The evolution of peer-to-peer lending platforms has given small businesses another way to access financing despite renewed lending scrutiny.

Speaking in parliament recently, trade & industry minister Rob Davies complained that “developmental credit”, the kind used to start or sustain a small business, for example, “hardly features” in South Africa.

Instead, in the wake of African Bank’s collapse, the focus has been on the evils of unsecured credit, extended solely for short-term consumption, keeping low and middle-income earners trapped in a cycle of debt.