ABN AMRO Bank N : Digital Impact Fund increases stake in CrossLend

ABN AMRO's Digital Impact Fund (DIF) has increased its stake in CrossLend, the Berlin-based digital cross-border debt marketplace. Following its first investment in September 2018, ABN AMRO DIF again participated in the latest funding round led by Santander InnoVentures together with existing shareholders Lakestar and Earlybird.

CrossLend was founded in 2014 and is on a mission, with a team of investment bankers and technology experts, to make Europe's lending and investment ecosystem more efficient, transparent and profitable.

CrossLend's digital debt marketplace combines transparent and normalised data with a securitisation-based settlement technology for debt across different asset classes. Adaptation to multiple-use cases like active balance-sheet management, capital-light lending and internal asset mobilisation unlock European financing streams by connecting originator supply with institutional investor demand on a cross-border basis. Banks are empowered to lend more, and investors are able to deploy capital more efficiently, improving liquidity across Europe's economy.

Hugo Bongers, Director of ABN AMRO DIF: 'CrossLend is the most mature company in its space and we believe they have the opportunity to become an industry standard for capital markets in Europe and potentially elsewhere as they eye further international expansion. Their solution seamlessly fits the broader strategic theme 'originate to distribute', which is very relevant within financial services and capital markets. With Santander InnoVentures on board, we hope to grow the company even faster.'

ABN AMRO DIF is the bank's corporate venture fund, making strategic investments in innovative companies specialised in digitising financial products and services. The EUR 50 million fund has interests in Trifacta, Thetaray, Tealium, Tink, BehavioSec, solarisBank, Ockto and CrossLend, and previously invested in Cloud Lending Solutions (exit in 2018).