Risks

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Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.

What are the key risks?

1. You could lose all the money you invest

• If the business you are investing in fails, there is a high risk that you will lose your money. Most start-up and early-stage businesses fail.
• Advertised rates of return aren’t guaranteed. This is not a savings account. If the borrower doesn’t pay you back as agreed, you could earn less money than expected. A higher advertised rate of return means a higher risk of losing your money. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
• These investments are sometimes held in an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA). An IFISA does not reduce the risk of the investment or protect you from losses, so you can still lose all your money. It only means that any potential gains from your investment will be tax free.

2. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong

• Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker here. [https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker/]
• Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here. [https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers]

3. You are unlikely to get your money back quickly

• Many bonds last for several years, so you should be prepared to wait for your money to be returned even if the business you’re investing in repays on time.
• You are unlikely to be able to cash in your investment early by selling your bond. You are usually locked in until the business has paid you back over the period agreed.

4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

• Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
• A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. [https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest]

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here. [https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart]

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Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be very complex and high risk.

What are the key risks?

1. You could lose all the money you invest

• If the business offering this investment fails, there is a high risk that you will lose all your money. Businesses like this often fail as they usually use risky investment strategies.
• Advertised rates of return aren’t guaranteed. This is not a savings account. If the issuer doesn’t pay you back as agreed, you could earn less money than expected or nothing at all. A higher advertised rate of return means a higher risk of losing your money. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
• These investments are sometimes held in an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA). While any potential gains from your investment will be tax free, you can still lose all your money. An IFISA does not reduce the risk of the investment or protect you from losses.

2. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong

• Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker here. [https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker/]
• Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here. [https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers]

3. You are unlikely to get your money back quickly

• This type of business could face cash-flow problems that delay interest payments. It could also fail altogether and be unable to repay investors their money.
• You are unlikely to be able to cash in your investment early by selling it. You are usually locked in until the business has paid you back over the period agreed. In the rare circumstances where it is possible to sell your investment in a ‘secondary market’, you may not find a buyer at the price you are willing to sell.

4. This is a complex investment

• This investment has a complex structure based on other risky investments. A business that raises money like this lends it to, or invests it in, other businesses or property. This makes it difficult for the investor to know where their money is going.
• This makes it difficult to predict how risky the investment is, but it will most likely be high.
• You may wish to get financial advice before deciding to invest.

5. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

• Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
• A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. [https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest]

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here. [https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart]

For further information about minibonds, visit the FCA’s website here. [https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/mini-bonds]

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You should be aware that no established market exists for the trading of bonds in private companies (which the companies that are listed on the platform are), and such bonds are not easily realisable. There could be difficulty in selling such investments at a reasonable price and, in some circumstances, it may be difficult to sell them at all.

We recommend that you take your own tax advice on any investments which you make via the platform.

Tax treatment is dependent on the individual circumstances of each investor and may be subject to change in the future.

We do not provide advice or make personal recommendations. If you are in any doubt about the action you should take or the contents of a particular Offer Document, you should seek advice from a financial adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. You should not rely on any past performance as a guarantee of future investment performance.