Barclays takes up significant stake in London fintech Marketinvoice | City A.M.
Barclays today announced it has acquired a significant minority stake in London-based fintech Marketinvoice, in a deal that will utilise the startup’s technology to provide £1bn in capital for the UK’s small businesses.
City A.M. understands the deal will also see Barclays lead Marketinvoice’s upcoming series B fundraising round, which is due to close in the next couple of months.
As Europe’s largest online invoice financing platform, Marketinvoice has received over £18m in publicly-disclosed funding to date. It is also backed by early Spotify investor Northzone and private equity group MCI Capital.
Read more: Fintech startup MarketInvoice is getting into small business lending
The new partnership is part of Barclay’s plans to invest in new business models for growth, and is the first of a series of banking deals to come for Marketinvoice.
The proposition will be introduced to Barclays’ clients over the coming months in areas across the UK, with a full roll-out set to commence nationwide in 2019. Barclays also plans to fund invoices via the platform in the future.
The news comes as Santander announced its own fintech partnership this morning, marking its first Open Banking integration with London startup Moneybox.
Read more: Alibaba backer Eight Roads invests £14m into micro-investments app Moneybox