Finance firm launches £5m mini-bond drive
FINANCE firm Valour Group (UK) has launched a “mini-bond” to raise up to £5m from private investors.
The money from The Valour Group Bond, which promises an annual interest rate of 8.49% per annum, will be used to grow the loan book of the company’s lending subsidiary Savvy.co.uk.
Valour Group chief executive Mark Bowker said: “As a company we have zero external debt and have delivered a healthy 17% pre-tax profit margin so this is the ideal time for us to take on some external debt to enable our online lender Savvy.co.uk to grow further.
“Savvy.co.uk has been trading for several years and we believe in creating ‘Win-Win’ relationships. This is why we are offering 8.49% per annum to private investors rather than to a single large institution.
“We have developed robust systems for credit-checking, fraud prevention and responsible lending which is reflected in Savvy’s low arrears and delinquency rates. We now want to increase the value of our loan book with investment in the Valour Group Bond.”
The Valour Group Bond will be open for investment from today (September 26) until February 28 2017, during which time investors can contribute from as little as £1,000.
Interest will be paid every six months throughout the four-year term after which investors will receive their initial funds back.
In 2015 Valour Group was named Business of the Year at the Stockport Business Awards, and earlier this year it was honoured at the prestigious Credit Today Awards in Mayfair for their charity work.
Valour Group turned over £8.5min 2015, recording a pre-tax profit of £1.7m.
Mini-bonds are an unsecured way for individuals to lend money directly to businesses. Any investments into bonds like this are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and professional advice should always be sought before investing.
