A 19th-century icon of the Welsh coast is being developed for the 21st century, thanks to funding from alternative finance provider ThinCats.

Before you invest your hard-earned savings into a peer to peer lender, here are five key questions that you should be asking to give you the best chance of seeing returns on your money, says Michael Lynn, CEO of Relendex.

A Derbyshire industrial lubricants specialist has secured a £250,000 loan to support its growth from NPIF-Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia Fund Managers and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

Aztec Oils will use the money to fund the first stage of its three-year £1.2m expansion project which will increase storage capacity and turnaround times at its flagship Bolsover site. The company, which manufactures and distributes high-performance lubricants to a wide range of industrial sectors, is targeting 20% growth in the current financial year, having increased turnover by 18% last year.

Innovate UK has offered £8 million to 13 businesses developing innovative solutions for the UK’s urban infrastructure, energy and transport challenges. The 13 businesses compete in a new global smart infrastructure market, estimated to be worth £1.2 trillion per year by 2025.

A Doncaster engineering firm which made the steel walkways for the sports complex in the 2012 Olympics has secured a £150,000 loan from NPIF - Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia Fund Managers and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

Universal Coatings will use the money to fulfil new contract wins and expects to create an additional seven jobs as a result. The company provides coatings for everything from swimming pools to steel structures and also offers a complete fabrication service. In addition to supplying fixtures for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and other events, it has built many canal bridges and specialises in conservation work such as the restoration of statues and structures at heritage sites.

BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM) has appointed Link Asset Services as the debt servicer for its new SME Alternative Financing platform.

ABN AMRO Commercial Finance has delivered a £16m receivables funding line to national education, healthcare and social care recruitment company Affinity Workforce Group.

Proparco and FMO will provide the senior debt for the 51 MWp solar PV park. The project, majority-owned by Neoen alongside Rekamniar Frontier Ventures and MPC Caribbean Clean Energy Fund, will be commissioned in the first half of 2019.

IW Capital - the debt, equity and EIS investment specialist based in the heart of Mayfair - has announced its latest milestone of growth with the launch of its first secured debt fund.

Loans totaling £100,000 from the Development Bank of Wales and HSBC will enable the family-run business Coastline Coaches to upgrade its depot in Fford Las, Rhyl to accommodate the new vehicles and further develop its private hire, taxi and coach tour services. Coastline Coaches can also provide executive cars for corporate and business travel.

Morgan Lewis has appointed finance partner Paul Denham, who advises clients on a wide range of leveraged finance and banking matters. Mr. Denham, who arrives from another global law firm, will be resident in Morgan Lewis’s London office.

BondMason’s Direct Lending in the UK 2018 provides an in-depth overview of the Direct Lending market and readers can benefit from an industry-wide view of this rapidly evolving and maturing asset class.