Fintech
Lightyear has secured $23 million in Series B funding while reaching $1 billion
in customer assets under management (AUM), the company announced today (Thursday).
The funding round was led by NordicNinja, a European-Japanese venture capital
firm.
$23M Fuels Lightyear
Investment Expansion
The funding
comes as Lightyear expands into Sweden, Denmark, and Bulgaria, bringing its
total market presence to 25 countries across Europe, offering investors access to
ETFs and stocks. The company now operates in 10 languages and has raised $58
million in total funding since its founding five years ago by former Wise
employees Martin Sokk and Mihkel Sillaste.
NordicNinja
led the round alongside Superangel and SpecialistVC, with participation from
existing investors including Lightspeed, Metaplanet, and Skaala. Notable angel
investors in this round include Bolt founder Markus Villig and Wise’s Lars
Trunin.
“This
Series B round is a huge vote of confidence in the untapped potential of
investing in Europe,” CEO Martin Sokk said in a statement. The company
says it reached the $1 billion asset milestone in three years of operation.
Despite its
growth, Lightyear faces significant challenges in converting European savers to
investors. The company acknowledges that its target market remains largely
comprised of savers rather than active investors, though it reports that
customers have collectively gained over $125 million through the platform.
AI Tools Launch Alongside
Funding
The timing
of the funding announcement coincides with Lightyear’s launch of three
AI-powered features designed to help retail investors access market analysis
previously available only to institutional investors. The tools include
“Why Did It Move,” which explains price movements on stock charts,
“Bulls Say/Bears Say” for balanced investment analysis, and
“Lightning Updates” for portfolio-specific market news.
Lightyear’s
platform aims to address what it describes as Europe’s savings problem.
According to the company, EU households hold nearly €11 trillion in cash, while
61% of UK investors with more than £10,000 in investable assets keep
three-quarters of their money in cash rather than investments.
European Expansion
Strategy
Since its
previous funding round in 2022, Lightyear has added several features including
cash and stocks ISAs following
regulatory approval from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, business
investment accounts across 18 countries, and fractional investing for European
stocks and funds. The platform also offers access to BlackRock money market
funds typically requiring €1 million minimum investments, making them available
to users with just €1.
The company
has integrated directly with Nasdaq Baltic to offer stocks from Estonia,
Latvia, and Lithuania, and successfully lobbied for regulatory changes in
Estonia to allow investment firms to offer tax-advantaged accounts.
The new
funding will support further European expansion and deeper localization efforts
as Lightyear works to build what it calls “one investment platform that
works across Europe.”
This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.
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