JAKARTA, Indonesia, June 24, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KoinWorks, Indonesia’s largest peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform registered and supervised by OJK, today announced its Series B fundraise of S$16.5 million (IDR 170 billion). The oversubscribed round was co-led by EV Growth and Quona Capital, with participation from existing investors. The new funding will be used to expand the KoinWorks team and partnerships, and further develop systems and technology to provide financial inclusion throughout Indonesia with its popular one platform.
KoinWorks was established in 2016 by co-founders Benedicto Haryono and Willy Arifin. The company brings together borrowers and lenders online through a single platform that provides access to financial services for SMEs who have historically been un- or underbanked by traditional financial institutions. Leveraging machine learning, KoinWorks enables borrowers to access low interest loans while funders receive better returns. Available products include business financing and invoice financing.
“When we started KoinWorks, we set out to democratize finance in Indonesia while fostering financial inclusion,” said KoinWorks’ co-founder and Executive Chairman Willy Arifin. “In just a few short years we’ve grown to have the largest retail investor base in Indonesia, with more than 300,000 users. The round was oversubscribed, which means that the money raised only represents the amount of liquidity that existing shareholders were willing to make available, and does not reflect the true appetite of investors in KoinWorks.”
KoinWorks’ co-founder and CEO Benedicto Haryono said, "For the past three years, we have served the majority of Indonesia’s retailer market for the distribution of productive loans. Our rapid growth is supported by increasing public awareness of the importance of early investment.”
Today more than 60 percent of investor-funders in KoinWorks’ platform are millennials, and 70 percent of investors say KoinWorks is their first investment product.
"The gap between access and convenience in providing investment products and loans makes KoinWorks a very unique fintech in Indonesia,” said Willson Cuaca, Partner at EV Growth, a joint venture growth fund between East Ventures, Sinar Mas Digital Ventures (SMDV) and YJ Capital Inc. “We’ve been impressed by the company’s rapid growth.”
“KoinWorks shares Quona’s mission of financial inclusion, and has had a dramatic impact on businesses in Indonesia as a result of their commitment to responsible lending,” said Ganesh Rengaswamy, co-founder and Partner at Quona Capital. “Their role in enabling resources catalyzing SME growth cannot be overstated. We are thrilled to support KoinWorks as they consolidate their market leadership.”
Quona Capital is a leading venture capital firm focused on fintech for inclusion in emerging markets, leveraging a strategic relationship with Accion, a nonprofit financial inclusion pioneer.
KoinWorks had previously raised a Series A in 2018 from investors Mandiri Capital Indonesia, Convergence Ventures, Gunung Sewu, Beeblebrox and Quona Capital.
About KoinWorks
KoinWorks, founded in 2016, is the largest peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform in Indonesia registered and supervised by the Indonesia Financial Services Authority (OJK). KoinWorks brings together borrowers and lenders through a single online platform that provides access to financial services for people who have not been served by traditional banking institutions. Trusted by more than 300,000 users, KoinWorks focuses on productive loans for business development through KoinBisnis and KoinPintar products.
In 2017, Bisnis Indonesia named KoinWorks “Most Innovative Fintech of the Year.” KoinWorks was also named the Most Innovative Company in Online Funding with Machine Learning in Fintech in 2018 and 2019 by Warta Ekonomi. More information on KoinWorks is available at https://koinworks.com
About EV Growth
EV Growth is a US$200 milion joint-venture fund between East Ventures, SMDV -- the VC arm of Indonesian conglomerate Sinar Mas -- and YJ Capital, the VC arm of Yahoo Japan. EV Growth invests in growth-stage startups in Southeast Asia, primarily focusing on Indonesia. EV Growth has backed startups from different sectors including Sociolla, IDN Media, Moka, Warung Pintar, and Ruangguru.
About Quona Capital
Quona Capital is a scale-up stage venture firm focused on fintech for inclusion in emerging markets. Quona partners have deep experience as investors and operators in both emerging and developed markets, and look for entrepreneurs whose companies have the potential to provide outstanding financial returns and promote breakthrough innovation in financial inclusion. To date, Quona has supported more than 25 financial technology companies expanding access for underserved consumers and small businesses in Latin America, South and Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Quona got its start through a strategic relationship with Accion, a global nonprofit with a pioneering legacy in microfinance and fintech impact investing. The firm has offices in Washington D.C., Bangalore, Cape Town, Mexico City and Singapore. For more information, visit quona.com.
Media Contact:
Jonathan Bryan
KoinWorks
jonathan@koinworks.com
+62 812 8780 1003
Try Prihatono Ngaserin
EV Growth
try@evgrowth.vc
+65-8172-8137
Shannon Austin
Quona Capital
Shannon@quona.com
(+1) 703-338-8813
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2c0b14b1-e2ac-42ec-99fd-3c09dd181d64