Innovation at the
Intersection of Finance
and Technology

We believe alternative lending represents a secular shift in the way consumers and small businesses access capital.

Fintech has disrupted the traditional bank lending model

Banks may struggle with high cost structures, outdated technology and regulatory capital pressures that limit their ability to lend.

Under the traditional banking model, banks draw on debt and equity to augment customer savings deposits to make loans. Consumer credit decisions are often based on credit scores, backward-looking measures of consumer credit worthiness, which may be augmented with data such as income and employment status.

Alternative lending can benefit borrowers and loan investors

Using highly-automated models and expansive datasets, alternative lending platforms can rapidly underwrite borrower credit risk.

Borrowers may access credit in a more streamlined fashion as compared to the traditional lending process, often on terms more attractive than otherwise would be available.

Loan investors may access attractive credit risk premia historically captured by banks, while diversifying their portfolio fixed income and credit exposures.

With alternative lending, technology-enabled models rapidly underwrite borrower credit risk to determine appropriate loan pricing, terms and amounts. Through these platforms, loan investors, which are predominantly large institutions, provide capital for loans directly.

Platforms may use partner banks to formally originate the loans that they underwrite. The partner banks typically conduct oversight on the platforms’ underwriting models and ensure that underwritten loans and servicing procedures comply with applicable laws. In some cases, the partner banks or the platforms may maintain a continuing economic interest in loans sold to investors.

What’s in it for investors?

1

Private credit exposure to unsecured consumer and small business loans that historically were the province of traditional banks

2

Yield and relatively low duration because of the typically short-term, amortizing nature of the individual loans

3

Diversification1 to other types of fixed income, including traditional corporate credit

1 Diversification does not eliminate the risk of loss.

1 Diversification does not eliminate the risk of loss.

1 Diversification does not eliminate the risk of loss.

Ken Michlitsch
Portfolio Manager, AIP Alternative Lending Group
Submit
 

DISCLAIMERS
The views and opinions are those of the author as of the date of publication and are subject to change at any time due to market or economic conditions and may not necessarily come to pass. The views expressed do not reflect the opinions of all investment personnel at Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) or the views of the firm as a whole, and may not be reflected in all the strategies and products that the Firm offers.

This general communication, which is not impartial, is for informational and educational purposes only and not a recommendation. Information does not address financial objectives, situation or specific needs of individual investors.

Any charts and graphs provided are for illustrative purposes only. Any performance quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All investments involve risks, including the possible loss of principal.

Additional Risks
REITs. A security that is usually traded like a stock on the major exchanges and invests in real estate directly, either through properties or mortgages. The risks of investing in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are similar to those associated with direct investments in real estate: lack of liquidity, limited diversification, ad sensitivity to economic factors such as interest rate changes and market recessions.

Loans May Carry Risk and be Speculative. Loans are risky and speculative investments. If a borrower fails to make any payments, the amount of interest payments received by the alternative lending platform will be reduced. Many of the loans in which the alternative lending platform will invest will be unsecured personal loans. However, the alternative lending platform may invest in business and specialty finance, including secured loans. If borrowers do not make timely payments of the interest due on their loans, the yield on the alternative lending platform's investments will decrease. Uncertainty and negative trends in general economic conditions in the United States and abroad, including significant tightening of credit markets, historically have created a difficult environment for companies in the lending industry. Many factors may have a detrimental impact on the Platforms' operating performance and the ability of borrowers to pay principal and interest on loans. These factors include general economic conditions, unemployment levels, energy costs and interest rates, as well as events such as natural disasters, acts of war, terrorism and catastrophes.

Prepayment Risk. . Borrowers may have the option to prepay all or a portion of the remaining principal amount due under a borrower loan at any time without penalty. In the event of a prepayment of all (or a portion of) the remaining unpaid principal amount of a borrower loan in which alternative lending platform invests, the alternative lending platform will receive such prepayment but further interest will not accrue on such loan (or the prepaid portion, as applicable) after the date of the prepayment. When interest rates fall, the rate of prepayments tends to increase (as does price fluctuation).

Default Risk. Loans have substantial vulnerability to default in payment of interest and/or repayment of principal. In addition, at times the repayment of principal or interest may be delayed. Certain of the loans in which the alternative lending platform may invest have large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse conditions, and should be considered to be predominantly speculative. Loan default rates may be significantly affected by economic downturns or general economic conditions beyond the alternative lending platform's control. Any future downturns in the economy may result in high or increased loan default rates, including with respect to consumer credit card debt. The default history for loans may differ from that of the alternative lending platform's investments. However, the default history for loans sourced via Platforms is limited, actual defaults may be greater than indicated by historical data and the timing of defaults may vary significantly from historical observations. The Platforms make payments ratably on an investor's investment only if they receive the borrower's payments on the corresponding loan. Further, investors may have to pay a Platform an additional servicing fee for any amount recovered on a delinquent loan and/or by the Platform's third-party collection agencies assigned to collect on the loan.

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that a borrower or an issuer of a debt security or preferred stock, or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, will be unable to make interest, principal, dividend or other payments when due. In general, lower rated securities carry a greater degree of credit risk. If rating agencies lower their ratings of securities in the alternative lending platform's portfolio or if the credit standing of borrowers of loans in the alternative lending platform's portfolio decline, the value of those obligations could decline. In addition, the underlying revenue source for a debt security, a preferred stock or a derivatives contract may be insufficient to pay interest, principal, dividends or other required payments in a timely manner. Even if the borrower or issuer does not actually default, adverse changes in the borrower's or issuer's financial condition may negatively affect the borrower's or issuer's credit ratings or presumed creditworthiness.

Limited Secondary Market and Liquidity of Alternative Lending Securities. Alternative lending securities generally have a maturity between one to seven years. Investors acquiring alternative lending securities directly through Platforms and hoping to recoup their entire principal must generally hold their loans through maturity. There is also currently no active secondary trading market for loans, and there can be no assurance that such a market will develop in the future.

High-Yield Instruments and Unrated Debt Securities Risk. The loans purchased by the alternative lending platform are not rated by an NRSRO. In evaluating the creditworthiness of borrowers, the Adviser relies on the ratings ascribed to such borrowers by the relevant Platform or otherwise determined by the Adviser. The analysis of the creditworthiness of borrowers of loans may be a lot less reliable than for loans originated through more conventional means. The market for high-yield instruments may be smaller and less active than those that are higher rated, which may adversely affect the prices at which the alternative lending platform's investments can be sold.

DISTRIBUTION
This communication is only intended for and will only be distributed to persons resident in jurisdictions where such distribution or availability would not be contrary to local laws or regulations.

Ireland: MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited. Registered Office: The Observatory, 7-11 Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin 2, D02 VC42, Ireland. Registered in Ireland as a private company limited by shares under company number 616661. MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. United Kingdom: Morgan Stanley Investment Management Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England. Registered No. 1981121. Registered Office: 25 Cabot Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 4QA, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Dubai: Morgan Stanley Investment Management Limited (Representative Office, Unit Precinct 3-7th Floor-Unit 701 and 702, Level 7, Gate Precinct Building 3, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai, 506501, United Arab Emirates. Telephone: +97 (0)14 709 7158). Germany: MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited Niederlassung Deutschland, Grosse Gallusstrasse 18, 60312 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Gattung: Zweigniederlassung (FDI) gem. § 53b KWG). Italy: MSIM Fund Management (Ireland)Limited, Milan Branch (Sede Secondaria di Milano) is a branch of MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited, a company registered in Ireland, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and whose registered office is at The Observatory, 7-11 Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin 2, D02 VC42, Ireland. MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited Milan Branch (Sede Secondaria di Milano) with seat in Palazzo Serbelloni Corso Venezia, 16 20121 Milano, Italy, is registered in Italy with company number and VAT number 11488280964. The Netherlands: MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited, Rembrandt Tower, 11th Floor Amstelplein 1 1096HA, Netherlands. Telephone: 31 2-0462-1300. Morgan Stanley Investment Management is a branch office of MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited. MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. France: MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited, Paris Branch is a branch of MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited, a company registered in Ireland, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and whose registered office is at The Observatory, 7-11 Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin 2, D02 VC42, Ireland. MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited Paris Branch with seat at 61 rue de Monceau 75008 Paris, France, is registered in France with company number 890 071 863 RCS. Spain: MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited, Sucursal en España is a branch of MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited, a company registered in Ireland, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and whose registered office is at The Observatory, 7-11 Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin 2, D02 VC42, Ireland. MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited, Sucursal en España with seat in Calle Serrano 55, 28006, Madrid, Spain, is registered in Spain with tax identification number W0058820B. Switzerland: Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc, London, Zurich Branch Authorised and regulated by the Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht (“FINMA”). Registered with the Register of Commerce Zurich CHE-115.415.770. Registered Office: Beethovenstrasse 33, 8002 Zurich, Switzerland, Telephone +41 (0) 44 588 1000. Facsimile Fax: +41(0) 44 588 1074.

Australia: This publication is disseminated in Australia by Morgan Stanley Investment Management (Australia) Pty Limited ACN: 122040037, AFSL No. 314182, which accept responsibility for its contents. This publication, and any access to it, is intended only for “wholesale clients” within the meaning of the Australian Corporations Act. Hong Kong: This document has been issued by Morgan Stanley Asia Limited for use in Hong Kong and shall only be made available to “professional investors” as defined under the Securities and Futures Ordinance of Hong Kong (Cap 571). The contents of this document have not been reviewed nor approved by any regulatory authority including the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong. Accordingly, save where an exemption is available under the relevant law, this document shall not be issued, circulated, distributed, directed at, or made available to, the public in Hong Kong. Singapore: This publication should not be considered to be the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to the public or any member of the public in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under section 304 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore ("SFA"), (ii) to a "relevant person" (which includes an accredited investor) pursuant to section 305 of the SFA, and such distribution is in accordance with the conditions specified in section 305 of the SFA; or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA. In particular, for investment funds that are not authorized or recognized by the MAS, units in such funds are not allowed to be offered to the retail public; any written material issued to persons as aforementioned in connection with an offer is not a prospectus as defined in the SFA and, accordingly, statutory liability under the SFA in relation to the content of prospectuses does not apply, and investors should consider carefully whether the investment is suitable for them. This publication has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

BRAZIL. This document does not constitute a public offering of securities for the purposes of the applicable Brazilian regulations and has therefore not been and will not be registered with the Brazilian Securities Commission (Comissão de Valores Mobiliários) or any other government authority in Brazil. All information contained herein is confidential and is for the exclusive use and review of the intended addressee of this document, and may not be passed on to any third party.

CHILE. Neither the Fund nor the interests in the Fund are registered in the Registry of Offshore Securities (el Registro de Valores Extranjeros) or subject to the supervision of the Commission for the Financial Market (la Comisión para el Mercado Financiero). This document and other offering materials relating to the offer of the interests in the Fund do not constitute a public offer of, or an invitation to subscribe for or purchase, the Fund interests in the Republic of Chile, other than to individually identified purchasers pursuant to a private offering within the meaning of Article 4 of the Chilean Securities Act (la Ley del Mercado de Valores) (an offer that is not “addressed to the public at large or to a certain sector or specific group of the public”).

COLOMBIA. This document does not constitute an invitation to invest or a public offer in the Republic of Colombia and is not governed by Colombian law. The interests in the Fund have not been and will not be registered with the National Register of Securities and Issuers (el Registro Nacional de Valores y Emisores) maintained by the Financial Supervisory Authority of Colombia (la Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia) and will not be listed on the Colombian Stock Exchange (la Bolsa de Valores de Colombia). The interests in the Fund are being offered under circumstances which do not constitute a public offering of securities under applicable Colombian securities laws and regulations. The offer of the interests in the Fund is addressed to fewer than one hundred specifically identified investors. Accordingly, the interests in the Fund may not be marketed, offered, sold or negotiated in Colombia, except under circumstances which do not constitute a public offering of securities under applicable Colombian securities laws and regulations. This document is provided at the request of the addressee for information purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. The interests in the Fund may not be promoted or marketed in Colombia or to Colombian residents unless such promotion and marketing is carried out in compliance with Decree 2555 of 2010 and other applicable rules and regulations related to the promotion of foreign financial and securities related products or services in Colombia.

Colombian eligible investors acknowledge that the interests in the Fund (i) are not financial products, (ii) are transferable only in accordance with the terms of the Fund's constitutional documents and (iii) do not offer any principal protection.

Colombian eligible investors acknowledge Colombian laws and regulations (in particular, foreign exchange, securities and tax regulations) applicable to any transaction or investment consummated in connection with an investment in the Fund, and represent that they are the sole liable party for full compliance with any such laws and regulations. In addition, Colombian investors acknowledge and agree that the Fund will not have any responsibility, liability or obligation in connection with any consent, approval, filing, proceeding, authorization or permission required by the investor or any actions taken or to be taken by the investor in connection with the offer, sale or delivery of the interests in the Fund under Colombian law.

MEXICO. Any prospective purchaser of the interests in the Fund must be either an institutional investor (inversionista institucional) or a qualified investor (inversionista calificado) within the meaning of the Mexican Securities Market Law (Ley del Mercado de Valores) (the “Securities Market Law”) and other applicable Mexican laws in effect.

The interests in the Fund have not and will not be registered in the National Registry of Securities (Registro Nacional de Valores) maintained by the Mexican Banking and Securities Commission (Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores). The interests in the Fund may not be offered or sold in the United Mexican States by any means except in circumstances which constitute a private offering pursuant to Article 8 of the Securities Market Law and its regulations. No Mexican regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the interests in the Fund or passed on the solvency of the Fund. All applicable provisions of the Securities Market Law must be complied with in respect of any sale, offer or distribution of, or intermediation in respect of, the Fund interests in, from or otherwise involving Mexico, and any resale of the interests in the Fund within Mexican territory must be made in a manner that will constitute a private offering pursuant to Article 8 of the Securities Market Law and its regulations.

PERU. The interests in the Fund have not been and will not be registered in Peru under Decreto Legislativo 862: Ley de Fondos de Inversión y sus Sociedades Administradoras or under Decreto Legislativo 861: Ley del Mercado de Valores (the “Securities Market Law”), and are being offered to institutional investors only (as defined in article 8 of the Securities Market Law) pursuant to a private placement, according to article 5 of the Securities Market Law. The interests in the Fund have not been registered in the securities market public registry (Registro Público del Mercado de Valores) maintained by, and the offering of the Fund interests in Peru is not subject to the supervision of, the Superintendencia del Mercado de Valores. Any transfers of the Fund interests shall be subject to the limitations contained in the Securities Market Law and the regulations issued thereunder.

URUGUAY. The offering of the Interests qualifies as a private placement pursuant to section 2 of Uruguayan law 18,627. The Interests will not be offered or sold to the public (Individuals or Companies) in Uruguay, except in circumstances which do not constitute a public offering or distribution through a recognized Exchange under Uruguayan laws and regulations. Neither the Fund nor the Interests are or will be registered with la Superintendencia de Servicios Financieros del Banco Central del Uruguay. The Fund corresponds to an investment fund that is not an investment fund regulated by Uruguayan law 16,774 dated September 27, 1996, as amended.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

EMEA: This marketing communication has been issued by MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited. MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. MSIM Fund Management (Ireland) Limited is incorporated in Ireland as a private company limited by shares with company registration number 616661 and has its registered address at The Observatory, 7-11 Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin 2, D02 VC42, Ireland.

Any index referred to herein is the intellectual property (including registered trademarks) of the applicable licensor. Any product based on an index is in no way sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the applicable licensor and it shall not have any liability with respect thereto.

All investments involve risks, including the possible loss of principal. The material contained herein has not been based on a consideration of any individual client circumstances and is not investment advice, nor should it be construed in any way as tax, accounting, legal or regulatory advice. To that end, investors should seek independent legal and financial advice, including advice as to tax consequences, before making any investment decision.

The views and opinions are those of the Investment team as of the date of preparation of this material and are subject to change at any time due to market or economic conditions and may not necessarily come to pass. The views expressed do not reflect the opinions of all Investment teams at Morgan Stanley Investment Management or the views of the firm as a whole, and may not be reflected in the strategies and products that the Firm offers.

Charts and graphs provided herein are for illustrative purposes only. This material has been prepared using sources of information generally believed to be reliable but no representation can be made as to its accuracy.

The information contained in this communication is not a research recommendation or ‘investment research’ and is classified as a ‘Marketing Communication’ in accordance with the applicable European or Swiss regulation. This means that this marketing communication (a) has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research (b) is not subject to any prohibition on dealing ahead of the dissemination of investment research.

MSIM has not authorised financial intermediaries to use and to distribute this document, unless such use and distribution is made in accordance with applicable law and regulation. MSIM shall not be liable for, and accepts no liability for, the use or misuse of this document by any such financial intermediary. If you are a distributor of the Morgan Stanley Investment Funds, some or all of the funds or shares in individual funds may be available for distribution. Please refer to your sub-distribution agreement for these details before forwarding fund information to your clients.

The whole or any part of this work may not be reproduced, copied or transmitted or any of its contents disclosed to third parties without MSIM’s express written consent. All information contained herein is proprietary and is protected under copyright law.

This document may be translated into other languages. Where such a translation is made this English version remains definitive. If there are any discrepancies between the English version and any version of this document in another language, the English version shall prevail.

This is a Marketing Communication.

It is important that users read the Terms of Use before proceeding as it explains certain legal and regulatory restrictions applicable to the dissemination of information pertaining to Morgan Stanley Investment Management's investment products.

The services described on this website may not be available in all jurisdictions or to all persons. For further details, please see our Terms of Use.

Not FDIC Insured—Offer No Bank Guarantee—May Lose Value
Not Insured By Any Federal Government Agency—Not A Deposit

Subscriptions    •    Privacy & Cookies    •    Your Privacy Choices Your Privacy Choices Icon    •    Terms of Use

©  Morgan Stanley. All rights reserved.

Morgan Stanley Distribution, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC.