Last year may have been a landmark year for peer-to-peer lender platforms, but what milestones are in store for the alternative finance industry in 2016? Here are a few we think are worth preparing for.

The IFISA (Innovative Finance ISA) is set to go live on 6th April, marking the first time that P2P investments will benefit from ISA relief. It’s a potentially huge landmark for the industry, with the tax wrapper widely expected to push the already exploding peer-to-peer sector into the mainstream. For these platforms, which haven’t yet got their full FCA approval, the latest news suggests that the 6th April deadline might not be as pivotal as at first imagined: the likelihood is that the majority of peer-to-peer lenders who haven’t yet attained full FCA permissions will be able to operate under interim permissions.

Referrals are set to rise in 2016 under the mandatory bank referral scheme announced in August 2014, but it’s not yet clear when exactly this will kick in. It’s being orchestrated on behalf of HMT by the British Business Bank. Will there be a hike in the deal flow on online lenders in 2016? At this stage, it’s at least possible.

Closed End Funds (CEFs) detonated a flurry of investor enthusiasm in 2014 but slowed  early last year. However, while fund money has been cooling off, it’s far from running dry. New specialised vehicles in 2016, targeting specific verticals (such as receivables or property) are predicted by many.