"Lending is always good business, regardless of time or place."
While we can't take wealth with us, neither do our debts.
Many Chinese strive for a debt-free life. In contrast, Westerners often live with debt from their student days.
This highlights a core difference: Chinese view credit as morality, while Europeans and Americans see it as an asset.
When debt becomes a tradable asset, lending scales into a profitable business.
GoodsFox's "July Global Finance Website Hot Ranking" confirms this trend.
Over half the platforms focus on loan services. They cover mature and emerging markets, including the US, Canada, Australia, Nordic regions, Indonesia, and India.
* This article offers no investment or financial advice.
"Poor people save money in banks; rich people borrow from banks." This saying, though exaggerated, points to a truth.
Bold players are already exploring overseas markets. FinVolution (FINV), formerly "Paipaidai," successfully listed in the US. Their Q1 2025 financial report shows impressive results. Overseas active borrowers reached 1.7 million, up 106.1% year-over-year. New borrowers totaled 700,000, with Indonesia accounting for 312,000. Overseas revenue hit 710 million RMB, representing 20.4% of total revenue.
Overseas business is now a key growth driver for many FinTech platforms.
For example, quiz.finelo.com from the hot list acts as an ad placement agency for platforms like FinVolution. Overseas markets genuinely show a "dare to borrow, dare to lend" attitude. In Europe and America, the credit system relies on data and models, not trust. Every loan and repayment is recorded in the credit system. This forms a quantifiable, tradable personal credit score, the FICO score. It reflects your financial value, not personal character.
The US financial market has a full product ecosystem around this score.
SoFi (sofi.com), featured on the hot list, exemplifies "Americans who borrow throughout their lives." SoFi began in 2011, initially refinancing student loans. It has grown into an integrated digital bank. Services include bank accounts, credit cards, stock trading, cryptocurrency, and insurance. SoFi's ads emphasize financial freedom at life's milestones. They use life scenarios instead of financial jargon.
From student loans to mortgages and retirement account borrowing, Americans constantly engage with debt.
Clubedovalor.com.br, ranked seventh, is a Brazilian platform. It focuses on content-based wealth management and investment education.
Source: clubedovalor.com.br
Brazil's presence stands out among the largely European and American dominated platforms. So, why Brazil?
Firstly, it acts as a US dollar buffer. Similar to Hong Kong for Asia, many Western hedge funds and family trusts allocate Latin American assets through Brazil. These include bonds, stocks, energy, and agricultural products. These funds seek high-interest differentials. They also use Brazil as a springboard to hedge other high-risk Latin American markets.
Secondly, local financial services are lagging. Traditional banks have high fees and slow processes. The public more readily accepts online credit and digital wealth management products.
Thirdly, high interest rates cause "financial anxiety." Brazil's central bank benchmark interest rate has been high for years. This makes "how to beat inflation" a collective concern for the middle class.
In this market, ClubedoValor offers "content + tools + consulting."
They monetize investment education through video courses, podcasts, and graphic tutorials. They transform financial knowledge into a "consumable product." This addresses knowledge anxiety and drives subsequent consulting and product conversions.
Finance is not a game of pass the parcel. It's about weaving a market web. Some are caught, while others collect rent.
