Webwereld announces that Boober.nl, a peer to peer lending site, must shut down as it requires a license for intermediating in financial services. But the website of Boober tells a different story and outlines that as of today it has a license (actually uses the intermediation license of one of its shareholders). Yet, the spokesman for the supervisory authority outlines that that won't work.
From a legal perspective, the shutting down of Boober is a bit of a no-brainer. I personally expected this to happen within a week or month from opening (see my previous posting here). Because whether you like it or not, the financial intermediation role is one that requires a license.
Yet, it took quite some time for the officials to move in. And that might be due to publicity, questions in parliament and supervisors that are anxious not to be characterized as being out of sync with todays society when they are blocking a nice democratic peer-to-peer lending initiative.
