Abstract

Peer-to-peer lending platforms (P2P) and microfinance are both innovative instruments, having the potential of promoting financial inclusion and respond to the lack of trust in traditional financial institutions experienced with the financial crisis. They both have recently experienced a great development and, at the same time, challenged legal systems' traditional legal categories and regulations. The present work focuses on P2P specialized in microfinance (matching MFIs/microentrepreneurs' need of funds with common people interest in lending small sums of money for low returns or for free) but analyses in details and with examples the current legal discussion and developments about P2P lending and crowdfunding.