Harmoney secures A$105m funding line, targets NZ securitisation in 2022

Harmoney chief executive David Stevens. Photo / Supplied

Online lender Harmoney has secured a A$105 million funding line - its third funding line since moving away from a peer-to-peer lending model.

The asset-backed securitisation has taken over a pool of its Australian consumer loans and would result in a material reduction in its cost of funds, the company said in a statement to the NZX.

David Stevens, Harmoney's chief executive, said the move was just the start of its asset-backed securitisation programme.

"Assuming similar market conditions, we anticipate a New Zealand securitisation in early calendar year 2022.

"Given the size of the New Zealand loan book, this is expected to be a significantly larger ABS [asset-backed securitisation] transaction."

Harmoney already has two other funding warehouses provided by banks.

Stevens said the securitisation had allowed it to test the market with its lending model.

"The results we have achieved provide clear validation of the quality of our Australian loan book, materially reduce our cost of funding, underpin a significant release of capital and diversify our funding sources."

Harmoney dual-listed on the NZX and ASX on November 19 last year following a A$92.5m ($100.1m) initial public offer priced at A$3.50 a share.

Its shares fell as low as $1.38 on the NZX in June this year but have bounced back a little since then and opened at $1.96 this morning.

In August, the company revealed a cash loss of A$400,000 for the year to June 30, compared to the A$2.8 million in the black for its prior financial year.

It made a statutory loss of A$27m compared to A$15.37m in its 2020 financial year.

Harmoney's income fell 8 per cent to $79.1m as its average loan book was down due to the impacts of Covid-19.

But its net lending margin rose from 5.8 to 6.8 per cent due to lower credit losses and funding costs.

Stevens said its 2021 financial year was a tale of two halves, with a significant recovery in loan originations in the second half from the impacts of Covid-19 in the first half.

Harmoney also announced a settlement agreement with the Commerce Commission in early August.

It will repay $7m to 37,000 customers after admitting its platform fees were unreasonable.

The commission launched legal action against Harmoney in 2016 alleging its loan establishment fee was actually a credit fee and exceeded the amount of reasonable costs under the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003.

The case was due to go to the High Court in September but was settled out of court.