Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Digital bank Chime quadruples valuation in less than a year to $5.8 billion as it takes on megabanks

Digital bank Chime quadruples valuation in less than a year to $5.8 billion as it takes on megabanks

Chime, valued at $1.5 billion in March, is now pegged at $5.8 billion just nine months later, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The leading U.S. digital bank raised a record $500 million in a Series E, showing that massive funding rounds are still available for some start-ups.

Chime will use the money to build on its torrid growth, including doubling the company’s headcount by 2020 and potentially acquiring competitors, the people said.

A war is brewing in digital banking, and one leading player just loaded up on ammunition.

Chime, the largest of a new breed of branchless U.S. banks, raised $500 million in a series E round it closed recently valuing the company at $5.8 billion, according to people with knowledge of the situation. That is a remarkable increase from its last round nine months ago, when it raised $200 million at a $1.5 billion valuation.

The move shows that for select start-ups, massive amounts of cash are still readily available, even after investors have grown skittish after Uber and WeWork exposed excesses in private funding markets. The $500 million it raised, led by DST Global, is the biggest single equity investment for a so-called challenger bank, eclipsing the $400 million garnered by Brazilian firm NuBank, according to CB Insights.

Chime CEO Chris Britt plans on using the funds to develop new products and double his employee count by the end of 2020, including a new Chicago office, according to one of the people, who declined to be identified speaking about the bank’s strategy. It will also weigh acquisitions of other fintech firms, this person said.

The San Francisco-based start-up is gearing up for growth just as competition is set to intensify. Apart from other U.S. challenger banks like Varo and Current, seemingly every consumer fintech firm has added a bank account in the past year. On top of that, tech giants including Google and Uber have indicated plans to join the fray, and successful overseas digital banks like Monzo and N26 are coming to the U.S. as well.

But Chime appears to have struck on a winning formula: It targets the disaffected customers of traditional banks with no-fee accounts, free overdrafts and early direct deposits on paychecks. That’s led to torrid growth, going from 1 million accounts last year to about 6.5 million this month.

Still, in the wake of the WeWork debacle, there is greater skepticism of money-burning start-ups with stratospheric valuations, and Chime will have to prove that it can maintain growth with an eye towards profitability. In recent months, funding rounds in Silicon Valley are taking longer to close, and in the case of digital bank Aspiration have stalled, as CNBC reported last month.


20X revenue


Digital banks, which typically rely on a network of fintech providers and FDIC-backed institutions, will also have to show that their systems are robust enough to handle customers’ demands. Chime suffered a service outage in October that led to a surge in customer complaints.

The bank will generate an estimated $300 million in revenue this year, largely from swipe fees on debit cards, meaning its valuation is roughly 20 times revenue, a commonly-used metric for start-ups. Insiders claim that Chime has relatively attractive unit economics – meaning the revenue generated by each customer ultimately exceeds the cost to acquire them – and a reasonable path to profitability. Chime reaches break even on a typical customer in under a year, according to the people.

A key to Chime’s success so far is that users (most of whom are younger and on a tight budget) have to sign up for direct deposit to unlock features like early delivery of paychecks, and that makes it a core part of customers’ financial lives.

The bank is adding roughly 150,000 direct deposit users a month, according to the people with knowledge of the matter. Chime also recently added Mark Troughton, the ex-president of home security start-up Ring that was acquired by Amazon, as chief business officer. Axios reported in October that Chime was in talks to raise money.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×