15 MORE things you never knew about bridging loans

By Hannah Duncan 21st March 2024

Plenty of readers were left bewildered and bemused by the little-known facts in our 2021 article, “15 things you never knew about bridging loans”.

Three years later, we’re upping the ante. Here is our 2024 edition of 15 MORE things you never knew about bridging loans.

Grab a coffee, get cosy and prepare to have your socks blown off with these newsworthy nuggets.

15 things you never knew…

Classic movies from DreamWorks, including Little Fockers, The Help and Dinner for Schmucks may never have been made, without the help of a much-needed bridging loan from Disney in 2009.

2. DreamWorks is far from alone! Almost every movie requires bridging financing at some point. One specialist lending firm has financed more than 140 films to date!

3. Although the term “bridging loans” first surfaced around the 1960s,
peer-to-peer lending and short-term credit has been going on for more than 2,000 years. Ancient Romans were big fans!

4. There is a growing trend of savvy Gen-Zs who love bridging loans!

5. Paying off a bridging loan once caused “You’re Beautiful” and “Goodbye my lover” hit singer James Blunt to turn to God.

6. Airline Thomas Cook (or what’s left of it) is also praying for a bridging loan from the German government to save its Belin-based division, Condor… Time will tell what happens next!

7. It’s not the first time Germany has been approached for a bridging loan. In 2015, headlines were made around the world when the country rejected the chance to help Greece bridge its financial gap.

8. Tech firm Motional is using a bridging loan to finance its ambitions for a robo-taxi service in the USA… Could this be the next step for self-driving cars?

9. Bridging loans are a core part of China’s international diplomacy plans. The country is already owed more than $1 trillion by 165 so-called “Belt and Road” developing economies.

10. Stylish ski-wear company, Perfect Moment, was able to become a listed company on Nasdaq in 2021, thanks to a $6 million bridging loan.

11. Bridging loans are used to finance care homes, funerals, weddings, divorces and many other big life occasions!

12. Facebook is one of the most popular platforms people use to search for bridging loans. A quick search reveals more than 100 dedicated groups serving London alone.

13. Big tech like Apple, Microsoft and Google could be about to creep into the bridging loan space, as they already offer short-term credit, like Buy Now Pay Later products. In China, WeChat is already the country’s second largest microlender.

14. 2023 was a record-breaking year for the bridging industry, with the highest number of transactions ever recorded.

15. Bridging loans are increasingly being used to finance sustainable projects, the latest EY survey from 2022 found that 44% are planning to launch a green product.

Got something even more insightful, interesting or unusual to share?

Let us know, and you could make it onto the next big list!

Hannah Duncan

Hannah Duncan is a freelance writer with a passion for finance, sustainable investing and fintech. She loves writing engaging content for industry magazines and investment services, as well as keeping a personal blog at www.hdinvestmentcontent.com