Barclays Bank has joined with major US and EU financial institutions in a $26 million funding round for syndicated loan platform Versana.
Existing investors Bank of America, Citi, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo also participated in the round. Launched by founding members JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citi and Credit Suisse in 2022, the new raise follows a further $40 million capital investment by a host Wall Street giants in March last year.
In addition to providing investment capital, Barclays joins as a subscriber and provider of Versana's agented corporate loan data, providing a significant foothold for the vendor in the UK.
"The significance of bringing Barclays in as an investor, subscriber and agent data contributor is a huge win for the global syndicated loan market," says Versana's founding CEO Cynthia E. Sachs. "Their significant commitment, alongside meaningful follow-on investments from our existing investors, validates the market's confidence in our game-changing platform."
Versana digitally captures agent banks' corporate loan data on a real-time basis, providing transparency into global loan level details and lender portfolio positions. The platform currently carries data on over 4,800 corporate loan facilities totaling $2.7 trillion in commitments
Tim Hartzell, global head of portfolio management at Barclays says the bank will lead Versana's entry into the UK and European markets in the coming year,
"We're excited to partner with our industry peers in this much needed initiative and accelerate the long-awaited digital transformation of this important asset class," he says.