Developing a P2P lending platform: stages, strategies and platform configurations
ISSN: 1066-2243
Article publication date: 1 May 2020
Issue publication date: 22 June 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Online Peer-to-Peer (P2P) lending platforms are becoming increasingly popular globally in recent years. Our knowledge of how to develop and manage the digital platforms that make P2P lending possible, however, is limited. Through an in-depth examination of the strategies deployed and actions taken across the various stages of development of Tuodao, one of the most successful online P2P lending platforms in China, the purpose of this study is to develop a process model of P2P Lending Platform Development to address this knowledge gap.
Design/methodology/approach
The case research method was adopted for this research, and a total of 16 informants were interviewed. The informants were composed of representatives of Tuodao’stop management, organizational IT functions as well as its various business units.
Findings
Our study reveals that the development of a P2P lending platform can unfold in a specific sequence across three stages, and the development of a particular side of the platform should be emphasized in each stage (i.e. Partners, followed by Lenders, and then Borrowers). Each stage is also distinctive in terms of their strategies and platform configuration outcomes, which are elaborated on in our paper.
Originality/value
Our process model contributes an in-depth view of how P2P lending platforms should be established and nurtured to complement the existing studies in this rapidly growing research area. In addition, our study also hints at the strategies that can facilitate the various stages. Our model can potentially serve as the foundation for formulating guidelines for the managers of P2P lending platforms, so that they are able to optimize the development of their platforms and extend the benefits of P2P lending to a broader base of customers.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
An earlier version of this study was accepted as a research-in-progress paper at the International Conference on Information Systems in 2019. Our research was supported by grants (Grant ID: 16YXYP01) from the Contemporary Business and Trade Research Center, and the Collaborative Innovation Center of the Contemporary Business and Trade Circulation System Construction, as well as the Zhejiang Merchants Entrepreneurship and Development Center of Zhejiang Gongshang University. This research is also supported by the Special Funds Project for Promoting the Level of Running Local Colleges and Universities in Zhejiang Province (Interdisciplinary Innovation Team Building of Internet and Management Change) and Zheshang Research Institute.
Citation
Au, C.H., Tan, B. and Sun, Y. (2020), "Developing a P2P lending platform: stages, strategies and platform configurations", Internet Research, Vol. 30 No. 4, pp. 1229-1249. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-03-2019-0099
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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