You’ve been analyzing P2P platforms for many years and are known for taking a very critical approach. Has the way you evaluate platforms changed over time? What do you look at differently today compared to when you started?

That’s a good question. Over the years, I have realized that my due diligence has increasingly shifted from assessing platform-level risks – such as business model, regulation, and financials – toward lender-level risks like credit scoring models, default rates, and recovery performance.

While both areas must be carefully evaluated, ultimately it is the performance of the underlying assets and lending companies that determines whether the promised returns are achievable and sustainable.

If you had to simplify it, what really matters when choosing a platform, what should investors pay the most attention to?

The key is cutting through the marketing noise when it comes to promised returns, fancy guarantees, and other flashy platform features. Instead, focus on understanding the underlying business model, how risk management has been executed historically, and how transparent the platform is when addressing concerns or issues with its investor community.
On a personal level, defining your investment horizon (liquidity) and return expectations upfront helps to filter out platforms that don’t fit your strategy in the first place.

In your recent video, you take a fresh look at TWINO and mention that you started investing again. What made you want to revisit the platform now?

Having an active investment exposure on the platform since 2020, TWINO has always been in my scope of platforms that I follow more closely.

For me, the performance of TWINO is often closely tied to the management executives being in charge. After Nauris has been taking over the CEO position about 12 months ago, the platform has visibly improved under his leadership. Compared to many other platforms in the industry, TWINO acknowledges its mistakes and takes accountability for them, combined with a proactive problem-solving approach that has shown tangible progress in recent months.

Furthermore, with higher transparency standards, improved communication quality, and a strong operational core business in Poland, TWINO deserves renewed attention from investors.

You’ve seen investor behaviour evolve over the years. Do you feel investors in P2P have become more cautious? And today, is the space driven more by newcomers, or by experienced investors who have stayed?

Actually, it is quite the opposite. Today’s market is full of questionable business models that somehow attract millions in investor funds. Why is that? Many investors seem desperate to deploy their capital quickly, losing the ability to properly assess risks and sometimes ignoring obvious red flags.
Therefore, it is not surprising to see so many new platforms emerging in recent months. There is a lot of capital in the market, and many investors are willing to take disproportionate risks. New platforms are exploiting this, which explains the recent surge of newcomers.

Looking back at your own journey, if you could give your younger self one piece of advice when you first started investing in P2P, what would it be?

Being a P2P investor for almost a decade, only one piece of advice will not get the job done.

Here is my top 6:

·       Don’t be greedy: Higher returns tend to go with higher risks.

·       Do your own due diligence: Ignore the marketing fluff of platforms and influencers.

·       Beware of geopolitical risks: Your funds will be faster locked up than you anticipate.

·       Avoid the expansion trap: Being first in a new market rarely pays off.

·       Quality over quantity: Diversification only works if you don’t know what you do.

·       Don’t give up: Learn from your mistakes, adapt, and remain consistent in your strategy.