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Michael Sterling

Senior Investment Advisor & P2P Lending Expert at Smart Lending Hub

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Up to 12% Returns
MiFID II Regulated
55 Countries

Mintos Review

Last Updated:
18 min read
9.3 %
Avg Return (2024)
€50
Min Investment
500K+
Active Investors

Quick Overview

Data and statistics last verified:

Platform Age

2015

Launch Year

Loans Funded

€8B+

Total Volume

Active Investors

500,000+

Current Users

Assets Under Management

€600M+

Q1 2025

  • Investment Focus

    Consumer loans (68% of portfolio), real estate investments, and curated ETFs and bond portfolios across 55 countries worldwide.

  • Expected Returns

    9.3% average return in 2024, with consumer loans offering 9-12% and real estate providing 5% net rental income plus 3% appreciation.

  • Safety Features

    Full MiFID II regulation, €20,000 compensation scheme for uninvested cash, asset segregation, and quarterly audits by FBP Advice.

  • Liquidity Options

    Active secondary market for Notes (with 0.85% fee), 98% of withdrawals processed within 24 hours, and Smart Cash options at 3.25%.

Standout Features

⚖️

Full MiFID II regulation with investor protections

🌍

Diverse investments across 55 countries worldwide

📊

Regulated Notes structure backed by 6-20 loans

💵

ETF/Bond options with 3.25% Smart Cash liquidity

Platform Safety Analysis

⚖️

Regulatory Status

Risk Level: Low 30%
  • Full MiFID II licensed investment firm (since 2021)

  • Latvian financial regulator oversight

  • Quarterly audits by FBP Advice

  • Public financial disclosures

🛡️

Investment Protection

Risk Level: Medium 55%
  • €20,000 investor compensation scheme for uninvested cash

  • Asset segregation in EU-licensed safeguarding accounts

  • !

    Buyback guarantees dependent on loan originator health

  • !

    Active investments not covered by compensation scheme

📈

Platform Stability

Risk Level: Low 25%
  • Over €8 billion in loan originations since 2015

  • €600+ million in assets under management

  • Profitable in 2024 (€1 million net income)

  • Recent capital injections totaling €5.1 million (2024)

Historical Performance Analysis

Mintos returns have shown cyclical volatility influenced by macroeconomic conditions:

YearNet ReturnKey Influencing Factors
20204.3%COVID-19 payment delays and economic disruption
2022-1.2%Ukraine war impacts and related recovery processes
20249.3%Recovery efforts and increased geographic diversification

In comparison with other asset classes (2020-2024 annualized):

  • Mintos Loans: 6.0%
  • Equities (MSCI World): 9.4%
  • Real Estate: 3.0%
  • High-Yield Bonds: 3.4%

This performance history demonstrates Mintos’ sensitivity to global economic events while highlighting its recovery capabilities and long-term return potential.

Investor Protection Features

🔐

Asset Segregation

Investor funds held in separate EU-licensed safeguarding accounts

💰

Compensation Scheme

€20,000 protection for uninvested cash under EU investor protection

📊

Structured Notes

Regulated asset-backed securities pooling 6-20 loans for diversification

🔍

Transparency

Quarterly audits and public financial disclosures

Returns Analysis

Most Popular

Consumer Loans

9-12%
Annual Return
  • 30-360 day terms

  • 68% of platform portfolio

  • Buyback guarantees on qualified loans

Real Estate

8%
Annual Return
  • 5% net rental income

  • 3% property appreciation

  • Property collateral via Bambus Immobilien

ETFs & Bonds

3-5%
Annual Return
  • Curated investment portfolios

  • 3.25% Smart Cash liquidity options

  • Lower risk profile than P2P loans

YearNet ReturnBenchmark ComparisonKey Influencing Factors
20204.3%Underperformed MSCI World (+16.5%)COVID-19 payment delays and economic disruption
20218.7%Outperformed High-Yield Bonds (+4.2%)Recovery phase and regulatory milestone (MiFID II license)
2022-1.2%Underperformed Real Estate (+0.3%)Ukraine war impacts and related recovery processes
20237.5%Outperformed High-Yield Bonds (+6.1%)Reduction in pending payments, increased diversification
20249.3%Comparable to MSCI World (+9.4%)Recovery efforts and increased geographic diversification

📊 Performance data based on platform statistics from 2020 to 2024. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future returns.

Current Portfolio Allocation by Category

68%
Consumer Loans
15%
Real Estate
12%
ETFs & Bonds
5%
Other Investments

Geographic Distribution of Investments

38%
Eastern Europe
22%
Latin America
18%
Africa
12%
Asia
10%
Western Europe

Investment Features

📝 Regulated Notes

  • Regulated asset-backed securities

  • Each Note pools 6-20 underlying loans

  • €50 minimum investment per Note

  • MiFID II compliant structure

🔄 Secondary Market

  • Active trading of Notes

  • 0.85% transaction fee

  • Premium/discount pricing options

  • !

    No guaranteed liquidity for Note sales

Auto Invest

  • 9.2/10 usability rating

  • Customizable investment criteria

  • Portfolio diversification tools

  • !

    43% of deposits remain uninvested (cash drag)

Understanding Mintos Notes

Mintos structures investments through regulated Notes — asset-backed securities that pool 6-20 loans — providing enhanced diversification and regulatory compliance.

📊 Diversification Benefits

Each Note contains multiple loans, meaning your investment is automatically diversified across several borrowers, reducing single-loan default risk.

Reduced single-loan risk exposure
Automatic portfolio diversification

⚖️ Regulatory Compliance

Notes are structured as regulated financial instruments under MiFID II, offering enhanced investor protections compared to direct P2P lending.

MiFID II compliant securities
Standardized disclosures

🔄 Market Flexibility

Notes can be traded on Mintos’ secondary market, providing potential liquidity options before the underlying loans mature.

Secondary market trading
Premium/discount pricing

Secondary Market Dynamics

Trading Mechanics

Notes can be listed for sale at par value, premium, or discount. The 0.85% fee applies to the seller, with no fees for buyers. Orders are matched based on price and time priority.

Liquidity Considerations

While the secondary market is active, there’s no guarantee all Notes will sell. Liquidity varies by loan type, remaining term, and current market conditions.

Price Discovery

Notes with strong payment history typically command premium prices, while those with payment delays often trade at discounts, creating opportunities for yield-focused investors.

Strategic Usage

Investors use the secondary market for portfolio rebalancing, liquidity management, and capturing opportunities when market inefficiencies arise.

Smart Cash Feature

3.25%

Mintos offers a competitive 3.25% interest on uninvested funds through the Smart Cash feature, providing liquidity while maintaining reasonable returns.

💧

Full liquidity with no withdrawal restrictions or lock-up periods

🛡️

Covered by the €20,000 investor compensation scheme

⏱️

Interest accrues daily, providing continuous returns

🔄

Seamless transition between Smart Cash and Note investments

Our Experience with Mintos

We’ve been actively investing with Mintos since October 2022, with a diversified portfolio of €10,000 spanning various loan types and geographic regions. Here’s our detailed, hands-on experience through multiple market cycles:

Test Portfolio Results

€10,000
Test Investment
8.7%
Average Return
28 Months
Testing Period
€2,030
Total Interest Earned

Our Test Portfolio Strategies

During our 28-month testing period, we implemented three distinct investment strategies to evaluate performance across different market conditions:

Global Consumer Focus

Allocation
Eastern European Consumer 40%
Latin American Consumer 30%
African Consumer 20%
Smart Cash Reserve 10%
9.1%
Annual Return
High
Volatility

Balanced Portfolio

Allocation
Consumer Loans 50%
Real Estate 25%
ETFs & Bonds 15%
Smart Cash 10%
8.7%
Annual Return
Medium
Volatility

Conservative Approach

Allocation
ETFs & Bonds 40%
Real Estate 35%
EU Consumer Loans Only 15%
Smart Cash 10%
6.9%
Annual Return
Low
Volatility

Investment Timeline & Key Events

October 2022

Initial €10,000 investment deployed across three strategic allocations. Market still impacted by Ukraine crisis with slow recovery process.

December 2022

First quarterly performance review. Global Consumer Focus strategy showing negative returns (-1.2%) while Conservative approach maintained positive returns (2.1%).

March 2023

Tested secondary market liquidity by selling €2,000 worth of underperforming Notes. 87% of listings sold within 72 hours with average 3% discount.

August 2023

Portfolio rebalancing after recovery trends emerged. Increased allocation to Latin American loans due to strong performance metrics and reduced pending payments.

January 2024

One-year performance review. Average return across all strategies reached 7.8%, with noticeable improvement in buyback guarantee reliability.

October 2024

Tested withdrawal process and reinvestment cycle. Full withdrawal and redeposit completed within 48 hours with no issues.

February 2025

Final assessment after 28 months. Overall 8.7% average annual return with significant performance improvement in the last 12 months (9.3% in 2024).

Key Observations

  • Regulatory Impact: MiFID II compliance provided tangible benefits in terms of transparency and asset protection
  • Recovery Resilience: The platform demonstrated effective recovery from the 2022 downturn with steady performance improvement
  • Cash Drag Persistence: Despite multiple strategies to mitigate cash drag, approximately 43% of deposits consistently remained uninvested
  • Secondary Market Function: The secondary market provided adequate liquidity but the 0.85% fee reduced net returns on quick exits
  • Smart Cash Value: The 3.25% Smart Cash return significantly reduced the opportunity cost of uninvested capital
  • Geographic Correlation: Expected diversification benefits were somewhat limited due to correlated performance across regions during global economic events

Key Lessons from Our Testing

1

Regulatory protection through MiFID II provided meaningful investor safeguards, particularly during market disruptions, making it a significant advantage over less regulated alternatives.

2

The Notes structure effectively diversified single-loan risk but created complexity when evaluating specific loan originator performance.

3

Cash drag remains a significant challenge even with optimal strategy settings, requiring Smart Cash utilization to maintain overall portfolio returns.

4

The secondary market provided valuable exit options during strategy adjustments, though the fee structure diminished its utility for short-term investments.

Final Opinion

After 28 months of active testing across multiple market cycles, our experience with Mintos confirms its position as a leading regulated P2P platform with substantial advantages in investor protection and market access. The platform delivers on its core promises of regulatory compliance, geographic diversification, and competitive returns.

The MiFID II regulatory framework provides meaningful investor protections that clearly differentiated Mintos during periods of market stress. However, cash drag remains a persistent challenge, and buyback guarantee reliability varies significantly between loan originators.

We recommend Mintos for investors who prioritize regulatory protection and geographic diversification over maximum returns. The platform is best suited for medium to long-term investments where the regulatory advantages and broad market access can be fully realized. Conservative investors should focus on the ETF/bond products and EU consumer loans, while yield-seekers can explore the higher-return consumer loan options across emerging markets.

Market Comparison

How does Mintos stack up against other major P2P lending platforms? We’ve analyzed key features, regulatory status, and performance metrics to provide a comprehensive comparison.

FeaturesMintosPeerBerryBondoraEstateGuru
Average Return (2024)9.3%10.2%8.8%8.7%
Minimum Investment€50€10€10€50
Regulatory StatusMiFID II LicensedPartial (Lithuanian Crowdfunding Law)ECSPR LicensedECSPR Licensed
Investor Protection€20,000 Compensation Scheme
Secondary Market (0.85% fee)
Geographic Reach55 countries12 countries4 countries8 countries
Loan TypesConsumer, Real Estate, ETFs/BondsConsumer, Business, Real EstateConsumerReal Estate only
Auto-Invest (9.2/10 rating)
Mobile App
Cash DragHigh (43%)High (43%)Low (15%)Medium (30%)

P2P Platform Positioning Map

Lower Risk
Higher Risk
Lower Return
Higher Return
High Risk – High Return
Low Risk – High Return
Low Risk – Low Return
High Risk – Low Return
M
Mintos
P
PeerBerry
B
Bondora
E
EstateGuru

Platform positioning based on risk factors (regulatory status, investment protections) and return performance (2020-2024)

Top Alternatives to Mintos

PeerBerry

Higher Returns
10.2%
Avg. Return
€10
Min. Investment
  • Higher average returns
  • Lower minimum investment
  • No secondary market
  • Less regulatory protection

Bondora

Simple Investing
8.8%
Avg. Return
€10
Min. Investment
  • Simpler “Go & Grow” product
  • ECSPR regulated
  • Lower cash drag (15%)
  • Limited geographic diversification

EstateGuru

Property Focus
8.7%
Avg. Return
€50
Min. Investment
  • Real estate collateral for all loans
  • ECSPR regulated
  • Lower volatility
  • Limited to property investments only

🔍 Mintos Key Differentiators

Mintos stands out from competitors in several important ways:

  • Most extensive geographic diversification with exposure to 55 countries
  • Strongest regulatory framework with full MiFID II licensing and €20,000 investor compensation scheme
  • Most comprehensive product range spanning consumer loans, real estate, and ETFs/bonds
  • Most established platform with €8+ billion in cumulative loan originations
  • Smart Cash feature offering 3.25% on uninvested funds

Strategic Market Positioning

Regulatory Leadership

Mintos has positioned itself as the regulated standard-bearer in the P2P space, making it attractive to institutional investors and those prioritizing investment protection over maximum yield.

Product Diversity

Where competitors focus on narrow niches (like EstateGuru’s property-only approach), Mintos offers a full spectrum of P2P and traditional investment options under one platform.

Global Reach

Mintos’ unmatched geographic footprint (55 countries) provides diversification benefits that regional players cannot match, especially during localized economic disruptions.

Return-Risk Balance

Mintos occupies the middle ground between ultra-safe, lower-return platforms and higher-yield, higher-risk alternatives, appealing to moderate risk-tolerance investors seeking sustainable returns.

Final Verdict

4.1 /5.0
Overall Rating

Key Takeaways

  • Europe’s largest P2P lending marketplace with €8B+ in cumulative loan originations
  • Strongest regulatory framework with MiFID II licensing and €20,000 investor protection
  • Unmatched geographic diversification across 55 countries
  • Comprehensive product range with consumer loans, real estate, and ETFs/bonds
  • Solid 9.3% average returns in 2024 with demonstrated recovery resilience

Recommended For

  • Investors who prioritize regulatory protection and safeguards
  • Those seeking broad geographic diversification
  • Investors looking for a balance of reasonable returns and managed risk
  • Long-term investors who can weather short-term volatility
  • Those who value secondary market liquidity options

Consider Alternatives If

  • You prioritize maximum returns over regulatory protection
  • You need immediate full deployment of capital
  • You prefer specialized investment focus (e.g., only real estate)
  • You’re uncomfortable with occasional negative performance periods
  • You need guaranteed liquidity without secondary market fees

Mintos Strategic Roadmap 2025-2027

2025

Product expansion into project financing and green energy loans, enhancing sustainable investment options

2026

Geographic growth targeting 15% APAC exposure via Philippine partnerships to diversify beyond current markets

2027

Technology integration with AI-driven loan grading and blockchain settlement pilots for improved efficiency

Recommended Portfolio Allocations

Conservative Investors

Focus on stability and regulatory protection with minimal volatility

5-7% of investment portfolio
👉 Prioritize ETF/bond products
👉 Focus on EU consumer loans
👉 Utilize Smart Cash for liquidity

Yield-Seeking Investors

Maximize returns while maintaining regulatory protection

10-12% of investment portfolio
👉 Focus on short-duration consumer loans
👉 Utilize auto-invest filters for higher yields
👉 Consider secondary market opportunities

Institutional Investors

Scale with tax efficiency and regulatory compliance

Variable allocation
👉 Leverage tax-efficient corporate accounts
👉 Utilize comprehensive reporting tools
👉 Benefit from MiFID II compliance

Ready to Start Investing with Mintos?

🚀 Join 500,000+ Investors on Europe’s Leading P2P Platform

* Terms and conditions apply. Investment involves risk of capital loss. Past performance does not guarantee future returns. Always conduct your own due diligence before investing.

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