Abstract
This paper studies the rise and growth of the first P2P lending platform in China. Over the past few years, Chinese P2P lending platforms have risen and changed the way of how Chinese people get loans. We analyzed the mechanisms CreditEase used to overcome the challenges from a lack of nationwide social credit system and trust in China. Our research shows that unlike P2P lending platforms in Western societies, Chinese P2P lending platforms rely heavily on institution-based trust to ensure the creditworthiness of borrowers.