Amazon lent $1bn to third-party sellers

SAN FRANCISCO: Amazon.com Inc has stepped up lending to third-party sellers on its site who are looking to grow their business, a company executive said in an interview on Wednesday. The e-commerce giant has doled out more than $1 billion in small loans to sellers in the past 12 months, compared with more than $1.5 billion it lent from 2011 through 2015, said Peeyush Nahar, vice president for Amazon Marketplace. Sellers have used the money to expand their inventory or discount items on Amazon, he said. Boosting sales for third-party merchants is lucrative for Amazon, which takes a cut of transactions on its site. It also has made a business out of handling more leg work for sellers, too. — Reuters