Fintech/News/ Monzo confirms $4.5bn valuation after closing new $500m round The fundraise offers a vote of confidence in the neobank, which had a turbulent 2020 By Isabel Woodford 8 December 2021 \Fintech Is crypto eating the world? 5 things we learned from our panel By Sifted 27 April 2022 Fintech/News/ Monzo confirms $4.5bn valuation after closing new $500m round The fundraise offers a vote of confidence in the neobank, which had a turbulent 2020 By Isabel Woodford 8 December 2021 Monzo, one of Britain’s first digital banks, has closed a $500m round at an increased valuation of $4.5bn, the company has confirmed. It will be a sigh of relief for the fintech, which suffered a series of setbacks in 2020 — including having its valuation slashed, struggling to break into the US and suffering heavy financial losses. The raise included new investors like the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund, Coatue and Alpha Wave Ventures. The new funds will go towards supporting building out new products, including a trading platform — and covering its burn rate. Monzo’s continued growth through Covid proved critical in wooing investors, the company told the Financial Times. Last year, Monzo secured 1m new customers and an 18% jump in revenues. This was aided by a new subscription line and the launch of its business line. At $4.5bn, Monzo is now Europe’s third most valuable neobank, behind Revolut and N26. It’s a 200% hike on its 2020 valuation and a 182% improvement from its 2018 pre-money valuation. How does Monzo stack up against its UK rivals? However, Monzo’s new price tag is a far cry from the eye-watering valuations being hauled at other fintechs, prompting Monzo to slip down the rankings in Europe, which is now home to ~40 fintech unicorns. Investors will note the fact that Monzo is one of the last UK neobanks to reach break-even, flagging that there was “material uncertainty” about its future in its latest accounts. The fintech also revealed that it is under investigation by regulators for its money-laundering measures after failing to catch nearly £10m in customer fraud. Still, Monzo has outlived the likes of Tandem — which was effectively taken over by a private equity firm last year — and has grown faster than Lunar in the Nordics or Bunq in Holland. Monzo is now focused on growing its userbase, lending and boosting revenues. It’s putting its hopes in Monzo Flex, its new buy now, pay later feature which enables customers to split card payments into instalments, taking on the likes of Klarna. Monzo executives also told Sifted earlier this year they expect to see the company go public soon. Founded in 2015, Monzo today boasts over 5m UK customers, with an average deposit per user at £620 in February this year. Monzo also has the largest market share among UK digital banking users, with 39%. The latest raise takes Monzo’s total funding to over £900m. Some of its biggest backers include Passion Capital, which now owns just under 25% of the bank. Investors who joined Monzo in its previous round will have benefited most from the new valuation. These include Octahedron Capital, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, and Vanderbilt University. Monzo’s top ranks — now seven years in, it’s under a new steward in CEO TS Anil Related Articles Klarna hits $45.6bn valuation and becomes the world’s second most valuable fintech By Michael Stothard Click here to read more Neobanks’ newest threat: Meet the early-stage fintechs luring in Gen Z By Isabel Woodford and Freya Pratty Click here to read more Member “I think we’ll see a Monzo IPO”: Execs discuss the future of Monzo By Isabel Woodford Click here to read more Most Read 1 \Consumer Building a billion dollar business by fixing clothes 2 \Startup Life What’s it like being a startup founder over 40? 3 Member \Venture Capital The 10 fastest growing Estonian startups in the past 12 months 4 \Startup Life Startups now have another alternative to VC: growth through debt 5 \Startup Life Ravio hopes its transparent salary data can solve your hiring woes Join the conversation Subscribe Notify of new follow-up comments new replies to my comments
Klarna hits $45.6bn valuation and becomes the world’s second most valuable fintech By Michael Stothard Click here to read more
Neobanks’ newest threat: Meet the early-stage fintechs luring in Gen Z By Isabel Woodford and Freya Pratty Click here to read more
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