Marketplace lending sobering needs more time.

The ongoing rationalization of the marketplace lending space still has a way to go, says Ryan Gilbert of Propel Venture Partners, who notes that “too many princes have wanted to be kings, and they will not all be successful.” The fact that OnDeck and Lending Club posted upbeat Q2 earnings this past week is a constructive step. But in the wake of Goldman’s growing Marcus juggernaut, Affirm’s point-of-sale traction, Softbank’s $250-million infusion into Kabbage and ongoing rescue financings courtesy of Asian conglomerates and US credit hedge funds, it’s premature to suggest that the good times are back for the publicly traded former wunderkinds. And for that, we blame the 2014-15 fintech hype machine, which led the consumer and small business marketplace lending sector to achieve skyscraper technology multiples in the first place. Cleaning up after a wild party is never fun, and given the former frenzy of online lending start-ups, it’ll take more than a decent quarter to make things right.

This article was published as part of Weekly Briefing No. 93