Note from the Publisher: You can tell when an industry is on the rise when new companies WANT TO pay association dues to be part of the insider group. That's what has recently happened with the Marketplace Lending Association - founded in 2016 by Funding Circle, Lending Club & Prosper Marketplace. This year, they've welcomed 11 new companies into the association, seeking to have a common industry voice under the association and a larger presence in Washington.

"The Marketplace Lending Association (MLA) today announced the addition of eleven new companies to the Association. The new members join as the MLA works to expand its presence in Washington. The MLA was formed in 2016 by founding members Funding Circle, Lending Club, and Prosper Marketplace with the goal of promoting a transparent, efficient and customer-friendly financial system.

New Members include: Affirm, Upstart, CommonBond, Avant, PeerStreet, Marlette Funding, Sharestates, Able, and StreetShares. New Associate Members of the MLA include dv01 and LendIt.

This expansion represents a new chapter for the MLA, as it extends the group beyond consumer and small business lending to include platforms focused on student loan refinancing and real estate, as well as greater diversity of funding models, including lending platforms that hold loans on balance sheet."

Read Full Press Release at PR Newswire