The report highlights that whilst alternative finance remains small as a proportion of overall credit outstanding in the financial system of many countries, it is growing rapidly. Australia is fast becoming a regional leader (behind China), which is evidenced by the substantial growth of alternative finance compared with the low base of US$27 million reported in 2013.

The research was conducted by a research team from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, the Australian Centre for Financial Studies at Monash Business School and the Tsinghua University Graduate School at Shenzhen, in collaboration with KPMG and with the support of the CME Group Foundation and HNA Capital.