Anyfin, a Swedish startup that offers to refinance consumer loans and credit card debt using a combination of artificial intelligence and a photo of the current statement and repayment terms, has bagged €4.8 million in Series A funding led by Accel and Northzone.
Launched in November 2017, Anyfin's founders Filip Polhem, Mikael Hussain and Sven Perkmann, have extensive experience in consumer finance, assessing credit risk and technology, having previously held leading roles at some of Sweden’s top tech companies, including iZettle, Klarna and Spotify.
The company uses publicly-available consumer data to assess the creditworthiness of customers and promises refinancing of existing loans within seconds upon receipt of a photograph of the existing loan statement, including repayment history.
Consumers can send Anyfin the picture through a channel of their choice, like SMS, email or Facebook Messenger, and the company replies with an option to refinance the loan at a better price. With one tap, the consumer accepts the new option from Anyfin, and the company takes care of settling the existing loan for them.
Mikael Hussain, CEO and co-founder of Anyfin and former head of credit risk at Klarna says: “In the Nordics and across continental Europe, consumers are paying way too much for finance - often in excess of 25% annually on part payments and credit cards, even those with good credit scores. Anyfin makes it as simple as possible to refinance a loan, setting a new standard for fairness and transparency.”
He says the investment will be used to help accelerate Anyfin’s growth in its home territory, which includes building its balance sheet, user acquisition, hiring, product development and partnerships.