.
Why are Assetz Capital implementing this process?
The FCA's Client Assets Sourcebook (CASS) provides rules for companies to follow whenever they hold or control client money or safe custody assets. We implemented this new process in line with these rules.
Your security is also paramount to us and this new process added an additional layer of security to ensure that funds invested in your account have been made by you and are for the amount expected.
What are the benefits for the investor?
We wanted to help you get your funds invested in your chosen account as quickly as possible. This process reduced the number of deposits that had to be manually allocated by confirming your intentions in advance, so your funds became interest-bearing as soon as possible.
What happens if I deposit funds without recording an intention beforehand?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to deposit funds onto the platform.
Historically, if you didn’t set up a Deposit Intention in the dashboard, the next time you logged into your account, you would have needed to confirm that you had made the deposit by clicking on the 'review' button.
You could then confirm or change the destination account and also confirm that the deposit was made by you. Alternatively, you could reject the deposit and the funds would be returned to the source account they had been received from.
Without your confirmation we couldn’t accept your funds, so they would be placed into a holding account. If after 9 working days, you had not confirmed the deposit, the funds would be returned back to the same bank account. (You had from before 6:30pm on day 1 until midnight on day 9 to confirm your intentions.)
How does this affect deposits into an IFISA?
ISA transfer from another provider:
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to transfer funds into your Assetz Capital IFISA from another ISA provider.
Historically, any transfers from another provider wouldn’t be affected by this process as the ISA transfer process acted as your deposit intention.
Deposit from your bank directly into an IFISA:
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to make new deposits into your Assetz Capital IFISA. However funds removed can still be replaced, within the same Tax Year.
You will need to follow the normal depositing process.
If you do not set a deposit intention, you will need to log in to your account and follow the instructions detailed above.
Please note that if you want the deposit to count towards the same Tax Year that they were withdrawn in you must confirm your deposit intention and ensure that your funds have cleared before the end of the prevailing tax year.
Will I have to follow this process if I move funds from my standard account to my IFISA account?
No, this process only applies to funds deposited onto the Assetz Capital platform.
What happens if I provide a deposit intention for a certain amount but then change my mind and deposit a different amount?
You will need to log into your account and confirm that you have made the deposit by clicking on the 'review' button.
You can then confirm or change the destination account and also confirm that the deposit was made by you. Alternatively, you can reject the deposit and the funds will be returned by to the account they came from.
What happens if I provide a deposit intention but then change my mind and decide not to deposit at all?
You can cancel your deposit intention on the platform. Alternatively, your intention will simply be removed after 9 working days, after which time you will need a set up a new deposit intention. (You have from before 6:30pm on day 1 until midnight on day 9 to confirm your intentions.)
What happens to my funds if I do not confirm my deposit intention within the 9 working days?
If your deposit intention expires, funds will be returned to the source account on the 10th working day.
What happens if I set a deposit intention for a specific amount e.g. £20,000, but I then split this into multiple deposits e.g. 4 x £5,000
Our systems are based on a one to one match between intention and deposit made. The next time you log into the dashboard you will be presented with four deposits to review, where you can accept or reject these funds on a deposit by deposit basis.
I don’t recognise a deposit you have allocated to me, what should I do?
If you don’t recognise a deposit, you can choose to reject it in your dashboard and it will be returned to the source account.
How do I deposit funds on the platform?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, it has not been possible to make new deposits onto the Assetz Capital Platform, apart from replacing funds previously removed from your Assetz Capital IFISA, providing they are replaced within the same Tax year. A corresponding deposit intention must be made.
S. The Access Account Marketplace
What is the Access Account Marketplace?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
Historically, whilst the way your investments worked day-to-day and paid interest didn’t change at all, the Access Account Marketplace gave investors greater control over the withdrawal of invested funds and new investment options.
By providing investors with a marketplace, we continued to connect those investors looking to withdraw their funds with those looking to invest, but now were able to provide the option for you to apply a discount to loan holdings if you wished, which could help to speed up the withdrawal process, providing there was demand from other investors.
It’s important to understand that any discounts that you chose to offer were at the discretion of each investor based on their personal liquidity needs and are not a decision made by other investors or by Assetz Capital. Discounts were entirely optional and may have helped speed the early withdrawal of capital from loan investments if offered, otherwise withdrawals would continue in the same manner as before.
Simply put, if you created a Withdrawal Instruction with say, a 1% discount on £100 of Access Account investments, you would receive £99 cash as soon as a matching Invest Instruction was found. The investor who invested in your loan holding at a discount will receive £100 worth of loan holdings for £99 - effectively getting a bonus £1 worth of loan holdings.
Why have you introduced the Access Account Marketplace?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
Due to the impact of Coronavirus the Access Accounts were unable to achieve the same high levels of liquidity they enjoyed prior to the pandemic, meaning withdrawals were slower than usual.
Therefore, we introduced the Access Account Marketplace - a new way for our platform to work within these difficult market conditions, and to try to speed up current withdrawal requests for those who are willing and able to offer a discount.
The marketplace allowed you to invest into any of our range of Access Accounts and automatically take advantage of any discounts that may have been applied by an investor looking to withdraw their funds.
This didn’t change the way your investments worked day-to-day but the Access Account Marketplace did provide the prospect of greater liquidity for those looking to withdraw their funds and offer some benefit to those who are looking to invest, by potentially receiving a discount on their investment. Discounts were only available if existing lenders had chosen to offer loan parts at a reduced price.
Will anything change in my dashboard?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
Yes. You’ll would have seen a few small changes across the dashboard, and we tried to keep them as straightforward as possible.
You will have seen a new box called ‘My Access Account Marketplace Instructions’ just above the Access Accounts. Here you would be able to keep track of any current or past ‘Invest’ or ‘Withdraw’ instructions.
I've already got a withdrawal request pending - do I need to do anything else?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
If you had already made a withdrawal request and it was awaiting withdrawal, you didn’t need to take any further action. Your request had automatically been converted to a ‘par value’ (0% discount) marketplace Withdrawal Instruction and would retain its position in the queue. This withdrawal instruction would continue to be fulfilled over time on a pro-rata basis (as is currently the case). You can find more information on how this worked here. Essentially, if you didn’t want to make use of the discounting feature of the new marketplace, you didn’t need to take any action, your existing withdrawal request(s) would be preserved and withdrawal payments would continue on the same basis as before.
However, if you wanted to use the Access Account Marketplace to sell your loan holdings at a discount, to potentially speed up your withdrawal (subject to demand from buyers at the discount level you choose to set), you needed to cancel your original withdrawal request and create a new one.
How do I withdraw my Access Account loan holdings at a discount?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
Only funds invested in the Quick Access Account (QAA) could be traded on the marketplace and at a discount. So, if you had funds that have served their notice period from the 30 Day or 90 Day Access Accounts and you want to take advantage of the discount facility, you needed to move some or all of your funds into the QAA in order to offer loan holdings for sale at a discount.
If you already had a pending withdrawal request from the 30DAA or 90DAA that had served its notice period, but wanted to offer your holdings at a discount, you’ll have needed to cancel those old par value withdrawal requests and direct your money to the QAA - you would then earn the QAA rate of interest until any withdrawal is completed. Then follow the process below.
- Click ‘Withdraw’ on the Quick Access Account box in your dashboard
- Select the destination you wish to withdraw your funds to and enter the amount you’d like to withdraw
- Click on ‘Discounting Options’
- Enter the chosen discount you’d like to sell at
This is the same process for those wishing to sell investments that were already in the QAA.
Once you’d followed the process above, the system would indicate the amount of funds that were immediately available for withdrawal based on the discount you’d chosen and demand from other investors to invest into the Access Accounts at that discount level. The system would show you the amount of money offered by other investors to match your withdrawal request and discount. It’s important to note that this was a live marketplace, so we couldn’t guarantee the amount indicated would remain available.
The amount available for withdrawal was based on demand from other investors looking to invest. So, it may not have been possible to fulfil some or all of your withdrawal request immediately. In this scenario, you had the option to change your chosen discount or create a Marketplace Instruction to automatically withdraw your funds at the discount you had entered, as soon as there was matching investor demand in the future.
If you had applied a discount to your Withdrawal Instruction, you’d be asked to confirm that you understood that withdrawing your funds at a discount would reduce the amount of capital you received (in effect, you are creating a reduction in your capital equal to the discount you choose to set) and, once matched with an Invest Instruction, your withdrawal at a discount could not be cancelled or reversed.
For extra security, you needed to complete two-factor authentication (2FA) when you withdrew or created a Withdrawal Instruction.
How does the discounting work?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
Historically, in its simplest form, the marketplace automatically connected those looking to invest and withdraw who have matched discounting instructions.
For example, if an investor wanted to sell £5,000 of their QAA loan holdings at a discount of 2%, and another investor was happy to invest £5,000 at the same discount level, these instructions would be matched, and the requests would be fulfilled. If there were a number of investors with the same discount, the system would operate on a first come, first served basis.
When setting a Withdrawal Instruction, you could set a discount amount of your choosing. This meant that whilst your loan holdings could be sold to a number of investors with varying discounting targets, your Withdrawal Instruction would never match with an Invest Instruction greater than your chosen discount.
Whilst we tried to give you as much real-time information as possible, at the point of setting a Withdrawal Instruction, this was a live marketplace. Therefore, we couldn’t guarantee or hold the amount immediately available at a given discount for any period of time. If an Invest Instruction was no longer matched by the other investors, that the system previously saw as available, when you selected withdraw (likely due to another investor matching on the marketplace before you), the system would reject the instruction and provide you with a new indication based on the updated current Invest Instructions in the marketplace.
Can I change my mind after selling my loan holdings at a discount?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
It was really important to be comfortable with the level of discount you applied to your loan holdings. Once you had selected to withdraw any funds that were able to be immediately matched to other investors wanting to invest (and completed 2FA) the action couldn’t be reversed, and the relevant loan holdings would now be sold to another investor and withdrawn funds would be processed to your chosen destination.
If you had created a Withdrawal Instruction at a chosen discount, you were able to cancel it at any time - providing the instruction had not already been matched with an invest instruction. To cancel it you simply had to go to the Access Account Marketplace box in your dashboard, select the withdrawal instruction and press cancel.
How can I keep track of my Withdrawal Instructions?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
You can keep track of your Withdrawal Instructions and whether they have been fulfilled in the Access Account Marketplace box in your dashboard.
You'll also be able to keep track of any Withdrawal Instructions that have been fulfilled or cancelled by clicking past instructions.
How long will it take to withdraw my Access Account holdings at a discount?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
Historically, this new functionality brought an active marketplace that was better suited to more difficult market conditions and those still wanting to withdraw quickly.
Unfortunately, we were not able to predict how long this would take and we certainly couldn’t guarantee that a discount would lead to an immediate sale. Like any marketplace it depended on the demand and supply available and the use of discounts was intended to incentivise new investors to buy your loan holdings from you quicker than at par value.
If I cancel a par value withdrawal from the 30DAA or 90DAA and transfer to the QAA to then have the choice of a discounted withdrawal through the marketplace, what rate of interest will I earn until that withdrawal?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
You would earn the QAA payable rate of interest from the point you cancelled the 30DAA or 90DAA withdrawal request, that had served its notice period, on the funds chosen to transfer to the QAA.
I make regular deposits through a Standing Order into a designated account – what happens to these?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
Historically, regular deposits and Standing Orders would automatically take the best discounts available at the time they were processed, so they were not disadvantaged by investing directly into an account.
Can I reinvest my interest payments at a discount?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
Historically, yes, you could set a discount level for interest repayments by logging into your dashboard and clicking on the ‘Withdraw Interest’ link. From there, you could choose the level of discount at which you were willing to reinvest your interest payments at, along with specifying the account you wished to withdraw your interest to.
Please remember that money held against a pending Invest Instruction at discount would not be earning any interest as it would not yet be invested in loans.
Will withdrawing at a discount mean that I lose some of my capital investment?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
Historically, yes, you would lose a proportion of your capital, dependant on the size of the discount you had set. When you set up a Withdraw Instruction, you could choose the level of discount you wished to apply to withdraw your account holdings and you would be given a total figure of what selling at that discounted rate equates to. A modest discount might only represent a loss equivalent to a number of months’ interest earned previously. This is similar to requesting early access to other illiquid or term investments where penalties are charged for early access. In our case however, this discount went to the new investor, not to Assetz Capital. And you did not have to set a discount if you don’t want to – it was entirely up to you.
How do I invest at a discount using the Access Account Marketplace?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
Historically, it’s important to note that although you may have had any number of Invest or Withdraw Instructions at the same time, you were limited to one type per Access Account i.e. you could only invest into an Access Account that doesn’t have a current Withdrawal Instruction.
Please note, Standard and IFISA-wrapped Access Accounts were treated separately, so it was possible to have a Withdrawal Instruction in the Standard 30 Day Access Account for example, and also have an Invest Instruction in the IFISA-wrapped 30 Day Access Account.
If you were investing funds that weren’t already in your Cash Account, you would need to add your deposit intentions:
- Head to the ‘Manage funds’ tab in your dashboard and select 'Deposit Funds'
- Choose ‘one -off deposit’ or ‘regular deposit’ if you plan to deposit a set amount on a regular basis
- Enter the exact amount you plan to deposit
Once the funds were in your Cash Account, you were ready to get started.
- Click ‘Invest’ on Access Account you would like to invest in
- Enter the amount you would like to invest
- The marketplace will let you know the biggest available discount that some or all of your funds can be invested at. If there are no discounts are available, you can invest at par value (0% discount) immediately.
- Alternatively, you could set an instruction to invest at a discount of your choosing.
However, it’s important to remember that your funds would not become invested and interest bearing until a matching Withdrawal Instruction was found. You could cancel the instruction at any time, providing it had not already been matched.
How can I keep track of my Invest Instructions?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
Historically, you could keep track of your Invest Instructions and whether they had been fulfilled in the Access Account Marketplace box in your dashboard.
You’d be able to see all active instructions including any that had been fulfilled or cancelled.
How long will it take to invest using the Access Account Marketplace?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
Historically, like any marketplace, the trading of Access Account loan holdings depends on the demand and supply available. If you wanted to invest at par value, you would be able to do this instantly.
However, if you had set an Invest Instruction at a particular level of discount, we couldn’t predict how long it might take nor guarantee that a matched Withdrawal Instruction would be found. Please remember that money held against a pending invest instruction at discount did not earn any interest as it was not yet invested in loans.
What are the tax implications when using the marketplace to sell loan holdings with a discount?
Since the closure of the Retail Investment Platform, in December 2022, the Access Account Marketplace has not been available.
We are not able to offer specific tax advice, so we recommend that you consult a professional tax adviser if you are uncertain about how selling at a discount would need to be acted upon with regard to your individual tax circumstances and reporting.
Investors can download a tax statement from their account dashboard which will calculate the amount of interest earned within a specified period for tax purposes.
T. Closed Q&A FAQ
Closed Q&A Useful Information
From August 2023 the Loan Q&A Section is now closed to new questions.The Q&A page will remain visible but is now “read only” and will act as a repository of all historic Q&A for each loan so that Investors will have access to them if needed.
Questions about loans, that would previously have been raised via the Loan Q&A, should be sent to – enquiries@assetzcapital.co.uk
Rules relating to the answering of questions about loans, sent via the enquiries email inbox.
- A question must relate specifically to the structure/workings and/or due diligence documentation relating to that particular loan.
- If you have a question which falls outside of the above definition you may wish to refer to our Frequently Asked Questions page, which is designed to provide you with a quick accurate answer to the questions we get asked regularly. If you don’t find your answer there, we offer a number of alternative methods of communicating with us:
- If you’d like to offer us some feedback, please do so via feedback@assetzcapital.co.uk. We welcome all feedback, positive or negative, and try to use all constructive comments that we receive to help to shape our offering.
- If you need to make a complaint, please click here - Complaints - to see all the information you will need to do so.
Standard Timelines for Loan Question Responses.
We aim to answer questions, that can be answered internally (i.e.: by a member of the Assetz Capital team) within 10 days.
For questions which can’t be answered by the Assetz Capital Team, and which are reliant on other third parties for information or clarification, an acknowledgement of your email will be made. We will then endeavour to provide an answer within 14 days.
In the event that we cannot provide a full answer within this time frame, you will be provided with an update on progress and a further projected timescale for a specific answer to the question.
Our ability to achieve these timelines is dependent on the nature of the question, its complexity and any reliance we must place on third parties outside of our business.
Please be aware that in some instances we will be unable to provide an answer despite best endeavours to do so.
If you have any questions or need help or assistance, please contact us via the enquiries email address above or via the “LiveChat” feature available on the Investor Platform.