Findings from online lending platform Funding Circle show that seven in ten people in Britain would be prepared to invest in UK companies.
The survey from Funding Circle, a business which was set-up in August 2010 and has allowed businesses to borrow £40 million, shows that £72 billion could be injected into the UK economy.
Breaking the statistics down further reveals that the average saver is prepared to invest £2,080 into businesses looking for finance.
The study, compiled by OnePoll on behalf of Funding Circle, reveals that almost two thirds of the population are looking at alternative investment options which represent a change to traditional savings accounts.
Funding Circle itself has reported an increase of 89 per cent in people joining its platform since the Barclays Libor scandal unfolded.
Samir Desai, CEO of Funding Circle, comments, ‘The UK economy continues to face some very tough times and small business growth is vital to kick-starting it.
‘The downturn and endless tales of bad behaviour by the banks has ignited a passion in UK savers who are now looking for ways to grow their money away from traditional savings accounts.’
The survey also shows that 90 per cent of investors on Funding Circle have never before invested in small and medium-sized businesses.
Funding Circle itself has netted $21.1 million of venture capital cash in its lifetime. In February 2010 it raised $1.1 million of seed funding before following it up with a Series A round of $4 million and a Series B round of $16 million.
