Refundable Limited offers two life insurance products:

• £3,000 Accidental Death for a 10 year term for £25 per month
• £10,000 Employed Life for a 10 year term for £25 per month

The premiums and sum assured are fixed. The Employed Life policy has more restrictive eligibility criteria, hence the higher sum assured and not being restricted to accidental deaths only. The Accidental Death policy is open to anyone aged over 18.

Refundable promises to refund the entire £3,000 total premiums paid at the end of the 10 year term, which it describes as "unique".

The company is currently promoted via unsolicited emails (i.e. spam) and via an affiliate programme which promises to pay "£69 and £115 commission on all sales you generate each month" for websites which link to Refundable.

Continue reading...

London European Securities claims to offer "secure and protected" unregulated bonds paying 5.5% interest on Sterling investments for 12 months.

The company also offers investments in Euros and dollars, and over 6, 12 or "12+12" month terms. Rates are only disclosed when the investor provides their contact details, although in an August Facebook post, the company says "up to 4.9%" on Euro investments.

London European Securities is regulated as an Alternative Investment Fund Manager in the UK, which does not amount to full FCA authorisation, with no entry on the FCA register. As such it is restricted on the extent to which it can market its services.

That didn't stop the company entering a polo team in the Sandbanks beach polo tournament emblazoned with the number "5.6" on their shirts to advertise its bonds in July 2019.

Continue reading for a review of London European Securities' bonds.

Global Edge (a trading name of UK Innovative TI Ltd) offers unregulated bonds paying interest for a three year term as follows:

• 12.5%pa for investments between £2k and £25k
• 16.5%pa between £25k and £50k
• 18.5%pa between £50k and £75k
• 21%pa above £75k

Funds raised are to be used to gamble on various sports. Global Edge claims to have "advanced algorithmic technology" which identifies when bookmakers have priced their odds incorrectly and a platform which automatically bets on market where it has an edge.

Continue reading for a review of Global Edge's bonds.

Vala Secured Lending plc offers IFISA bonds and unregulated bonds paying interest as follows:

• 4.62% for a one year term
• 6.25% per year for a three year term
• 7.9% per year for a five year term

Funds raised are to be used to invest in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

At time of writing Vala's website has been offline for some days or weeks. As far as we're aware however the company is still trading. This review has been based on Vala's last available brochure as at November 2019.

Click here to continue reading our review of Vala's bonds.

The website quantumgroupfunds.com claims to represent "Quantum Group of Funds", a subsidiary of Soros Fund Management.

Representatives of Quantum are cold-calling investors claiming to be offering shares in AirBNB (currently privately owned by its founders and venture capital firms).

Quantum Group of Funds does exist, but the website quantumgroupfunds.com is nothing to do with it. It was only registered in February 2019, despite the real Quantum being in existence for 45 years.

Continue reading...

Symtomax is offering bonds paying a 30% return over 24 months – 12% in the first year and 18% in the second year.

There is an option to exit the bond after 1 year. However this assumes that Symtomax will have sufficient liquid funds to repay investors who wish to exit.

Continue reading for a review of Symtomax’s bonds.

Fluid is offering IFISA and unregulated bonds paying 6% per year for a three year term.

Funds raised are to be used to invest in short-term bridging loans.

Continue reading for a review of Fluid's IFISA bonds.