Fintech startup Affirm's IPO filing shows revenue surge amid lending boom

[BENGALURU] Lending startup Affirm Holdings disclosed its application for an initial public offering (IPO) on Wednesday, lining up with other high-profile Silicon Valley firms such as DoorDash and Airbnb to float their shares by the end of the year.

The company, founded by PayPal Holdings co-founder Max Levchin, revealed that revenue for the three months ended Sept 30 nearly doubled to about US$174 million from a year earlier. Net loss narrowed to US$15.3 million, from US$30.8 million.

Consumer-facing fintechs have seen a boost to their business during the Covid-19 pandemic, as people have been staying at home to avoid catching the virus and have increasingly been managing their finances online.

Mr Levchin started Affirm in 2012 to give consumers without credit history or savings accounts access to small loans. The startup offers financing for online purchases such as a couch or guitar, that can be paid back in monthly installments.

The San Francisco-based company had confidentially filed for an IPO in October and will list on the Nasdaq under the symbol AFRM. It filed for an IPO of up to US$100 million, but that is a placeholder amount and is expected to change.

Its major investors include Peter Thiel's venture firm Founders Fund, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, Scottish asset manager Baillie Gifford, venture capital firm Spark Capital and Fidelity Management and Research Company LLC.

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In April 2019, Affirm raised US$300 million in a funding round that was led by Thrive Capital and included actor Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary's Sound Ventures.

The round valued Affirm at nearly US$3 billion, but the IPO could value it at more than double that figure, people familiar with the matter have said.

Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Allen & Company are the lead underwriters for the offering.

REUTERS