Merchant Cash Advance proposes to lend money to merchants based on their credit card receivables.  However these lending options are very expensive.   Is peer-to-peer (P2P) lending an alternative to merchant cash advance? 

Companies, such as Lending Club, Prosper, and Loanio, are connecting people who need money with those who wish to lend it.  Utilizing P2P lending, borrowers can access the money at a lower interest rate than they would if they used even more traditional bank lines or a credit card.  At the same time, individuals who have money to invest get better returns than either the stock market or any bank savings are delivering today.

P2P lending may be worth researching for merchants considering a merchant cash advance program.