Pomp Joins Figure’s Board as Firm Completes $103M Funding Round

Published at: Dec. 5, 2019

California-based fintech company Figure Technologies has completed its $103 million funding round led by cryptocurrency asset manager Morgan Creek Digital. In conjunction with closing the Series C round, the blockchain-focused firm announced that Morgan Creek co-founder Anthony Pompliano had joined Figure’s board, according to a press release on Dec. 5.

The news comes three days after Figure secured $58 million of the planned $103 million, according to its filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

According to the new announcement, Figure Technologies’ total funding now exceeds $225 million, while its valuation amounts to $1.2 billion.

MUFG’s VC arm joins funding

The new Series C funding was reportedly joined by MUFG Innovation Partners, a fully-owned VC subsidiary of Japan’s bank holding MUFG. Other investors included DCM, Digital Currency Group, HCM Capital, Ribbit Capital, RPM Ventures, and The Partners at DST Global, among others, the press release notes.

Mike Cagney, co-founder and CEO of Figure, noted that the new investment will provide the firm with the necessary resources to continue applying blockchain technology in lending, borrowing and investing services within the financial industry both in the U.S. and abroad.

Apart from his position at Figure, Cagney is also the founder and former CEO at major fintech firm SoFi, which recently launched zero-fee crypto trading on its SoFi Invest platform.

Pompliano: “Every stock, bond, currency, and commodity will eventually be digitized”

Morgan Creek’s Pompliano stressed that Figure’s efforts to reinvent finance and lending markets comes in line with core investment concept that “every stock, bond, currency, and commodity will eventually be digitized.” He said:

“Leveraging blockchain technology to drive speed, efficiency, and cost savings to lending, Figure is focused on driving out waste and dead time inherent to the lending process.”

As such, one of Figure’s flagship products is Figure Home Equity Line, a fixed-rate line of credit that enables fast approvals and funding. Specifically, the tool reportedly allows users to get approval in as little as five minutes and funding in five days, eliminating 45-day process usually required by lenders to borrow against the equity in their homes.

Backed by multi-billion dollar U.S. asset manager Morgan Creek Capital Management, Morgan Creek Digital is a major crypto investment firm focused on institutional customers. In October 2019, the firm raised more than $61 million for a blockchain fund to explore opportunities using distributed ledgers.

Tags
Related Posts
How a DAO for a bank or financial institution will look like
Global banking network as a DAO Imagining a DAO-based global banking network may seem far-fetched at the moment, but not impossible. If blockchain technology is widely adopted within the financial industry, it is not hard to imagine a future in which banks are run as DAOs. In such a scenario, bank management would be decentralized, with power vested in the hands of the network’s members. Furthermore, the adoption of DAOs will likely result in a more equitable distribution of power within banks and financial institutions. It could lead to a more democratic form of governance, one that can better meet …
Decentralization / June 19, 2022
Cryptocurrency Lender Dharma to Postpone Accepting New Deposits and Loans
San Francisco-based crypto lender Dharma has decided to pause new deposits and loans on its platform. Dharma announced their decision in a series of official Twitter posts on Aug. 7. Their second tweet in the series reads: “For now, we're pausing new deposits and loans in Dharma. If you have an existing deposit or loan with Dharma, you'll still be able to access your account and will have the option to withdraw any funds that are not currently locked up.” While not appearing to offer any further details, Dharma assured the public in the rest of their posts that they …
Blockchain / Aug. 7, 2019
Startup Finturi Raises $2.2 Million for Its Blockchain-Based Invoice Finance Platform
Dutch blockchain startup Finturi has secured 2 million euro ($2.2 million) to enable businesses to secure loans against invoices via blockchain tech, the company tweeted on March 12. Founded in September 2018, Finturi aims to help businesses finance invoices by linking them with financiers to borrow money against invoices, using blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), according to a report by startup-focused publication EU-Startups.com on March 11. Finturi has reportedly raised its first investment via an angel round led by NetSam Participaties BV, which evidently participated in an investment round for the first time, according to Crunchbase. Finturi’s blockchain-based invoice finance …
Adoption / March 12, 2019
Instant Crypto Credit Line Provider Says It Processed $300 Million in Seven Months
A crypto lender offering instant loans in more than 45 fiat currencies says it has amassed more than 170,000 users — with $300 million processed over a seven-month period. Nexo enables consumers to deposit their crypto assets into a secure wallet and instantly access a flexible credit line via automated approval and without the need for credit checks. They can then spend this credit by card or withdraw it to a bank account with a same-day or next-day transfer without incurring hidden fees or foreign exchange commissions. The platform says its interest rates, which are deducted directly from a user’s …
Blockchain / March 4, 2019
Blockchain Lending Firm Dharma Raises $7 Million From Coinbase Ventures, Others
San Francisco-based blockchain lending firm Dharma Labs has raised $7 million from big investors including Coinbase Ventures, as the company confirmed to Cointelegraph on Feb. 5. According to crypto news outlet The Block Crypto, Dharma Labs is planning to use the raised capital mostly for its Lever product, a platform providing instant margin loans for cryptocurrency traders and high-volume investors. Max Bronstein, head of the Dharma Labs marketing team, reportedly claimed that Lever represents a decentralized smart contract alternative to Genesis Global Trading. Genesis, a Bitcoin (BTC) over-the-counter (OTC) trading firm that was the first New York-based to acquire a …
Adoption / Feb. 5, 2019