Finstar Financial Group will invest USD150 million into new financial technology startups over the next five years, Oleg Boyko, the Chairman of Finstar, has confirmed. The money will also be used for research and development (R&D) within the Group’s portfolio companies.
Global investment in financial technology startups increased to USD12.7 billion last year, according to the CB Insights Global Fintech Report 2016. Finstar is at the vanguard of this swift growth, with its global presence and wealth of experience in the sector. The pledge to invest USD150 million into fintech startups and in-house R&D is part of the Group’s wider commitment to expanding and improving its fintech offering. Finstar’s primary markets are Europe, Latin America, South-East and South Asia.
Boyko says: “We will finance direct investment in startups, contributions to SMEs, and research and development of cutting-edge fintech within our own companies. As far as the startup component is concerned, we are targeting three to six deals per year, in the seed to Series A rounds, typically ranging from USD500,000 to USD30 million. Our R&D investment is about pushing financial technology further and leveraging that innovation across our already strong fintech portfolio. This means that – beyond our financial commitment to the sector – the businesses we work with benefit from the strength of our technical resources and the depth of our expertise.”
Over the past two years, Finstar Financial Group has started strategic cooperation with European fintech companies Spotcap, Euroloan, Viventor and Rocket10. It has also expanded its collaboration with fintech entrepreneurs through FinstarLabs. FinstarLabs focusses its efforts on developing ground-breaking fintech, adtech and big data innovations, as well as identifying, investing in, and incubating leading fintech start-ups and entrepreneurs.
In 2015, Finstar launched its own portfolio company, Digital Finance International, with the aim of applying the most advanced technological solutions to deliver tailored consumer lending solutions globally.
