新加坡Fintech Nium獲E輪融資5,000萬美元
Singapore Fintech Nium Secures US$50 Million in Series E Financing

海擇短評 Haize Comment：

總部位於新加坡的即時跨境支付公司Nium，近期公告成功募集E輪融資5,000萬美元。本輪融資由未公告具體機構的東南亞主權財富基金領投，投後估值為14億美元，公司預計資金運用在全球擴張與併購活動。

Nium成立於2014年，創始人是Prajit Nanu和Michael Bermingham。Nium的核心業務包括B2B支付、國際匯款、多幣種企業帳戶管理以及支付卡發行服務，商業模式主要基於提供跨境支付和金融服務的基礎設施，通過數位化提高支付效率和降低成本。簡單來說，相對於全球通用、負責資訊傳遞但不直接處理資金轉移的SWIFT，可以理解Nium為既提供支付基礎設施，也處理跨境支付與資金轉移的支付解決方案。曾經投資Nium的主要機構包括Riverwood Capital、Visa、Temasek、GIC與BRI Ventures。

Nium除了國際間的主要競爭對手涵蓋Wise(原TransferWise)、Airwallex、WorldRemit等；即便放在東亞看，估值也排不上前十，中國(螞蟻集團、Pinduoduo Financial)、印尼(GoTo Financial)、印度(Paytm)、韓國(KakaoPay)、越南(Momo、Zalopay)，甚至新加坡(Grab Financial Group)，都有估值更高的競爭對手。差別在於Nium相對沒有中國公司出海可能會有地緣政治挑戰，此外，大集團內部的金融公司，營業範圍一般很廣，可能與Nium在提供跨境支付服務上重疊，但基於ROI的判定，他們的主要客戶群體與主推的產品，可能與Nium不同。

不過，地緣政治的風險也許是Nium的最大機會。從當前全球的投資格局來看，從亞洲看，僅有位處新加坡與印度兩國的敏感科技類(金融科技算是敏感科技)公司，能擁有通吃美中兩大對立集團投資機構資金的能力，至少能延緩選邊站的時間；未來，一旦金磚國家真的出現獨立於SWIFT之外的多邊支付機制，而作為有基礎建設又能直接處理資金轉移的公司，能有更快的躍升機會，這也可以理解為什麼會有複數的主權基金公司願意投資它。

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Singapore-based real-time cross-border payments company Nium recently announced a successful Series E fundraising of $50 million. This round was led by an undisclosed Southeast Asian sovereign wealth fund, bringing the post-funding valuation to $1.4 billion. The company plans to use the funds for global expansion and acquisitions.

Founded in 2014 by Prajit Nanu and Michael Bermingham, Nium's core business includes B2B payments, international remittances, multi-currency corporate account management, and payment card issuance services. Its business model is primarily based on providing infrastructure for cross-border payments and financial services, focusing on improving payment efficiency and reducing costs through digitalization. Unlike SWIFT, which facilitates global information transfer without handling the funds transfer directly, Nium provides both payment infrastructure and handles cross-border payments and fund transfers. Key investors of Nium include Riverwood Capital, Visa, Temasek, GIC, and BRI Ventures.

Nium's primary international competitors include Wise (formerly TransferWise), Airwallex, and WorldRemit. Even in East Asia, it does not rank in the top ten by valuation, with higher-valued competitors in China (Ant Group, Pinduoduo Financial), Indonesia (GoTo Financial), India (Paytm), South Korea (KakaoPay), Vietnam (Momo, Zalopay), and even Singapore (Grab Financial Group). The distinction lies in that Nium does not face the geopolitical challenges that Chinese companies may encounter abroad. Additionally, financial companies within large conglomerates generally have a broad scope of operations that may overlap with Nium's cross-border payment services, but their primary customer base and flagship products likely differ based on ROI considerations. 

However, geopolitical risk could also represent Nium's greatest opportunity. From the current global investment landscape, only technology companies (including fintech) based in Singapore and India have managed to attract investment from both major opposing blocs in the US and China, potentially delaying the need to choose sides. In the future, if the BRICS nations establish a multilateral payment mechanism independent of SWIFT, as a company with the infrastructure and capability to handle direct fund transfers, Nium could have a faster rise. This may explain why multiple sovereign wealth funds are willing to invest in it.

標籤 Label： Singapore  Fintech  Investment  Wise  Airwallex  Geopolitics