Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending is the practice of lending money to unknown individuals or businesses without a bank or other traditional financial institution underwriting the loan. Platforms like Funding Circle, Lending Club, Prosper, and Zopa have generated more than $40.9 billion in loans since 2005. Without banks' legacy issues and regulatory burdens, P2P loans are often cheaper and easier to obtain. eBusiness executives will learn who the main players in P2P lending are, assess their disruptive potential, and understand how to outsmart them. This report was originally published in May 2014; Forrester reviews and updates it periodically for continued relevance and accuracy, most recently in May 2017.