Chinese investors are turning to international peer-to-peer lending platforms in search of higher returns, as competition in the fast-growing alternative finance sector heats up.
中国投资者正转向国际个人对个人贷款(P2P)平台寻找更高的回报率。目前这一另类金融行业的竞争日趋激烈。
Beijing Kunlun, a Chinese-listed technology company, has struck a deal to back British P2P platform LendInvest with a £22m investment.
在中国上市的北京昆仑万维科技股份有限公司（Beijing Kunlun，简称昆仑万维）达成协议，以2200万英镑入股英国P2P平台LendInvest。
The deal, which represents the first round of external funding in LendInvest, is the latest in a number of recent tie-ups involving Chinese companies seeking to tap burgeoning P2P sectors in the UK and US.
这笔交易代表着LendInvest第一轮外部融资，也是近来中国企业寻求通过联姻进入英美蓬勃发展的P2P行业的一系列举动之一。

Renren, a Chinese social networking company, was involved in a $70m investment round in LendingHome in April, a US-based P2P platform for mortgages. Alibaba, the Chinese ecommerce company that held the largest-ever stock market flotation last year at $25bn, teamed up with two alternative lenders in the UK in March to help small and medium-sized British companies enter China.
今年4月，中国社交媒体公司人人网(Renren)参与了对美国抵押贷款P2P平台LendingHome的一轮7000万美元的融资。去年以250亿美元成为史上最大规模IPO的中国电商企业阿里巴巴(Alibaba)，今年3月与英国两家另类贷款机构达成合作，以帮助英国中小企业进入中国市场。
P2P, or marketplace investing, matches lenders to borrowers through a digital site, charging lower interest rates for loans than high street banks and providing higher returns than many traditional investments.
P2P（或称市场化投资）通过网站为资金出借方和资金借入方牵线搭桥，对借入方收取的利率低于商业银行，向出借方提供的回报率则高于许多传统投资。
LendInvest, launched in 2013 out of a short-term mortgage lending business, is an online mortgage marketplace that has financed £300m of loans and achieved a £3.1m profit last year.
2013年从一家短期抵押贷款公司脱胎而成的LendInvest，是一个在线抵押贷款市场，累计撮合完成了3亿英镑贷款，去年实现了310万英镑的利润。
Christian Faes, chief executive, said he had spent a “lot of time” talking to venture capital funds trying to find the right partner. “You have seen peer-to-peer take off in lending to consumers and businesses, and now property and mortgages is the next big thing,” he said.
LendInvest的首席执行官克里斯蒂安•费斯(Christian Faes)表示，他花了“大量时间”接洽风险投资基金，试图找到合适的合作伙伴。“你已经看到P2P在消费贷款和企业贷款领域起飞，现在房地产和抵押贷款是下一个重要业务领域，”他说。
Beijing Kunlun was originally backed by leading Silicon Valley venture capital fund Sequoia Capital, and has core businesses in gaming, social communications platforms and technology investments. Yahui Zhou, its chief executive, who listed Beijing Kunlun in China this year, will join LendInvest’s board.
昆仑万维最初得到了硅谷领先风投基金红杉资本(Sequoia Capital)的支持，其核心业务是游戏、社交平台和技术投资。今年带领公司在中国上市的昆仑万维首席执行官周亚辉，将进入LendInvest的董事会。
Mr Faes said the deal would provide LendInvest with financing to accelerate growth as it plans for an initial public offering in the next year.
费斯表示，在LendInvest打算明年上市之际，这笔交易将为其提供资金以加快增长。
For Chinese investors, established peer-to-peer platforms growing within a regulatory framework offer a robust way to invest in the sector compared with other jurisdictions.
对中国投资者而言，与别的司法管辖区相比，监管框架内的成熟P2P平台提供了一条投资于该行业的稳健途径。