In view of the growth of digital peer-to-peer(P2P) lending, payments, crowd investing institutions and online payment players, The Asian Banker is introducing a Peer2Peer Audit and Awards programme to help maintain standards as well as help customers, investors and regulators to identify credible players in the digital world.

The evaluation process involves audit submissions to be completed in a comprehensive data sheet where the basic quantitative and qualitative information will be collated and processed. The purpose of this audit is to determine commitment to the core principles of a sustainable peer-to-peer model and not based on any minimum standards or requirements.

The Asian Banker may, at its own discretion, augment submissions with other independent sources as well as require site visits and telephone interviews with the submitting institution as the case may be to satisfy our stated requirements.

No fee is required to make a submission for the Audit Certificate and to be considered for awards in this programme. All institutions that pass the audit must attend the Future of Finance Summit 2017 conference which will be held in Singapore from 8-10 June 2017 to receive their audit certificates and the right to use the Peer2Peer Audit mark on all corporate communication for a period of one year. Awards will also be presented to institutions that win in the rankings created from this programme.

The Asian Banker ensures strict transparency and integrity of this programme. We reserve the right to refuse to qualify any institution that in our view should not pass the audit on grounds of the criteria set. We are supported by a Council of International Advisors, who supervise and review the process at every stage.

The submissions will be assessed for suitability for our various awards that recognise the growth and operational excellence of the players in their own countries as well as internationally across their regions. The findings of the research will be published in a neutral manner, with a scorecard outlining how the different regional players feature in them