Lendico

Lendico is a digital lending brand founded in Berlin in December 2013 by Rocket Internet. It was created to bring the peer-to-peer lending model, already established in the United States and the United Kingdom, to Germany and other European markets. Rather than operating through a conventional branch network, the platform used online applications, automated processing and credit assessment technology to connect individuals and small and medium-sized businesses seeking loans with investors or other funding sources. The company initially focused on Germany and expanded rapidly during its first years. Its international footprint included Austria, Brazil, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and South Africa. This expansion reflected Rocket Internet's established approach of adapting proven digital business models for multiple national markets. Lendico's marketplace model was inspired in part by platforms such as LendingClub in the United States and Zopa in the United Kingdom. Lendico offered personal loans and SME financing. In Germany, the referenced lending range extended from approximately €1,000 to €150,000, with loan durations generally ranging from one to five years. Pricing and eligibility were determined through an assessment that considered factors such as credit history, credit score, requested amount and the applicant's debt-to-income ratio. Approved applications were assigned a credit grade, which influenced the applicable interest rate and fees. Borrowers could repay loans before the scheduled maturity. The platform's value proposition centered on convenience, transparency and digital efficiency. By handling applications online and avoiding a physical branch network, Lendico sought to reduce operating costs and shorten the path from application to financing. Its marketplace structure also presented investors with access to loan opportunities that would traditionally have been originated and managed by banks. In early 2018, Dutch banking group ING Groep took over Lendico. Following the transaction, Lendico operated as an ING subsidiary rather than as an independent Rocket Internet-backed venture. The brand's international history is not entirely uniform: Lendico Brazil continued as an independent company separate from Lendico Global Services. Public reference material identifies Friedrich Hubel as a leader and Clemens Paschke as a co-founder associated with the business. Lendico was also selected in August 2015 for Deutsche Börse Venture Network, a program for growth companies and investors. Lendico's historical identity is therefore that of a fintech marketplace rather than a conventional software vendor. Its core activities have been digital consumer and business lending, credit evaluation and the facilitation of funding relationships. The available reference material does not establish a complete current product, ownership or market-status picture for every country in which the brand once operated.

Lendico was established in Berlin in December 2013 by Rocket Internet, the German technology incubator and venture builder. Its founding premise was to adapt peer-to-peer lending for Germany and then extend the model across Europe. The concept drew on the growth of online lending platforms in the United States and the United Kingdom, including LendingClub and Zopa. Lendico positioned itself as an online marketplace rather than as a traditional bank with branches: borrowers applied digitally, while investors could review and fund eligible loan opportunities. The company combined consumer and business lending. Personal borrowers could seek financing for a range of needs, while small and medium-sized enterprises could apply for business loans. In Germany, the documented loan range was approximately €1,000 to €150,000, with repayment terms generally between one and five years. Lendico's credit process considered the applicant's credit history, credit score, requested amount and debt-to-income ratio. Once an application was approved, Lendico assigned a credit grade that helped determine the interest rate and fees. Borrowers could repay ahead of schedule, and the platform's digital infrastructure was intended to reduce processing friction and operating costs. Rocket Internet pursued an unusually rapid international rollout. Within the first 20 months, Lendico expanded beyond Germany into Austria, Brazil, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and South Africa. The rollout reflected Rocket Internet's practice of taking a digital business model developed in one market and replicating it across countries with local adaptation. The various national operations did not remain permanently identical in ownership or organization, however. In particular, Lendico Brazil later continued as an independent company separate from Lendico Global Services. The platform's online-only model was central to its identity. Lendico did not rely on a conventional branch network and instead used proprietary technology to manage applications, assess creditworthiness and coordinate interactions between borrowers and funding participants. This model supported a brand proposition built around accessibility, transparency and speed. It also placed Lendico within the broader fintech movement that sought to disintermediate parts of the banking value chain by allowing borrowers and investors to meet through a digital platform. In August 2015, Lendico was selected for Deutsche Börse Venture Network, a program intended to connect growth companies with domestic and international investors. The recognition reflected the company's status at the time as a high-growth fintech venture. Public reference material identifies Friedrich Hubel as a leader and Clemens Paschke as a co-founder associated with the company. A major ownership change occurred in early 2018, when ING Groep took over Lendico. The transaction moved the platform from Rocket Internet's venture portfolio into the structure of a large Dutch banking group. Lendico subsequently operated as an ING subsidiary. The acquisition represented a transition from venture-backed expansion toward ownership by an established financial institution, although the available reference material does not provide a complete account of subsequent product changes, country exits or the current operating scope of every Lendico entity. Lendico's documented history is consequently defined by three stages: its Rocket Internet-backed launch as a German peer-to-peer lending marketplace, its rapid multinational expansion into consumer and SME lending, and its integration into ING Group. The brand should be classified primarily as a digital financial-services and lending business, not as an enterprise software brand, even though technology was fundamental to its operating model.

1. 2018ING Groep takes over Lendico

   ING Groep acquired Lendico in early 2018, and the business began operating as an ING subsidiary.

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2. 2015International expansion and growth-company recognition

   After expanding into several countries, Lendico was selected in August 2015 for Deutsche Börse Venture Network.

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3. 2013Lendico is founded in Berlin

   Rocket Internet founded Lendico in December 2013 to develop an online peer-to-peer lending marketplace for Germany and other markets.

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A technology-enabled, branchless lending marketplace emphasizing online convenience, transparent loan terms and data-driven credit assessment.

• Personal loansConsumer lending2013

  Lendico's consumer-lending marketplace allowed individuals to submit loan applications online. Eligibility and pricing were assessed using credit history, credit score, requested borrowing amount and debt-to-income information. In the German offering described in reference material, loan amounts ranged from approximately €1,000 to €150,000 and terms generally ran from one to five years. Approved loans received credit grades that influenced rates and fees.

• SME loansBusiness lending2013

  The platform also facilitated financing for small and medium-sized enterprises. Business borrowers used the online application process to seek funding without relying exclusively on a conventional branch-based bank relationship. Lendico's technology-supported underwriting and marketplace structure were intended to make the application and funding process more efficient, while the available material does not specify the full current terms or availability of the product.

• Peer-to-peer investment opportunitiesMarketplace investing2013

  Lendico historically connected investors with consumer and business loan opportunities through a crowdfunding-style marketplace. Investors could participate in loans originated through the platform, while borrowers received funding from marketplace participants rather than solely from a traditional bank balance sheet. The exact investor features and current availability are not established by the supplied reference material.

• 2018Transition to ING ownershipM&A

  Lendico had developed as a Rocket Internet-backed multinational online lending marketplace before being acquired by a major banking group.

  What changed. ING Groep took over Lendico in early 2018 and operated it as a subsidiary.

  Aftermath. The acquisition changed Lendico's ownership from a venture-backed Rocket Internet business to an ING Group subsidiary. The supplied sources do not document the full operational consequences for all national markets.

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• 2018ING Groep takes over Lendico

  Dutch banking group ING Groep acquired Lendico, after which the lending platform operated as an ING subsidiary.

  M&A
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• 2015Lendico joins Deutsche Börse Venture Network

  Deutsche Börse Venture Network selected Lendico for its growth-company program, providing access to national and international investors.

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1. Lendico
2. Lendico official website