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Dust off your glad rags, put up some garish decorations and buy in an industrial size box of party poppers - because it's time to celebrate. You see, we're currently straddling two massive events in Zopa history: the number of Zopa members has just broken the 100,000 barrier and we're days away from launching the brand new website. It's a very exciting time in Zopa world, and the future's looking rosier than the cheeks of even the ruddiest farm boy. Big thanks to everyone who's helped us get this far, and we look forward to celebrating further milestones with you in the years to come.
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More interest for lenders, a new loan calculator for borrowers and a trophy for everyone - what a month September was:
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6,484 new members joined
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Zopa won Internet Innovation of the Year at the 2006 CNet Technology awards. These are the Oscars of the IT industry, so to hear that Zopa had beaten off competition from Skype, the BBC and others to lift the title was amazing news. Check out the silverware here.
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Lenders have got a pay rise and will now get 3.75% interest on all money in their holding account, instead of 3.5%.
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Lenders can now use their debit card online to pay money into their account. Simply sign in, select 'Lend now' and go to the 'Transfer' page.
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The loan calculator is now slicker and easier to use for those after a quote
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Zopa was named by Business 2.0, a leading American magazine, as one of the eleven most disruptive companies in the world (in the sense of disrupting the financial status quo, rather than disrupting people in libraries by talking). Read the article here.
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There were more pieces about Zopa in The Daily Express, Money Marketing, Financial Adviser and the Nikkei (Japan's equivalent to the FT)
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Sponsored walks, bake-a-thons and sitting in baths of baked beans are all good ways to raise money for charity, but Zopa lenders Tara Basi (aka slsltd) and Parveen Bansal (PB1) prefer something with a bit more edge. A couple of years ago they raised £20,000 for Sense International by climbing up Mount Kilimanjaro, and this month they're braving black rhinos and sunburn in the Namibian desert for the same charity. We caught up with them to find out exactly what they're up to.
So guys, what exactly are you up to?
7 days of hiking and camping under the African sky in the Etendeka mountains of Namibia. It will be extremely hot, very dry, and the walking will be challenging.
Sounds tough. What sort of animals will you come across?
Elephants, black rhinos, springboks, zebras, ostriches, plenty of snakes and many others. We're hoping our party will retain its humanity throughout the trip, though we've already been allotted numbers for the lottery which we'll hold if the food runs out.
Well full marks for the forward planning. Now tell us a bit about Sense International?
Try to imagine what it must be like being a child who is both deaf and blind growing up in some of the poorer countries of the world and you'll begin to understand the work of Sense International. The charity sets out to support parents and communities to provide opportunities for these children through education and vocational training. Visit their website for examples of the fantastic work they do.
A very worthwhile cause indeed - how much are you hoping to raise?
£10,000 between the two of us.
And how can fellow Zopa members help out?
Through either of these secure websites: www.justgiving.com/parveen or www.justgiving.com/tarabasi2. All donations go directly to the charity; we are both covering our own costs. And anyone who makes a donation will receive an illustrated, amusing and informative diary of our trek experience.
Well worth doing everyone. Just finally, are you taking any luxury items with you?
Toilet paper (biodegradable, of course) - and, most importantly, spray-on black rhino charge repellent.
Good thinking. Have a great time and let's hope you raise loads for Sense International.
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In years to come, people will be asking what you were doing on Sunday 8th October 2006. That was the day the Zopa member-o-meter finally ticked into 6 figures, and Zopa became a community of 100,000 people cutting out the banks by lending and borrowing directly with each other.
The 100,000th member goes by the username zopalender99, and, as you might have guessed, he's a Zopa lender. He first heard about Zopa on the website moneyexpert.com, and says the main appeal was "the flexibility and the new (to me) way of investing."
To celebrate breaking the 100,000 barrier, not only did we give zopalender99 100,000 pennies (£1,000) to lend out at Zopa, but we're also issuing a series of commemorative badges, T-shirts and mugs with the message 'Zopa - Bigger than Basildon' emblazoned on them. This is nothing personal against Basildon (population 99,876 at the last census), it's just that we're now bigger than it. Everyone who has helped the Zopa community grow will be in with a chance of getting their hands on some goodies - find out more here.
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The inaugural Zopa member and Team get-together took place last night (Thursday 12th October). Twenty to thirty Zopa members turned up to enjoy fine wine, fine foods and fine conversation with half a dozen or so Team members.
If you weren't able to make it, fear not: there'll be a full match report and some piccies in November's This Month at Zopa, so you'll be able to catch up on all the gossip then. In the meantime, have a look at Dave's blog entry. And don't
worry: we will be arranging some more meet-ups shortly. Watch this space.
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That's it for this month. Keep an eye out for November's This Month at Zopa, as it'll be a little bit different from what you're used to...
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Zopa Limited.
Registered office: 3rd floor, Radiant House, 36-38 Mortimer Street, London W1W 7RG
Company Registration No.: 05197592
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