FX.co ★ How sharing services change economy

The sharing economy is a modern economy of free resources exchange, the economy of collective consumption. Within the framework of such economy, a person can easily turn from a consumer of goods and services to their supplier.

One of the most popular today's sharing services is the Airbnb startup. This is an online platform where anyone can find suitable accommodation in almost any city in the world, and rent out their own apartments. The company's statistics says: Airbnb places about 150 million people in a private residential sector in a year, which is 22% more than the international network of popular Hilton hotels.

Uber Service is another popular startup, which has become famous throughout the world. Thanks to the Uber mobile application, simple car enthusiasts from more than 200 cities try themselves as taxi drivers. Today, the company's business is estimated at $41.2 billion.

BlaBlaCar is another sharing service, popular among the travelers. It is one of the largest communities in the world, created by the Frenchman Frederic Mazzella, that unites drivers and passengers on the way. With the help of this service, drivers can find fellow travelers and share petrol expenses with them, and travelers can save on tickets.

A relatively new European startup with an unusual name Zopa is also gaining popularity. This service helps ordinary Internet users to borrow money from each other. The service allows users to borrow from 1 to 25 thousand for up to five years at a rate of 7-10% per annum. The service acts as the guarantor of the transaction and analyzes the identity of borrowers. Like a classic bank, Zopa makes a profit from the difference between the interest on deposits and loans.