Esketit Review Summary
Esketit is one of Europe's most stable P2P lending platforms, with an average return of 12.20%. Our community has voted Esketit one of the best P2P lending platforms in 2024.
Main Takeaways From Our Esketit Review:
- 60-day buyback obligation on most loans
- Higher interest rates
- Operating from Latvia
- Deposits in EUR or stablecoins
- Reliable & stable income
If you believe Esketit is a good fit for you, sign up with our link to get a 0.5% cashback bonus.
Ready to let your money work for you?
What is Esketit?
Esketit is a P2P lending platform owned by the founders of the international lending group AvaFin (formerly CreamFinance). On Esketit, you can invest in loans from Jordan, the Czech Republic, Poland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, or Spain with an average annual return of 11%.
Is Esketit worth your investment? Find out in our in-depth Esketit review.
Pros
- Reliable buyback and group guarantee
- High interest rates
- Modern P2P lending platform
- Instant Exit Option
- No fees
- Supported deposits in EUR or stablecoins
Cons
- Not regulated
Learn how Esketit works in our video review.
Our Opinion Of Esketit
Esketit has historically been one of the best-performing platforms in Europe. The platform has protected investors' interests even during ongoing geopolitical events.
We have an active portfolio on Esketit since April 2022, and our experience with the platform has been excellent. While loan availability is limited on Esketit, Auto Invest Strategies always manages to deploy our uninvested funds within a few days. This, however, depends on current market conditions.
Our preferred strategy is to invest in loans from AvaFin and Utopia. Our current exposure on Esketit can be reviewed on our P2P portfolio page.
While AvaFin is a well-established player in the global lending market, remember the numerous risks of investing in unsecured loans. Regulatory changes might lead to losses for the company, which may negatively impact the performance of your portfolio.
If you join Esketit, you should understand the lender’s loan performance in dedicated markets.
As part of our research, we visited the headquarters of AvaFin in Riga, chatted with the founders of Esketit, and talked numerous times with the CEO about the ongoing developments.
As of September 2024, Esketit is one of Europe's best-performing P2P lending platforms.
Our return exceeds 12% per year by investing in well-performing loans. Keen to join as well?
Esketit Bonus
Esketit offers an optional Esketit promo code, which you can type in during registration. However, this is not required to get a cashback bonus. We have negotiated a 0.5% referral bonus for our readers on P2P Empire.
Signing up with our link will give you a 0.5% cashback bonus from your invested amount during the first 90 days after your registration.
Loyalty Bonus
If you are keen to invest a higher amount, you can benefit from Esketit's loyalty program, where you can increase your return by +1%.
If you invest more than €25,000, you will get +0.5% interest in addition to your annual return. If you invest more than €50,000, you will get +1% on top of the standard rate.
Remember that the loyalty bonus is only applied to your investment in Jordan loans.
Requirements
To be able to invest on Esketit, you need to fulfill specific requirements:
- Be over 18 years old
- Pass the KYC
- Verify your identity
- Verify your bank account (IBAN)
If you don’t have a euro bank account with a dedicated IBAN, you can open a free N26 account, as explained in our N26 review, or a Wise account with a dedicated Wise Card.
Stablecoins Deposits
Esketit also supports account top-ups with EUR or the stablecoins USDT and USDC via the Ethereum and Tron network, meaning you can earn interest on USDC deposits.
Every investor gets an ERC20 address to which you can deposit your crypto. Esketit will exchange deposits in stablecoins into fiat before investing.
This feature benefits you by allowing you to top up your account within 30 minutes, even on weekends.
The crypto wallet feature on Esketit is helpful when you don't hold a EUR bank account but transfer other currencies to your platform's account.
You don't pay any FX fee when depositing stablecoins on Esketit. However, the crypto exchange from where you send your crypto might charge some withdrawal fees.
Or learn more about Esketit's crypto features in our Esketit crypto guide.
Risk & Return
Investing in loans is risky, and you might lose your money. Esketit offers a 60-day buyback obligation for loans from AvaFin and Money for Finance.
Loans from the Czech Republic and Spain lending companies have an additional group guarantee.
Loan availability is subject to market conditions.
Buyback Obligation & Group Guarantee
The buyback obligation represents the lending company's promise to repurchase the loan after the borrower has delayed repayment for more than 60 days.
The group guarantee represents the financial group's promise to fulfill the lending company's obligation in cases where the lender cannot cover the buyback obligation.
Remember that the group guarantee does not affect all loans on Esketit and that AvanFin only offers a group guarantee for its lenders.
The lending company in Jordan is not part of the AvaFin group, but the same owners own them.
The buyback obligation and the group guarantee are directly related to the financial situation of the lenders or the finance group.
Let’s look at some of the reports from AvaFin.
| Report | Net Profit/Loss |
|---|---|
| 2023 | € 7.893.992 |
| 2022 | € 8.296.358 |
| 2021 | € 3.403.510 |
| 2020 | € - 829.213 |
| 2019 | € 660.619 |
| 2018 | € 1.567.010 |
| 2017 | € - 385.150 |
It’s worth noting that BDO audits all the reports in Cyprus, where AvaFin is legally based.
AvaFin’s Portfolio
AvaFin (Creamfinance) also funds its loan book from another crowdfunding platform in Japan. The company lists loans from its lenders from the Czech Republic and Spain.
During our talk at Creamfinance's headquarters in Riga, we learned that Spain is undoubtedly a challenging market for AvaFin. However, the lender sees good potential in Spain, so it will put more effort into improving its portfolio quality in this market.
What's important to highlight is how AvaFin handles its portfolio quality. The company sells bad portfolios to collection agencies in most European countries at a 50% discount.
The default rate of the lender's portfolio in established markets is typically below 10%. Assuming that 10% of the loans default and the company sells the bad loans with a 50% discount, the net loss is around 5% of the loan book, covered by the lender’s profits.
Selling bad-performing loans is a standard process in the lending industry. It helps to keep the portfolio healthy.
Investing in defaulted loans from Spain
Esketit's founders have recently launched a new company offering investments in discounted defaulted lending portfolios in Spain.
Spanda Capital, the newly introduced loan originator, is raising funds from investors on Esketit with a loan term of 24 months and 12% APY. For the first six months, investors will only receive interest payouts, followed by repayment of the proportional principal amount over the remaining 18 months.
This is how the business model of Spanda Capital works:
- Spanda Capital buys a bad lending portfolio at a discount (50% - 60%)
- The company then forwards a portion of the bad portfolio for recovery to a debt collection agency
- The debt collection agency recovers the bad portfolio with additional fees
- Spanda Capital takes a cut and returns the principal with accrued interest to investors
On average, it takes two years to recover a defaulted portfolio in Spain, which is why the company offers a 2-year loan term for investors who wish to secure a 12% interest over the next 24 months.
Investing in Jordan
Jordan is an attractive market with interesting returns for P2P investors. Esketit currently offers 13% interest on investments in loans from Jordan. Let's have a closer look at this market.
On Esketit, you can invest in unsecured consumer loans from the lender Money for Finance, which the founders of Creamfinance and Esketit own.
The lending company is issuing loans to new borrowers of up to €130, and repeated borrowers can get up to €240 for 30 days. It's worth pointing out that more than half of the borrowers extend the loan repayment period.
Money For Finance has been operating on the market for four years.
The default rates in Jordan are lower than in some European markets, where Creamfinance has been operating for over a decade. This is due to the country's strict payment discipline.
Jordan is, without a doubt, an emerging market that always comes with certain risks.
The company follows the Ministry of Industry and Trade rules and doesn't need a lending license to issue loans in the country. Most of the loans are issued in cash to borrowers with regular income. The effective APR charged to borrowers is around 200%.
Regarding the country's risk, there is no currency fluctuation as the Jordanian dinar is pegged to the US dollar. There is no elevated political risk, and the lender expects some regulation within 2 years.
Investments in Jordan may carry additional country risk as the neighboring country is at war.
While the CEO at Esketit confirmed in October 2023 that the business continues to run smoothly in Jordan, investors should consider the conflict in the region when evaluating the risk of certain lending companies.
Direct investment in Money for Finance
Esketit started offering the possibility to invest directly into the development of the lending company Money for Finance in Jordan via a business loan channeled through MD Investments SIA in Latvia, which owns the lending originator in Jordan. You can find this investment on Esketit's primary market.
Investing in USD loans
Esketit also allows you to invest in USD loans from Money for Finance in Jordan.
To invest in USD loans, you must deposit USD in Esketit's Swiss bank account and then switch the currency to USD to retrieve the bank account information.
After you deposit USD into your Swiss bank account, you can invest your available balance in the primary market.
Alternatively, you can also automate your investments with Esketit Strategies, saving you time apart from generating a 13% return on your investments in USD loans on Esketit.
Remember that by investing in USD, you are exposed to currency fluctuation.
Investing in external loan originators
The demand for investments on Esketit is increasing, which is why the P2P lending platform started onboarding external loan originators.
The first external lending partner on Esketit is Aksioma 24, which offers Latvian mortgage loans with a 7% interest rate and a 36-month maturity.
The LTV of the listed loans ranges from 45% to 60%, and a mortgage backs all loans. The interest is repaid monthly, and the principal repayment starts in the second year and is divided proportionally.
Investing in loans backed by music royalties
Esketit is constantly expanding its assets under management. In collaboration with i2 Group, Esketit has announced a strategic partnership with Utopia, an international music distributor.
Lyric, a company owned by Utopia, responsible for the lending business, offers loans backed by future music royalties.
The lender offers a 12-month loan with a 9% annual interest rate. Historically, Utopia and Lyric reported a default rate of below 1.5%, which is why the offered loans have lower interest rates for investors.
Let's have a look at Utopia's and Lyric's business model:
- Lyric lends money to the artist at a 20% effective rate
- The cash advance is backed by the future royalties generated by the music that the artist produces
- The royalties are collected and transferred to the SPV, which is controlled by Esketit and i2 Group
- The SPV repays investors and transfers the remaining funds to Lyric
- If the music royalties exceed the loan amount, the remaining funds are transferred to the artist
Since Utopia controls the repayment of music royalties, it can easily predict song revenue. It's worth mentioning that while investors will provide funds to the SPV in Liechtenstein, the actual cash advances will be given to artists in the United States and the UK.
Is Esketit Safe?
Esketit has been operating since 2021 without any capital loss for investors. Let's dive deeper into the risks and safety features that you must consider before investing in Esketit.
Get insights about the Esketit operation here:
Who Leads the Team?
Vitālijs Zalovs is the CEO of Esketit and, therefore, in charge of the platform's operations. He has previous experience working at Mintos.
Are you curious about Esketit's plans for 2024? Watch the following video to learn more about Esketit's strategy for this year.
Who Owns the Platform?
Esketit is owned by the co-founders of the AvaFin Group, Davis Barons, and Matiss Ansviesulis. Both gentlemen have an impressive track record of growing their companies.
Are There Any Suspicious Terms and Conditions?
When using a P2P lending platform, you should always review the terms and conditions to understand your rights and obligations.
Storage of Funds
Using Esketit, you must send your funds to Esketit’s bank account. The platform doesn’t provide you with individual IBAN accounts. According to the T&C’s, your funds on Esketit are stored separately from the platform's funds.
Amendments
Esketit reserves the right to amend the terms and conditions at any time. The platform will inform you about any changes via email; however, it does not state the time frame you have to accept or decline those amendments.
Access to Loan and Assignment Agreements
The assignment agreement is unavailable for unregistered users; however, if you sign up, you can review a sample agreement by navigating to it on the primary market.
Potential Red Flags
- Esketit may amend the terms and conditions before notifying you in advance.
Usability
In terms of usability, Esketit provides an Auto Invest feature, which saves you time when investing on this platform.
Auto Invest
The Auto Invest feature allows you to define essential loan characteristics such as the loan amount, interest rate, remaining loan term, countries, loan types, or loan originators.
Remember that only Esketit's automated strategies offer "instant cash-out" during normal market conditions. If you decide to invest in loans through a custom Auto Invest strategy, you must use the secondary market to sell your investment.
Are you wondering how Esketit compares to PeerBerry? Check out our comparison Esketit vs PeerBerry.
If you have invested on other P2P lending sites, investing on Esketit will be very straightforward. The platform also allows you to invest in the primary or secondary market.
🧾Does Esketit deduct taxes?
Esketit doesn't tax your earnings. However, you can download income statements for tax purposes in your dashboard, which you may submit to your tax authorities when you file your taxes in the nation where you are a tax resident. For more info, visit our article about how to tax income from P2P loans.
Liquidity
Esketit provides a secondary market that increases the liquidity of your investments. The time it takes to sell your investment depends on the offered discount and the market conditions.
The secondary market allows discounts that should help you sell your investments faster.
As we conduct our Esketit review, we see that plenty of loans are available on the secondary market.
Esketit Automated Strategies & Instant Exit
Esketit offers three automated pre-defined investment strategies that help you diversify your portfolio with just one click.
- The Diversified strategy allows you to distribute your investments to all available loan originators.
- The Jordan strategy allocates your investments only into all loans from Jordan, including long-term business loans.
- The AvaFin strategy diversifies your investments across lenders that belong to the AvaFin Group (formerly CreamFinance) and offer the group guarantee.
The distribution of investments in AvaFin loans under the Diversified strategy is based on market availability. This means that your investments in loans from Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic won't be distributed equally.
All three strategies offer an instant exit option. To withdraw funds, you can create a strategy, click on “edit,” and use the “cash-out” option.
Remember that the “cash-out” option is meant to work mainly during normal market conditions.
Other investors must activate the same strategy for the feature to work. So, other investors will take over your loan investments when starting the “cash-out” option.
Support
Our experience with the support of Esketit has been positive, which is also often highlighted by other investors in Esketit reviews on Trustpilot. The platform provides us with answers to our questions within one business day. You can reach out to Esketit by sending an email to support@esketit.com.
Esketit also manages its Telegram group, where the CEO answers investors' questions.
Esketit Alternatives
Esketit is among the best P2P lending platforms in 2024, so the number of suitable alternatives is relatively low. If you prioritize diversification and wish to expose your portfolio to various loan types in different regions, these alternatives might be a good fit for you.
Income Marketplace
Income Marketplace is an Estonian P2P lending marketplace that enables investors to invest in multiple lending companies in Europe, Asia, and America.
A buyback guarantee backs all the loans, and many lenders pledge their loan books to increase the safety of your investments. The platform offers loans with a yield of up to 15% per year. To learn more about this investment platform, read our Income Marketplace review.
LANDE
LANDE is a Latvian platform that offers investments in agricultural loans backed by grain, insurance, or other types of collateral.
The platform is headquartered in Riga, just a few minutes from Esketit's headquarters. Like Esketit, LANDE has an excellent track record in protecting investors' interests. If you want to invest in secured loans, LANDE is one of the best options in 2024. Read our LANDE review to learn more about the platform.
Fintown
Fintown is a newly launched platform from the Czech Republic. This crowdfunding site offers investments in rental properties in Prague's city center. You can earn between 10% and 12% interest per year, which is paid out from the revenue generated by the short-term rental apartments.
Fintown was co-founded by the Managing Director of Creamfinance CZ, which also funds loans on Esketit. The platform offers exciting terms and pays out interest every month. Learn more about Fintown in our Fintown review.
