DBT, a Swedish online lender serving SMEs, has raised a SEK 3.1 billion (~$285 million) debt facility from UK-based NatWest and Värde Partners, according to a company statement. Värde Partners is a US-based investment firm and currently manages $2 billion of financial services debt and equity investments.
DBT states that the funding will enable it to continue to cater to the strong demand for corporate loans. DBT reports that demand has increased in due to the European energy crisis and the rise in inflation.
Alexis Kopylov, CEO and co-founder of DBT, said the funding arrives at a key time to support SMEs as there is a growing demand for long-term financing due to the economic challenges.
Since its launch in 2017, DBT has been able to take advantage of its “credit intelligence technology platform,” which utilizes real-time client data to enable scalable funding with a faster turnaround to borrowers. DBT reports that it has lent more than SEK 2 billion in the past six years.
Olmo Montesanti, co-Head of Private Financing Sales Europe at NatWest Markets N.V., noted that access to credit is key to success for SMEs:
“Our backing of DBT represents a further step towards our commitment to remove barriers to enterprises and allow them to grow. DBT shares our commitment to serve the growing SME market and we are pleased to further support DBT’s ambition and work with them.”
Fintech lenders are going through a period of extraordinary growth, said Olmo Montesanti, Partner and Global Head of Financial Services at Värde Partners.
“Borrowers, both commercial and consumer, are increasingly demanding more tailored forms of capital to fund their growth and purchases. We believe this has created a substantial asset-based lending opportunity for us that is set to grow materially over the next five years.”