麻豆传媒

Banks could be an unexpected victim of the revolution in online networking, says a UK study.

Instead of paying commercial interest rates, 74 per cent of Britons say they would consider turning to the growing internet phenomenon of social lending. Just as social networks such as FaceBook let you set up online communities, lending sites including and match people with cash to lend with borrowers. Users list how much they want to borrow, and what interest they are prepared to pay, and lenders then bid for deals they like the look of.

Now a study by the Lancaster-based Social Futures Observatory has found that the idea of 鈥渟ide-stepping the banks鈥� is catching on, with a third of respondents believing the major banks set out to put people in debt.