Octopus Choice

Octopus Co-Lend Limited was a UK company established in 2014 and operated the property-backed peer-to-peer lending platform branded Octopus Choice. The firm was directly authorised by the FCA under FRN 722801, not an Appointed Representative, until its authorisation ended on 4 July 2023.

The Octopus Choice platform suspended transactions in March 2020 amid heavy withdrawal requests and broader market stress, and ceased offering new P2P products in February 2021. The remaining loan book has been managed by Octopus's real estate teams with the stated objective of returning capital to existing investors. No new investments are accepted.

Historically, Octopus Choice allowed retail investors to fund property-backed loans originated within the Octopus Group. Loans were secured by a first charge on property, with average LTV around the low 60s and a maximum LTV reported at 76%. Octopus stated it invested 5% of its own capital into each loan in a first-loss position, absorbing the first 5% of losses — an extra layer of protection (not a guarantee) for investors. Minimum investments were historically £10.

Octopus Choice offered investments in property-backed loans and supported the Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) wrapper. The platform historically targeted c.4% p.a.; after the platform fee was waived in March 2020, Octopus reported average loan returns of over 5% and stated the platform had generated nearly £15m of interest for investors by October 2019, with claimed lending of >£250M. These are historical performance figures, not guarantees. No secondary market was offered, making investments illiquid until loans repaid.

Octopus Choice was marketed at retail investors seeking a fixed-income style return from property-backed lending and at financial advisers placing clients into IFISA-eligible products. The platform is now closed to new investors. P2P investments are not FSCS-protected — capital was at risk and could be lost if underlying loans defaulted or property values fell.