Wonga: mini loans in minutes

Technology makes the world move ever faster, and a British startup aims to bring that velocity to the world of financing: Wonga offers tiny, instant loans through online-only applications. The service makes loans of GBP 50 to GBP 200, all to be repaid within a month. Consumers can choose exactly how much to borrow for how long, using a simple slider tool to gain an instant understanding of how much the loan will cost them in total. Successful applicants see the money in their account less than 60 minutes after applying. To encourage quick repayment, Wonga wields an eBay-style carrot rather than the bailiff-shaped stick: good borrowers get good ratings and are rewarded with increased flexibility on subsequent applications, while Wonga presumably reduces its costs for debt reclamation. Though there’s no need to point out that taking and providing easy credit is a slippery slope, small loans do offer consumers an alternative to credit card debt and bank overdrafts. And Wonga’s focus on convenience and speed is something most banks could learn from. (Related: Quick loans by text message — An online pawnbroker for consumers in a pinch.) Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz