Fintech PR
amber raises USD 21 million funding led by Gaja Capital for Global Expansion
Company to utilise funds for continuation of global expansion
LONDON, Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Leading student accommodation platform amber announced that it has raised USD 21 Mn led by Gaja Capital in its latest funding round. The global accommodation player added that it would use the fresh capital to continue their global expansion and to enhance its offerings for property managers and students.
amber was founded in 2017 by Saurabh Goel and Madhur Gujar. With over 1M+ beds listed on its platform, amber has established itself as a leading player globally in the student accommodation sector across seven countries: UK, US, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Germany, and Spain. The company is committed to simplify the housing process for students globally by providing verified listings, seamless and integrated booking experience and expert assistance. This has led to its rapid and profitable growth.
Saurabh Goel, CEO of amber says, “At amber, we have been deeply obsessed with solving the house-hunting process, starting with students. Having experienced this first-hand, we noticed a significant gap in the customer experience for a need as “fundamental” as housing. In other sectors we have seen technology-led disruption, but surprisingly the house-hunting process remains archaic. In the last few years, our team has leveraged technology and effective execution to scale well beyond PMF, and that too profitably. This round further strengthens our mission to provide an even better experience, expand to newer geographies and unlock growth levers for the next 10x”.
amber is a global student housing solutions company that provides long-term accommodation for students from more than 160 countries with a seamless booking experience in more than 300 cities around the world. amber has become the partner of choice for students, higher education institutions and property managers alike in its markets. More than 1 million students visit amber’s platform monthly on its website and mobile apps. In addition to its student-centric offerings, the company has developed an AI-based dynamic pricing engine and dashboard tools to help property managers streamline operations and maximise revenue.
Gopal Jain, Managing Partner, Gaja Capital says, “amber exemplifies a unique combination of tech-driven scale, high growth, profitability, and capital efficiency that is exceedingly rare in today’s market. Global increase in student enrolments underpinned by a long-term study abroad trend is fuelling the organized student housing market. We are deeply impressed by amber team’s ability to solve a critical pain point for both students and property managers. Saurabh and Madhur have built a truly global business out of India, and we are glad to partner with them as they work towards expansion into newer markets and deepening their offerings for students and property managers.”
Millions of students go for higher education every year across the developed world and spend around half of their non-tuition student expenses on housing. amber’s mission statement is to simplify housing for students by eliminating broker negotiations and streamlining tedious paperwork and payment processes. The company provides an integrated and seamless ‘discovery to transaction journey’ for students with user ratings, reviews, price transparency, virtual property tours and guided end-to-end booking journey through an integrated platform. Additionally, its “amber+” offering streamlines the pre and post-move-in journey, helping students with loans, discounts on flight bookings and guarantor services.
Lighthouse Canton and Stride also participated in the funding. The Rainmaker Group acted as the exclusive financial advisor on this transaction.
About amber
amber is a leading global student housing solutions company and accommodation platform that provides a marketplace for students to book long-term housing. The company is headquartered in Pune, India and has a presence in UK, US, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Canada, Spain and China.
For more information, please visit https://amberstudent.com/
About Gaja Capital
Gaja Capital is India’s leading growth-stage, private equity firm. Gaja Capital invests in technology and technology-enabled companies in high growth sectors such as Education, Software, Financial Services and Consumer. Its recent investments include Signzy, a leading digital banking infrastructure enabler, LeadSquared, India’s leading high velocity sales execution software and Xpressbees, India’s leading e-commerce fulfilment company.
To know more, please visit: https://www.gajacapital.com/
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PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — BitGo, the leading digital asset infrastructure solutions provider since 2013, is pleased to announce that Brett Reeves has been appointed Head of European Sales, a role he takes on in addition to his existing position as Head of Go Network. His new title is Head of Go Network and European Sales.
Brett joined in May 2024 and has since then overseen the expansion of BitGo’s presence in Europe, which includes onboarding new clients and partners and expanding the volume and scope of business across multiple jurisdictions within the European Union and UK.
Brett Reeves, Head of Go Network and European Sales, said:
“Since joining BitGo last year, it has been an intense and rewarding journey. Alongside growing the business our focus has been on obtaining the necessary licenses to achieve MiCA compliance, ensuring we are fully prepared for a comprehensive rollout of our Custody, Wallets, Staking, Trading and Financing services across Europe. With a growing team and increasing demand for secure, well-regulated digital asset solutions, we are highly optimistic about the opportunities 2025 holds for us.”
Brett has twenty years’ experience in the financial services industry having worked at Citibank, Nomura and Standard Chartered Bank. His background includes working within Prime Brokerage and OTC teams within the FX and interest rates markets. Most recently Brett was the Head of Business Development at the Bequant, a regulated digital asset Prime Broker.
About BitGo
BitGo is the leading infrastructure provider of digital asset solutions, offering custody, wallets, staking, trading, financing, and settlement out of regulated cold storage. Founded in 2013, BitGo is the first digital asset company to focus exclusively on serving institutional clients. BitGo is dedicated to advancing a digital financial services economy that is borderless and accessible 24/7. With multiple Trust companies around the world, BitGo is the preferred security and operational backbone for more than 1,500 institutional clients in 50 countries, including many of the world’s top brands, cryptocurrency exchanges, and platforms. BitGo also secures approximately 20% of all on-chain Bitcoin transactions by value and is the largest independent digital asset custodian.
W: https://www.bitgo.uk/
L: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitgo/
X: https://x.com/BitGo
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/bitgo-appoints-brett-reeves-as-head-of-european-sales-complementing-his-go-network-role-302350962.html
SINGAPORE, Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Markel, the insurance operations within Markel Group Inc. (NYSE: MKL), today announced that Wanshi Lin has been appointed as the Head of Singapore, effective immediately.
In this newly created position, Lin will oversee the company’s underwriting team in Singapore and spearhead business planning and market engagement on the company’s Lloyd’s Singapore platform. The establishment of a new leadership role in Singapore is demonstrative of Markel’s ongoing commitment to expanding its Asia Pacific operations and underwriting capabilities.
Lin will report to Christian Stobbs, Managing Director – Asia Pacific, in her new capacity.
Stobbs commented: “I’m thrilled about the energy and innovative ideas Wanshi will bring to this pivotal role. Singapore is our largest marketplace in the region for specialty products, and I’m confident that, under her leadership, we’ll further enhance our relationships with brokers and clients while building on the strong momentum achieved in recent years.”
Kevin Leung, Chief Underwriting Officer – Asia Pacific, adds: “It’s a delight to see Wanshi progress to take on this role. Her extensive experience, strategic insight and understanding of the Singapore market will be instrumental in strengthening our commitment to providing underwriting excellence to this important regional hub.”
Lin joined Markel in 2018 as an Assistant Underwriter – Marine, and since 2023 has been Senior Underwriter – Marine. Prior to Markel, Lin was Assistant Vice President at Marsh Singapore.
About Markel
We are Markel, a leading global specialty insurer with a truly people-first approach. As the insurance operations within Markel Group Inc. (NYSE: MKL), we operate the Markel Specialty, Markel International, and Markel Global Reinsurance divisions, as well as State National, our portfolio protection and program services operations, and Nephila, our insurance-linked securities operations. Our broad array of capabilities and expertise allow us to create intelligent solutions for the most complex risk management needs. However, it is our people – and the deep, valued relationships they develop with colleagues, brokers and clients – that differentiates us worldwide.
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Fintech PR
FinVolution’s SVP Ming Gu speaks at Asian Financial Forum, highlighting opportunities in CreditTech for Southeast Asia’s underserved
HONG KONG, Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — FinVolution Group (NYSE: FINV), a leading fintech service provider in the pan-Asian region, reaffirmed its commitment yesterday to advancing financial inclusion through cutting-edge credit technology and strategic partnerships at the Asian Financial Forum 2025 in Hong Kong.
Dr. Ming Gu, Senior Vice President of FinVolution Group, shared his insights on how fintech innovation is transforming access to credit for underserved populations in Southeast Asia.
“Fintech is creating new pathways for underserved populations to access credit and financial support, empowering them to invest in their futures,” he said at a thematic workshop on the future of fintech in Southeast Asia.
Driving financial inclusion through innovation
Gu emphasized FinVolution’s mission to bridge the gap between financial institutions and underserved communities by leveraging advanced credit technology.
The company has built its business around serving young workers and small business owners from grassroots backgrounds, whose financial needs are often overlooked by traditional banks and other financial institutions.
Through user-friendly digital lending platforms and collaborations with local partners, FinVolution has supported over 6 million borrowers and facilitated loans exceeding US$3 billion in its markets outside China as of Q3 2024.
FinVolution’s AI-powered tools enable financial institutions to better assess creditworthiness, particularly for those without traditional credit histories, Gu explained.
Opportunities and challenges in Southeast Asia’s market
Gu highlighted Southeast Asia’s potential as a key growth market for fintech, driven by its young population, e-commerce growth, and credit-driven consumption habits.
“Very few regions in this world can meet all these criteria,” he said, highlighting the underpinnings of Southeast Asia’s ascent as a fintech powerhouse. “Digital lending always goes hand in hand with the growth of e-commerce.”
“The number one factor driving financial inclusion and literacy is GDP per capita,” Gu said. “Fintech and other technologies serve as a tool to facilitate this process, but it is GDP per capita that remains the cornerstone of development.”
For instance, Indonesia’s ambitious Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision aims to accelerate the nation’s economic growth by at least 5% annually over the next two decades.
This initiative reflects the nation’s commitment to fostering financial inclusion and leveraging technology as a catalyst for sustainable progress.
“Indonesia is the place to watch over the next five to 10 years,” Gu added. “We are very bullish on Southeast Asia.”
Symbiotic relationship with regulators and financial partners
Despite these opportunities, challenges such as the lack of credit histories and increasing fraud risks persist, threatening the future of fintech in this region.
FinVolution combats these issues with advanced proprietary risk management systems and fraud prevention technologies.
Gu stressed the collaboration with regulators and financial institutions in creating a robust and inclusive financial ecosystem.
FinVolution itself adheres to stringent regulatory standards, securing necessary licenses and aligning with local laws. This endeavor coincides with steady improvements to Southeast Asia’s regulatory stringency in recent years, which are credited for creating an environment conducive to fintech innovation.
“I believe a symbiotic relationship between regulators and fintechs like us is crucial to Southeast Asia’s rise as a key global fintech hub,” Gu noted.
With over 100 financial institution partners, including digital banks and consumer finance companies, FinVolution provides end-to-end credit tech solutions that streamline processes and expand outreach.
FinVolution Group remains dedicated to driving financial inclusion and innovation in Southeast Asia. With a focus on technology and collaboration, the company aims to empower individuals and communities while fostering a thriving fintech ecosystem in the region.
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