Latest news with #SaisonCapital
Entrepreneur
19-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Techfino Raises INR 65 Cr from Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital
The fresh funds will be used to expand its secured lending business focused on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly in tier II and tier III cities across India. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Bengaluru-based non-banking financial company (NBFC) Techfino has raised INR 65 crore in fresh funding from Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital. The fresh funds will be used to expand its secured lending business focused on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly in tier II and tier III cities across India. The startup plans to deploy the capital to grow its branch network, enhance its technology platform, and scale its Loan Against Property (LAP) offerings for underserved micro-businesses. With this strategic move, Techfino aims to deepen its presence in underpenetrated markets and address the significant credit gap in the MSME sector. Rajesh Panda, Co-founder of Techfino, said, "Out of the 640 million registered MSMEs in India, 390 million are not part of the formal credit economy. This segment, especially in rural and semi-urban markets, generates an estimated quarterly demand of INR 200,000 crore. With limited presence of banks and large NBFCs in this space, we are leveraging our underwriting expertise and tech-enabled collections infrastructure to bridge this gap." Founded in 2019 by banking veterans Rajesh Panda (ex-Standard Chartered), Jayaprakash Patra (ex-ICICI Bank and ING), and Ratikant Satapathy (ex-Bajaj Finance), Techfino offers secured loans (LAP) to MSMEs and also education loans through a B2B2C model in partnership with education service providers. The company currently operates across Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh, and has maintained profitability since inception. Highlighting the role of technology, Co-founder Ratikant Satapathy said, "Our internally developed tech platform integrates multiple APIs to verify underwriting data, resulting in faster loan processing, better risk assessment, and improved operational efficiency." Ritesh Banglani, Partner, Stellaris Venture Partners, said, "Techfino has shown that it is possible to build a profitable lending business in a high-risk segment through strong underwriting and full tech enablement. We are excited to support them in their mission to empower millions of MSMEs." To date, Techfino has disbursed over 1 lakh loans and crossed INR 200 crore in Assets Under Management (AUM). With this funding, the company plans to double its branch network, scale loan disbursements, and build a significant footprint in secured MSME lending over the next 3–5 years.
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Business Standard
18-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Techfino raises ₹65 crore to expand MSME lending in smaller cities
Techfino to use fresh funding from Stellaris and Saison Capital to scale secured loans, expand branches, and boost tech-led lending in underserved MSME markets Peerzada Abrar New Delhi Listen to This Article Techfino, a tech-enabled non-banking financial company, has raised ₹65 crore in a funding round led by Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital, the venture investment arm of Tokyo-listed Credit Saison Co. The Bengaluru-based lender said it will use the fresh capital to broaden its branch network, enhance its technology infrastructure and scale its secured lending operations. There is also a focus on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in India's underserved Tier II and III cities. Founded with an emphasis on asset-backed lending, Techfino specialises in loans against property (LAP), operating primarily through a branch-led model. The company currently maintains
Economic Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Secured lending NBFC Techfino secures Rs 65 crore funding
Bengaluru-based non-banking finance company Techfino has raised Rs 65 crore in an equity funding round led by Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital, which is the venture arm of Japanese consumer finance major Credit Saison. Founded in 2019, Techfino had raised around Rs 18 crore till now from DCB Bank and others. Techfino was started by three senior bankers, Rajesh Panda, Ratikanta Satpathy and Jayaprakash Patra, who worked with the likes of Standard Chartered Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Bajaj Finance. Techfino started with funding fees for coaching classes and school fees, higher education and upskilling courses. The company has recently started offering loans against property to small business establishments as its second line of product. The plan is to scale up this second line of business in the coming months, tapping into the growing demand for small business company has a book of Rs 225 crore, which it wants to scale up to Rs 350 crore, with Rs 200 crore AUM being built in the LAP portfolio. For the secured loan business, Techfino leverages a branch-led model in states across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. It has 30 branches currently, which the company wants to double by FY26.'We will offer loans in the range of Rs 8 to 12 lakh, typically looking for self-occupied property, catering to the needs of small shopkeepers, traders,' said Ratikanta Satpathy, cofounder, Techfino. From the current base of around 400 employees, Techfino wants to scale up its branch presence and also increase its headcount to around 600 by the end of this year. The firm closed FY25 with a total revenue of Rs 34 crore and a profit before tax of Rs 1.5 crore.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Secured lending NBFC Techfino secures Rs 65 crore funding
Bengaluru-based non-banking finance company Techfino has raised Rs 65 crore in an equity funding round led by Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital , which is the venture arm of Japanese consumer finance major Credit Saison. Founded in 2019, Techfino had raised around Rs 18 crore till now from DCB Bank and others. Techfino was started by three senior bankers, Rajesh Panda, Ratikanta Satpathy and Jayaprakash Patra, who worked with the likes of Standard Chartered Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Bajaj Finance. Techfino started with funding fees for coaching classes and school fees, higher education and upskilling courses. The company has recently started offering loans against property to small business establishments as its second line of product. The plan is to scale up this second line of business in the coming months, tapping into the growing demand for small business loans. The company has a book of Rs 225 crore, which it wants to scale up to Rs 350 crore, with Rs 200 crore AUM being built in the LAP portfolio. For the secured loan business, Techfino leverages a branch-led model in states across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. It has 30 branches currently, which the company wants to double by FY26. 'We will offer loans in the range of Rs 8 to 12 lakh, typically looking for self-occupied property, catering to the needs of small shopkeepers, traders,' said Ratikanta Satpathy, cofounder, Techfino. From the current base of around 400 employees, Techfino wants to scale up its branch presence and also increase its headcount to around 600 by the end of this year. The firm closed FY25 with a total revenue of Rs 34 crore and a profit before tax of Rs 1.5 crore. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories
Business Times
15-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Latin America a potential next market for startups in South-east Asia
[SINGAPORE] Startups in South-east Asia looking for new markets to expand to could find opportunities halfway around the world in Latin America (Latam), market players say. That is because the regions share similarities in demographics, growth potential and regulatory support. Latam's median age is 30.9 years old, similar to South-east Asia's 30.4 years, a report by venture capital firms Saison Capital and Valor Capital showed. This is an important metric, said Looi Qin En, a partner at Saison Capital, which is the corporate venture arm of Japanese financial services provider Credit Saison. 'Thirty years old is not just a young population – it is a young population that is actually employed and has growing disposable incomes,' Looi told The Business Times. Latam also has a growing middle class which is spending more on goods and services, driving demand for everything from housing to technology. Brazil, for instance, has had its spending increase 5.2 times to US$1.6 trillion from US$303 billion, the Saison and Valor report indicated. Besides demographics, both Latam and South-east Asia have strong regulatory support for financial services, smoothing the way for innovation in the sector. For example, there are instant payment systems such as Fast and Secure Transfers in Singapore, PromptPay in Thailand, and Pix in Brazil. Some South-east Asian startups, including data analytics platform Credolab and financial software provider Moneythor, have also noticed the potential and set up shop in Latam. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up Indonesia and Brazil Indonesia and Brazil are the largest economies in South-east Asia and Latam, respectively, and these markets are where the biggest potential lies. They also have the largest populations in their respective regions, with Brazil's 2024 gross domestic product standing at US$2 trillion and Indonesia's at US$1.4 trillion. The average daily time spent online was 553 minutes in Brazil and 462 minutes in Indonesia, based on Saison and Valor's report. Looi noted that despite 'all this innovation', there are still several gaps – 'and a lot of the gaps are the same'. The lack of access to credit, for example, is an issue in both Indonesia and Brazil, priming fintech for growth in these regions. In particular, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as retail customers face difficulties with these countries' credit rating systems. 'Essentially, what that creates is a huge opportunity to go in and solve the same problems using a lot of the same products,' said Looi. However, South-east Asia and Latam are typically not viewed as potential expansion markets for each other, possibly due to an absence of direct flights between the two regions. Still, Saison Capital recognised their similarities, leading the firm to open offices in Brazil and Mexico. Besides hiring local teams, it has set aside US$100 million for investments in each market. Like South-east Asia, Latam is also diverse. For example, while Spanish is the official language in most Latam countries, it is Portuguese in Brazil, and each market also has its nuances. Understanding these differences and thinking regional is essential for startups to find success there, said Bruno Batavia, principal at Valor Capital. 'In terms of addressable markets, they already have to think about regional strategy in Latam – starting, for instance, in Columbia, then Peru, then Argentina. They already have to start their business in different countries,' he said. Both Saison and Valor hope to facilitate more conversations and understanding between the South-east Asian and Latam markets. In particular, Saison Capital 'can act as the bridge... because we are committed to each market in the sense that we are not just tourists – we don't just have a small branch office and two people there', said Looi. As for Latam startups crossing over to South-east Asia, Batavia notes that this is already happening organically, rather than venture capital firms like Valor pushing their portfolio companies to make the leap. Brazilian digital bank Nubank, for instance, last year invested US$150 million into Tyme, leading the latter's Series D funding round, which raised US$250 million. Tyme is a digital bank which operates in the Philippines via kiosks rather than branches to serve its target customers. Its regional expansion plans include offering credit products to MSMEs in Vietnam, and acquiring a bank to start operations in Indonesia. 'Maybe the next frontier could be South-east Asia, because there's a lot of opportunities and similarities,' said Batavia.
