Lunar takes a giant leap in rolling out digital-first banking in the nordics: Raises EUR 210 million series d.

The investment round, which is the biggest of its kind from a Nordic challenger bank, was led by HEARTLAND alongside Kinnevik and Tencent. The new funding will fast track the rollout of its consumer-centric digital first financial offering in all Nordic countries.

Lunar, the leading Nordic challenger bank, announces a EUR 210 million series D funding round led by family-owned investment company HEARTLAND. Other investors included Kinnevik, one of Europe’s leading growth investors, and Tencent, a leading China-based technology company.

Lunar is the only cloud-based digital banking platform to have been granted a banking license in the Nordics and is among Europe’s fastest-growing banks.

The new investment was secured following a rapid acceleration in growth from both private and business customers. Lunar now serves more than 850,000 customers across the Nordics.

In the last year, Lunar’s total customer base grew by more than 90% and the bank received applications from more than half of newly established Danish SMEs in 2021. During the last month Lunar has further added EUR 130 million in deposits.

The capital from the Series D funding round will enable Lunar to further invest in its Nordic expansion, especially to accelerate its strong momentum and grow its business offering as well as anticipated M&A.

Lunar is building a complete financial services offering for its Nordic customer base. In April 2021, Lunar acquired Swedish consumer lending and peer-to-peer savings platform Lendify to strengthen its position across Nordic markets and expand its capabilities in lending.

Ken Villum Klausen, founder and CEO of Lunar, said:

"We are at a true crossroads in the Nordics. Both private and business customers expect a more convenient, empathic and engaging alternative to traditional banks, lenders and payment service providers.

We are beyond excited to welcome investors with such valuable experience to join our next stage of growth. It’s a massive step for both Lunar and Nordic banking customers. The investment underpins Lunar’s long term vision of building a digital-first financial ecosystem for both private consumers and businesses."

Lise Kaae, CEO of HEARTLAND, said:

"HEARTLAND is pleased to be welcomed as an investor in Lunar. The investment builds on our strategy of backing best-in-class businesses and management teams. We look forward to supporting the team in developing next generation digital-first financial services in the Nordics and beyond."

Andreas Bernström, Senior Investment Director at Kinnevik, said:

"Kinnevik has always backed digital businesses that challenge the incumbents. We are hence very excited to add Lunar to our portfolio - a tech company at heart with a bold mindset focused on reimagining the everyday banking experience for the Nordic consumers and SMEs."

The round diversifies Lunar’s slate of shareholders to include some of the world’s most notable investors in the financial technology space. Alongside the lead investors, IDC Ventures, Fuel Ventures, MW&L Capital Partners and Peter Mühlmann, the Founder and CEO of Trustpilot, also invested. They will join current investors such as SEED Capital, Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker, Socii Capital and Greyhound Capital.

Stifel KBW acted as exclusive financial advisor and placement agent to Lunar. MW&L Capital Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to HEARTLAND.

About Lunar:

Lunar is a Nordic digital challenger bank founded in 2015 in Denmark with operations in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, serving more than 325,000 users on its platform. In total, Lunar has raised more than EUR 300 million in equity funding and received a European banking license in 2019.

About HEARTLAND:

HEARTLAND is a family-owned investment company that strives to make a positive contribution to the world we live in through good and responsible corporate citizenship.

The HEARTLAND team honours its entrepreneurial background and invests in areas such as fashion, technology, sustainability, growth and innovative businesses, renewables, nature conservation and properties.

About Kinnevik:

Kinnevik’s ambition is to be Europe’s leading listed growth investor, and we back the best digital companies to make people’ lives better and deliver significant returns. We understand complex and fast-changing consumer behaviours, and have a strong and expanding portfolio in healthtech, consumer services, foodtech and fintech. As a long-term investor, we strongly believe that investing in sustainable business models and diverse teams will bring the greatest returns for shareholders. We back our companies at every stage of their journey and invest in Europe, with a focus on the Nordics, and in the US. Kinnevik was founded in 1936 by the Stenbeck, Klingspor and von Horn families. Kinnevik’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm’s list for large cap companies under the ticker codes KINV A and KINV B.

About Tencent:

Tencent uses technology to enrich the lives of Internet users. Our communication and social services, Weixin and QQ, connect users with each other and with digital content and services, both online and offline, making their lives more convenient. Our targeted advertising service helps advertisers reach out to hundreds of millions of consumers in China. Our FinTech and business services support our partners’ business growth and assist their digital upgrade.

Tencent invests heavily in talent and technological innovation, actively promoting the development of the Internet industry. Tencent was founded in Shenzhen, China, in 1998.

Shares of Tencent (00700.HK) are listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. For more information about Tencent, please visit www.tencent.com .