Younited raises $170 million to become a leading European credit and payment platform

A leading European fintech in the personal lending sector, Younited aims to make daily life easier for consumers and businesses seeking personal financings and extended payment solutions.

In 2018, Younited already successfully carried out the second largest fundraising on the French fintech market. Taking into account today’s new equity round, Younited has now raised a combined total of $400 million from its shareholders.

100% tech and client focussed, Younited’s credit model has proven its worth

Younited was created from a desire to improve the credit experience, which is still too often opaque and misleading.

Younited, a French #Next40 company1, is present in five countries covering a market of more than 265 million European consumers, and has originated in excess of €2.6 billion euros of loans since its launch in 2012.

With this new equity financing round, Younited underscores its ambition to continue to simplify what otherwise remains an over-complicated credit and payment experience.

Younited’s cloud-only SaaS platform enables full use of open banking data, made accessible thanks to the EU PSD 2 directive.2

1 An initiative by the French government to support the country’s most promising scale-ups.

2 Payment services (PSD 2) – Directive (EU) 2015/2366 (more information here).

As a truly “data-driven” business, Younited has developed cutting-edge technology to provide a responsible, seamless proposition for customers. With constant improvements to its already leading client experience, the platform provides transparent, instant response to financing requests.

Launched in 2018, Younited dedicated solutions for B2B clients are ideally suited to businesses (banks, insurance companies, telcos, e-merchants, tech companies, etc.) seeking to offer their clients a 100%- digital personal loans or extended payment solutions. Younited already counts more than 30 leading financial institutions, insurers and corporates as customers, including Orange Bank, N26, Wizink, Admiral-Conte, HSBC France, Fortuneo, Lydia, as well as major e-commerce and tech companies. As of 2021, B2B solutions already represent c. 30% of Younited’s net banking income.

A fully EU-authorized and regulated credit institution – the only player having obtained full credit institution status in France in the last twenty years enabling it to serve retail consumers – Younited is the only player on the European market to now offer seamless API integration covering short and long loan maturities alike. Financing and payment products offered are fully compliant with European banking regulations making them easy to deploy across the EU.

“This new – significant – equity round will allow us to invest heavily towards a more disruptive technology and data-driven product for the benefit of our clients and partners as we accelerate innovation. More specifically, we are delighted to welcome Goldman Sachs and Bridgepoint, two renowned shareholders who, thanks to their deep financial and tech expertise, and alongside our historical shareholders, will help us to grow Younited into a global technological leader in the lending and payment sector.” said Charles Egly, co-founder and CEO of Younited.

$170 million to achieve three strategic objectives

Funds raised will be used to consolidate Younited’s presence on the European market, in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany, the latter four countries already representing 40% of Younited’s revenues (net banking income).

Younited is industrialising its B2B offering, to win new markets and increase its partner network. In particular, Younited will launch its Younited Pay solution in the second half of 2021. This exclusive payment method allows e-businesses and physical distributors to provide an extended payment product, spread over three to 48 months, to their clients. This solution is already available in France on selected merchant sites including Free, Micromania, LDLC; and in Italy with the main Apple distributors, providing financing to several hundred thousand transactions. Younited Pay will be available both on- line and at physical points of sale, where it has shown exceptional penetration (over 50% of Younited Pay payments made since January 2021 have been done at physical points of sale).

These ambitious developments will need fresh talents. Younited, which currently employs 440 staff in Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Munich, plans to recruit an additional 200 employees by the end of 2022.

Finally, Younited is aiming to boost product innovation based on data and artificial intelligence and accelerate the development of new personal finance tools.

“On behalf of the Supervisory Board, I am delighted to welcome among us Bridgepoint and Goldman Sachs as part of Younited’s most important capital increase. We are fully committed alongside Charles Egly, Geoffroy Guigou and their teams to support the next, most ambitious stage, in Younited’s development on international markets. As a model European fintech, Younited holds all the cardsneeded to become a global leader in the lending and payment sector.” said Gilles Grapinet, chair of the Younited supervisory board, and chairman and CEO of Worldline.

“With this new funding round, Younited is strengthening its leadership position in Europe. We are very proud to support this great Next40 company, as it accelerates and improves the process of simplifying credit and payment, which are two prime economic challenges.” said Yann du Rusquec, Partner, Eurazeo.

“The recent strengthening of operational partnerships between Bpifrance and Younited reflects the trust we place in both the excellence of their teams and the strength & agility of their cutting-edge tech solutions. We are proud to support Younited in this fundraising, alongside investors whose stature bears witness to the company’s maturity, ambitions, and potential.” said Arnaud Caudoux, member of Younited supervisory board and deputy CEO of Bpifrance.

“We embrace Younited’s mission to help consumers and enterprises access much simpler, faster and transparent financing solutions, powered by technology, to realize their projects. We have been impressed by the talent of their management team, the quality of their tech architecture, and the strength of their client-centric culture. We are excited to support Charles, Geoffroy, and their team to bring their innovative solutions to the next level across Europe.” comments Alexandre Flavier, Executive Director in the Growth Equity team within Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

“Younited has exceptional technological resources, coupled with visionary leadership. Younited’s DNA is fully in step with Bridgepoint’s sectorial expertise in financial services and technologies and its strategy of supporting the best technological entrepreneurs on their markets. We are very happy to support its strong ambitions for growth.” said Carl de Vergie, Director, Bridgepoint.

“As an historical partner since 2012, AG2R LA MONDIALE is delighted to accompany Younited further, now a #Next40 company, on their journey to make lending and payment simpler and safer.” said Cyrille Roustang, Head of Private Equity investments at AG2R LA MONDIALE.