WHAT'S UP DIGITAL LENDING?

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Mar 2026

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This is the first podcast exclusively focusing on Non-Bank Digital Lending. We make a deep dive into the most important market developments, analyze opportunities for investors, and discuss the latest regulatory issues.

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23 recent

March 6, 202635 min

#23: “Grüezi mitenand!” - How the Digital Redefinition of SME Lending is Making Access to Finance Easier in Switzerland

We are traveling to Lake Geneva to meet the founder and CEO of Kredo, a Fintech based in beautiful Pully. His goal is to improve financing for Swiss companies, as they face an increasingly complex and rapidly changing environment. At the same time, access to credit is becoming more and more complicated and time-consuming with traditional lenders. In parallel, many investors are looking for investment opportunities decorrelated from the financial markets and which have a significant impact on the regional economy. Tune in to hear how Kredo builds the bridge between these different players, how they are pioneering digital SME lending in Switzerland, why lending to SMEs is so appealing as an asset class, which investor groups invest in the Kredo Debt Fund, and what default rates and returns can be expected. Put on your hiking gear - we're heading to the mountains! Speaker: Lucas Wüst, Founder & CEO, Kredo Host: Constantin Fabricius, Managing Director @ Digital Lending Association Please note: The content of this podcast is expressly not to be considered investment advice, but is intended solely for your information. Subscribe to stay updated on new episodes! Subscribe to our Quarterly Briefing:https://digitallenders.eu/#Newsletter Follow us on LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/company/digital-lending-association 'What's Up Digital Lending?' live in Paris, France, on September 24, 2026: https://lendingsummit.eu/

December 5, 202524 min

#22: Chaos in Non-Bank Lending - Supporting Investors to Make Clear Choices With Intelligent Debt Facility Management

When investors encounter non-bank lenders, things get really interesting. We are entering a world where Excel is often still king. Good old gut feeling replaces knowledge because there is a lack of transparency and structure. This is where series founder Nicolas Kipp comes in with his Berlin-based start-up Credibur. Now it's time to put on your smock, grab your broom, and let's go! Speaker: Nicolas Kipp, Founder & CEO @ Credibur Host: Constantin Fabricius, Managing Director @ Digital Lending Association Please note: The content of this podcast is expressly not to be considered investment advice, but is intended solely for your information. Subscribe to stay updated on new episodes! Subscribe to our Quarterly Briefing:https://digitallenders.eu/#Newsletter Follow us on LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/company/digital-lending-association

September 4, 202526 min

#21: ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Portfolio!’ - Why Backup Servicing Matters

Currently, more and more investors fear they will never see their money again. The number of shakeouts in the market continues to rise. The Grey Capital Market is particularly affected. That is why we are talking today with a senior expert about the proper management of operational and financial crisis situations in which it is no longer possible for a Non-Bank Digital Lender (NBDL) to continue operating. Here the back-up servicer steps in. They secure the loan portfolio and keep business operations running. If this process is set up neatly from the outset, everyone benefits: the borrowers, the investors, and even the market due to the stabilizing effect. However, we will also talk about what happens when things go haywire because there is no back-up servicer. Put on some dirty clothes - it's going to get messy! Speaker: Dr. Clifford Tjiok, CCO @ LOANCOS Host: Constantin Fabricius, Managing Director @ Digital Lending Association Please note: The content of this podcast is expressly not to be considered investment advice, but is intended solely for your information. Subscribe to stay updated on new episodes! Follow us on LinkedIn: [https://de.linkedin.com/company/digital-lending-association](https://de.linkedin.com/company/digital-lending-association) Digital Lending Summit 2025: [https://www.finfellas.com/frankfurt-2025](https://www.finfellas.com/frankfurt-2025)

August 21, 202553 min

#20: Embedded SME Lending in Times of Open Finance - Transforming the Digital Value Chain

In this episode, we welcome three seasoned experts from the world of embedded lending, each bringing their own unique perspective to the table: a Non-Bank Digital Lender (NBDL), a service provider, and a consultant. Today, we are taking a different look at the topic because, until now, the focus has always been on what it means for banks. But there is so much more to it than that, considering that NBDLs originate their own loans and were born with a digital DNA. Embedded lending has the potential to blow up established structures - with significant opportunities and risks for all stakeholders involved on the digital digital value chain. Join the conversation! Speakers: Ariane Sophie Dallmann, Senior Manager @ PwC; Fabian Platzen, Managing Director @ iwoca; Niclas Storz, founder and CEO @ tidely Host: Constantin Fabricius, Managing Director @ Digital Lending Association Please note: The content of this podcast is expressly not to be considered investment advice, but is intended solely for your information. Subscribe to stay updated on new episodes! Follow us on LinkedIn: [https://de.linkedin.com/company/digital-lending-association](https://www.finfellas.com/frankfurt-2025) Digital Lending Summit 2025: [https://www.finfellas.com/frankfurt-2025](https://www.finfellas.com/frankfurt-2025)

August 12, 20251 hr 2 min

#19: Digital Consumer Lending - Opportunities & Risks in a € 700 Billion Market

It's already been more than two years since we last talked about consumer lending in our very first show. Time for a new episode! Today, we will be discussing current market developments, returns and defaults, the competition between banks and Non-Bank Digital Lenders (NBDL), as well as financial consumer protection. The new Consumer Credit Directive (CCD) places an even stronger focus than ever before on over-indebtedness and credit risk management. It also paves the way for an EU-wide regulation of digital consumer credit in order to better protect investors. So it's pretty cool that we're not just talking to two fintech lenders, but also to an asset manager with a focus on digital consumer loans who can share the investor perspective. Tune in and join the discussion! Speakers: Claus Tumbrägel, Co-Founder & Co-CEO @ nordIX located in Germany Roman Feranec, Founder & CEO @ ZLTY Melon located in Slovakia Darius Noreika, CEO @ Finbee located in Lithuania Host: Constantin Fabricius, Managing Director @ Digital Lending Association Please note: The content of this podcast is expressly not to be considered investment advice, but is intended solely for your information. Subscribe to stay updated on new episodes! Follow us on LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/company/digital-lending-association Digital Lending Summit 2025: https://www.finfellas.com/frankfurt-2025 DLA Statement on Art. 46 Sec. 2 in the Consumer Credit Directive: https://digitallenders.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/250721_DLA_CCD3_Art.-46-Abs.-2_English_.pdf

May 22, 202542 min

#18: Digital Bonded Loans - Navigating the Leeway Between Bonds & Loans

Corporate bonded loans are an exciting alternative to pure loans and bonds for both SMEs and investors. Invented in Germany a long time ago and increasingly spreading throughout Europe, the ‘Schuldschein’ is classified as a bilateral loan, whereby the loan agreement also serves as a certificate of debt, providing legal proof in court. But there's more: The agreement is not a security within the meaning of MiFID or other regulations which avoids high complexity due to prospectus requirements and rating costs. Plus, you don't have to deal with lengthy contracts and covenants that are typical for loans. Not to mention the long prep time. This flexibility makes the bonded loan an appealing instrument on the international capital market – and, due to the comparatively low costs, even for smaller volumes. Since it does not require time-consuming and costly documentation, the bonded loan is perfectly suited for a disruptive, highly standardized, digital emission process managed by Fintechs. Listen in to what a seasoned expert of a marketplace lender from Germany has to say about this segment. Are there any nasty pitfalls after all? Where lie the biggest opportunities? What is the status of digitization? How does the bonded loan perform compared to bonds and loans? Folks, in this episode, we take a look at the future of SME financing in Europe. Join the show! **Speaker: ** Christoph Steinbrich, Managing Director @ DEBTVISION **Host:** Constantin Fabricius, Managing Director @ DLA **Please note:** The content of this podcast is expressly not to be considered investment advice, but is intended solely for your information. Subscribe to stay updated on new episodes! Follow us on LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/company/digital-lending-association Digital Lending Summit 2025: https://www.finfellas.com/frankfurt-2025

May 6, 20251 hr 8 min

#17: Digital Impact Lending - Case Studies, Investment Opportunities & Visions for a Better Future

The universe of digital private debt with impact is expanding throughout Europe. We have learned from our annual investor conference, the Digital Lending Summit, that an increasing number of people would like to get information about this appealing sub-asset class within Digital Lending. But they also want to hear more about the real impact, the risks and opportunities. In today’s episode four Fintech impact lenders from the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden drop by the podcast and tell us their stories. We talk about different business models, market developments especially in times of Trump, liquidated USAid and tariffs, credit risk, returns and defaults. And of course, we discuss the key question of what Digital impact lenders can shape to create a fairer, greener, and more social future in Europe. **Speakers:** Gabriela Chang Valdovinos, Co-Founder & CSO @ EthicHub (Spain) Nuno Brito Jorge, Co-Founder & CEO @ Goparity (Portugal) Daniel van Maanen, CFO & Senior Investment Manager @ Lendahand (Netherlands) Christoffer Falsen, Founder & CEO @ trine (Sweden) **Host:** Constantin Fabricius, Managing Director @ Digital Lending Association **Please note:** The content of this podcast is expressly not to be considered investment advice, but is intended solely for your information. Subscribe to stay updated on new episodes! Follow us on LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/company/digital-lending-association Digital Lending Summit 2025: https://www.finfellas.com/frankfurt-2025

April 15, 202555 min

#16: DLA Meets SMLA - The State of Fintech Lending

The DLA meets the Swiss Marketplace Lending Association (SMLA) and discusses latest trends and predictions in Non-Bank Digital Lending from inside and outside the EU. What’s up on the borrower side and how is the investor side developing? What are the growth drivers of today and tomorrow? What is the current state of the Fintech Lender - bank relationship? How do the four high level speakers assess the current political and regulatory environment in Europe - and what ideas do they have for improvement? Speakers: Stefan Pomberger, SMLA Board Member & Co-Founder & Head of Cosmofunding @ Vontobel Matteo Bernadoni, SMLA President & Co-Head Client Needs @ UBS Marco Hinz, DLA Board Member & CEO @ CrossLend Patrick Stäuble, DLA Board Member & Founder & CEO @ Taylor Host: Constantin Fabricius, Managing Director @ Digital Lending Association Please note: The content of this podcast is expressly not to be considered investment advice, but is intended solely for your information. Subscribe to stay updated on new episodes! Follow us on LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/company/digital-lending-association

March 31, 20251 hr 3 min

#15: NIS2, DORA & CRA - Strengthening Cyber Security Along the Digital Value Chain

Do you know what it feels like to go through a cyber attack and have everything turned upside down? No...? Then join our show. We will present a company that is still suffering from the consequences today. It's a valuable report that all fintech lenders should listen to. We will also talk about NIS2, DORA and CRA: about the scopes of application and their delimitation, implementation in practice and first hand experiences with the biggest challenges, a resilient ITC risk management and, of course, the best way to cope with a cyber attack - when all preventive measures have nevertheless failed. Speakers: Eduard Singer, Managing Partner @ neusinger Frank Fischer, Partner @ Annerton Jan Pomplun, CEO @ BerlinerLuft Host: Constantin Fabricius, Managing Director @ Digital Lending Association Please note: The content of this podcast is expressly not to be considered investment advice, but is intended solely for your information. Subscribe to stay updated on new episodes! Follow us on LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/company/digital-lending-association

December 30, 202456 min

#14: Access to Finance – What Role will Open Finance & AI Play in Mitigating Disparities?

By using modern credit technology Digital Lenders are able to go beyond. Additional risk data scooped by way of Open Finance and Artificial Intelligence allow to serve the unserved who might otherwise have been overlooked. Thus, fintechs are able to do their bit for the supply of private credit in Europe. But how deep is it worth to drill into the customers' data? Which role plays transparency and data quality? Which combination of technology and human involvement makes sense to avoid disparities in hybrid models - can a fair line be determined where potential harm outweighs benefits? How exactly does the combination of Open Finance and AI support underwriting models?‌ Speakers: Tamara Kumposcht, Head of Banking @ taktile Peter Hiekmann, Vice President Sales @ finAPI Patrick Wolf, Partner @ GvW Kimmo Rytkönen, founder & CEO @ getincome Host: Constantin Fabricius, Managing Director @ Digital Lending Association Please note: The content of this podcast is expressly not to be considered investment advice, but is intended solely for your information. We do not assume any liability and will not share any profits. Shownote: “Disparities in consumer credit: The role of loan officers in the FinTech era”, Erica Jian/Will Shuo Liu/Yeonjoon Lee, March 15, 2022, on World Bank Blogs: https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/allaboutfinance/disparities-consumer-credit-role-loan-officers-fintech-era