Interview with Lendiball

Lendiball is a European alternative investment platform launched in 2025. Its purpose is to connect investors directly with loans originated by regulated non-bank financial institutions operating within the Virtula Group.

What we observed over the years is that many investors are not necessarily chasing the highest yield, but rather predictable returns with clear risk visibility. In many cases, platforms grow very fast, diversify aggressively, and transparency suffers. Lendiball was designed with a different philosophy: fewer originators, full disclosure, and simple structures that investors can actually understand.

We don't charge fees to investors, and we don't try to hide complexity behind fancy dashboards. Our role is to facilitate access to short-term consumer loans, provide clear documentation, and allow investors to make informed decisions — especially in markets that still offer attractive margins.

I come from a business development and entrepreneurial background, mainly in fintech, lending, and investment-related projects. Over the years, I've been involved in startups from early stages to exits, and I've worked both on the operational and strategic side.

Importantly, I was also a co-founder of the Moldovan loan originator that now operates on Lendiball. That means I've seen the business from the inside: underwriting, collections, regulatory audits, liquidity management — not just the investor-facing side.

When the Lendiball project started, the decision to join was very straightforward. I already knew the team, the risk framework, and the operational discipline behind it. My role today focuses on business development, operations, and especially communication with the investor community, which I believe is one of the most underappreciated elements in P2P.

Moldova is often underestimated, but it has proven to be a very solid non-bank lending market. Our loan originator was actually the first lender to issue an online consumer loan in Moldova around 2016, and shortly after that, major multinational groups such as Aventus Group, Eleving Group, and Iute Group entered the market and scaled significantly.

For example, Moldova became the first market for Iute Group, which later grew a portfolio of roughly €70 million there. That alone says a lot about the market's potential. The demand for short-term consumer credit is real, stable, and well regulated.

Romania is also a strong market. While our Romanian operations are currently paused following a strategic restructuring, the intention is to re-enter Romania with an improved setup once conditions align. Both markets combine attractive yields with strict consumer-protection rules, which is exactly the combination serious investors are looking for.

Currently, all active investments on Lendiball are backed by Victoria Credit in Moldova.

Previously, we also operated Virtula Finance IFN in Romania. After around two years of activity, Virtula Group made the strategic decision to sell the Romanian subsidiary to Sun Finance Group, a multinational lender with more than €4 billion in loans issued globally.

This transaction was important for two reasons. First, it strengthened the group financially. Second, it validated the business by attracting a highly established international buyer. For investors, this is a clear confidence signal.

Until Romanian operations are relaunched, Lendiball is fully focused on scaling Moldova and improving the platform infrastructure — which we believe is the right priority at this stage.

Victoria Credit has been active since 2012 and has issued over €10 million in loans. Over that period, the portfolio has gone through multiple economic cycles, which is far more relevant than short-term performance statistics.

Default levels are within acceptable and controlled ranges, and all non-performing loans are covered by provisions calculated using conservative, stress-case assumptions. We always assume the worst-case scenario when building provisions, not the optimistic one.

The key point for investors is longevity. A loan originator that survives and adapts over more than a decade demonstrates operational discipline — and that's something numbers alone don't always show.

If a loan is delayed by more than 60 days, the loan originator repurchases the receivable, returning both principal and accrued interest to the investor.

From a structural perspective, there are three layers involved. First, the investor purchases the receivable from Virtula Group. Second, Virtula Group backs this receivable with its own assets. Third, the underlying consumer loan is issued and backed by Victoria Credit and its balance sheet.

It's important to be very clear: this is not an insurance product. It is a contractual obligation supported by operating assets and cash flows. We believe clarity here is far more important than marketing language.

Transparency is not something you declare — it's something you practice consistently. Audited financial statements for the loan originators are already published on our website, and investors can review them at any time.

Going forward, we will publish regular updates on platform performance, repayments, and interest payouts. We also actively engage with our community and address concerns openly — even when questions are uncomfortable.

Lendiball itself is not designed to be a profit-maximizing standalone business. Its role is to facilitate funding transparently between investors and loan originators, not to extract value from complexity.

One major difference is alignment. All originators currently operate under the same group umbrella, which allows us to react quickly and decisively if something changes operationally or financially.

This structure comes with concentration risk, which we openly acknowledge, but it also allows for control, transparency, and fast decision-making. Many platforms outsource risk across dozens of unrelated originators — which can look diversified on paper, but becomes opaque in practice.

We offer high yields, but we believe the risk is clearer, not higher.

Current interest rates are promotional and aimed at early investors. Over time, they will adapt to market conditions and capital demand.

Moldova has one of the strictest consumer-lending frameworks in Europe. Borrowers are limited to a maximum debt-to-income ratio of 40%, and all lending activity must be reported to credit bureaus. This creates a disciplined environment and prevents excessive borrower leverage.

From our perspective, sustainable returns are always better than short-term spikes.

First, focus on transparency — real data, real audits, real history. Second, diversify responsibly and never invest money you might need short-term.

Finally, always do your own research. P2P lending is not risk-free, but when approached with realistic expectations and discipline, it can be a powerful diversification tool.