Share Sounds. presented by Ed Bowsher

We turn to foreign direct investment in Europe and take a look at the amount of money that's being invested in European businesses or projects from other countries. For his thoughts, Ed Bowsher spoke to Marc Lhermitte, Area partner manager elect at EY, also known as Ernst and Young.

Private investors often like to focus on smaller companies, so as the guest for this week's smaller companies slot is Sean Keyes, Managing Editor of the Penny Share letter, who speaks with Investment Perspectives guest presenter, Ed Bowsher.

Time now to catch up with our man in Hong Kong, Finbarr Bermingham, Asia Editor of the Global Trade Review. He has been speaking to Share Radio's Michael Considine about the visit of Zhang Dejiang, the Chinese leader responsible for Hong Kong affairs, who has arrived there amid discontent with alleged interference in the territory's affairs by Beijing. Michael began by asking him what the mood has been like in Hong Kong.

This is our regular small-cap investor slot, and this week we're talking to David Stredder, director of the Share Soc and keen private investor.

This is 'crowdfunders' the show that covers the fastest growing sector in finance. This week, host Ed Bowsher talks to a company called Positiveitea, we have a platform profile of crowdcube, major news about LendingClub & also Ed is joined by a co-founder of Zopa, Bruce Davis. Zopa is the world's first peer-to-peer marketplace lending site.

This is Share Radio's weekly Book Review on the Investment Perspectives show, this week featuring one of the authors of '5 Voices: How to Communicate Effectively with Everyone you Lead' - Steve Cockram, interviewed by Share Radio's Ed Bowsher.

Providing access to finance and loans is a key tool for helping the world's poorest people and a critical part of helping developing nations build more robust economies. FINCA, the international Microfinance Institution, works to provide micro loans for entrepreneurs and small to medium sized enterprises around the globe. To learn more Share Radio's Alexi Phillips sat down with its president and co-CEO Rupert Schofield. Alexi began by asking him about FINCA's mission and approach.

This is 'Crowdfunders', the show that covers the fast-growing world of alternative finance and we've got a very busy show for you today. The big news this week is over the pond in the US. The CEO of one of the big peer-to-peer sites in the US, Lending Club, has left the company under a cloud. Apparently one investor was buying loans on the platform that were riskier than he realised. Some commentators argue that this story is a major blow to the alternative finance industry. We'll find out more. We'll also be looking at a equity crowdfunding campaign for a company called ET Index - it provides information on companies' carbon emissions for investors. And we'll also find out about a big new source of funding for the peer-to-peer site, Lendinvest. Beginning with the Lending Club story, Ed Bowsher begins by talking to Ryan Weeks from the Altfi website.

This week Ed Bowsher finds out about a new peer-to-peer lending platform called Octopus Choice, talks to the CEO of a medical device business raising money on the VentureFounders platform' and takes a quick look at a business called Loopeze that offers an innovative way to dispose of female sanitary products.

This is Crowdfunders on Share Radio, the show that covers the fast-growing world of alternative finance, hosted by Share Radio’s Senior Analyst, Ed Bowsher. In today's show, Ed speaks to the founder of a company that's making pink gin using raspberries. The gin is called Pinkster and you can invest in the company on the Growthdeck platform. Also in the spotlight is an equity crowdfunding campaign for a company that is now in administration. The company is called Rebus, and the question is: did this crowdfunding campaign give investors all the relevant information? And over in the world of peer to peer lending, today's crowdfunders takes a look at the issue of tax. It's especially topical now that the innovative finance isa has been launched - it's supposed to protect any interest you earn on peer to peer sites from income tax.