FIVE abnormal P2P loaning websites were found in Shenzhen this month as of Saturday, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

Statistics released by P2PEYE.com showed that the five P2P loaning websites became inaccessible or halted operation this month. One of the websites released a statement about its liquidation Sept. 8, while two websites’ homepages couldn’t be opened normally.

The city’s financial services office introduced new rules for regulating P2P lending websites in early July. A total of 36 P2P lending websites were operating abnormally or stopped operation nationwide in August. Seven websites were based in Shenzhen. As of the end of August, there were 315 P2P loaning websites operating normally in Shenzhen.

According to the report, being inaccessible is the most common problem of abnormal P2P loaning websites as over 60 percent of abnormal websites were found to be out of reach, although only a minority of websites were involved in fraud cases.

S growing number of websites halted operation in a bid to avoid causing financial loss to investors, meaning that the industry is entering a beneficial cycle of self-purging. (Zhang Yang)