
GIC leads $220m Series C for China supply chain finance player
Chinese supply chain finance provider Linklogis has raised $220 million in a Series C round of funding led by GIC Private.
Existing backers Tencent Holdings, Loyal Valley Capital, CITIC Capital, and Bertelsmann Asia Investments (BAI) also took part, while Global Logistic Properties (GLP) and Welight Capital came in as new investors.
The proceeds will be used to Linklogis’ database and risk control systems – key considerations for any financial technology player – and also to establish partnerships with other technology businesses, said Qun Song, the company’s CEO and founder. Linklogis recently collaborated with Tencent on a blockchain-based supply chain finance platform that targets small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) clients.
Based in Shenzhen, the company was founded in 2016 and provides short-term credit to suppliers and buyers in different industry supply chains, enabling them to optimize working capital. In addition to helping small businesses obtain loans from traditional institutions, Linklogis works with online peer-to-peer lending platforms, matching borrowers with individual and institutional investors.
A host of fintech companies have been established in recent years to serve as a bridge between individual lenders and small-scale borrowers. However, Linklogis’ latest round comes amidst a wave of defaults in the P2P lending space as a result of government efforts to crack down on fraud and broader restrictions on the flow of liquidity to the country’s informal banking market.
The company previously received RMB100 million ($14.4 million) in Series A funding from investors including CITIC Capital and Loyal Valley in 2016. Last year, it secured a RMB200 million Series B, with Tencent, BAI and China Merchants Venture Capital among the participants.
Latest News
Asian GPs slow implementation of ESG policies - survey
Asia-based private equity firms are assigning more dedicated resources to environment, social, and governance (ESG) programmes, but policy changes have slowed in the past 12 months, in part due to concerns raised internally and by LPs, according to a...
Singapore fintech start-up LXA gets $10m seed round
New Enterprise Associates (NEA) has led a USD 10m seed round for Singapore’s LXA, a financial technology start-up launched by a former Asia senior executive at The Blackstone Group.
India's InCred announces $60m round, claims unicorn status
Indian non-bank lender InCred Financial Services said it has received INR 5bn (USD 60m) at a valuation of at least USD 1bn from unnamed investors including “a global private equity fund.”
Insight leads $50m round for Australia's Roller
Insight Partners has led a USD 50m round for Australia’s Roller, a venue management software provider specializing in family fun parks.