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Halo Investing raises $100 million

Source: Halo

Halo Investing (“Halo”), an award-winning platform for protective investments, announced today that it has raised over US$ 100 million in Series C funding.

The latest fundraising round was led by Owl Capital and included the Mubadala-backed US$ 1 billion fund managed by Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners, in addition to existing investors Allianz Life Ventures and William Blair. Halo, which has raised US$ 120 million to date, will use the proceeds to continue to expand, disrupt, and democratize access to innovative protective investment options that can increase savings and investment returns for individuals.

For the first time, Halo enables financial advisors to add structured notes, annuities, and buffered ETFs to client portfolios, giving investors simplified access and transparency to investments that bridge the risk gap between stocks and bonds. In the past, these investments were only available to high-net-worth individuals. By providing investors with low-cost and effective protective investment options through advanced technology, Halo grew by 550% in 2020, making it one of the world’s top FinTechs according to Fast Company.

“We are building a one-of-a-kind technology platform to level the playing field for investors,” said Biju Kulathakal, Co-Founder & CEO of Halo. “Individuals are living longer and continue to struggle with saving enough for retirement. Our platform provides easy and transparent access to investment solutions that can help solve this savings crisis. The future of investing is outcome-based. We are proud of the impact we are making in helping individuals secure their financial futures.”

Halo plans to invest in new markets, enter into more distribution channels, expand into new asset classes, and further disrupt protective investing. Through its award-winning technology, Halo is lowering investment minimums, increasing access, and making protective investing more efficient, scalable, and transparent for all.

“We are committed to closing the wealth gap by giving individuals access to innovative investments to help them achieve their financial goals.” said Jason Barsema, Co-Founder & President of Halo. “Halo enables investors to target and achieve a level of certainty in their portfolios with the added benefit of downside investment protection. With the support of our latest funders, we are expanding our global footprint and broadening access to all defined-outcome products. We have a radical new vision to change the way the world invests and have very ambitious goals to support everyday investors and their financial advisors.”

Halo has achieved a significant number of milestones over the past 24 months, including onboarding more than 40 global banks and carriers.

“Halo is at the forefront of protective investing, enabling individuals to benefit from investments that haven’t been accessible to the masses - until now,” said Abhinav Tiwari, General Partner, Owl Capital. “We are excited to partner with Biju and Jason to support their explosive growth and vision in making investing more inclusive by democratizing structured notes, one of the last areas of investing that hasn’t been disrupted.”

Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners, one of the investors in Halo’s Series C round, was established in 2019 as a joint venture between Mubadala Investment Company and Falcon Edge Capital to partner with businesses that would benefit from establishing a strategic presence at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). As a result of Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners’ investment, Halo will open an office at ADGM to drive the growth of its international footprint in the protective investing landscape.

James Munce, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners said, “We are proud to partner with Halo and support its international growth from ADGM, which has attracted a strong and growing base of global capital markets companies. Our investment in Halo is another example of our commitment to partnering with businesses that will fundamentally disrupt their respective industries and strive to create more efficient markets.”

“Halo’s independent platform enables advisors to help individuals effectively manage risk and generate guaranteed income in retirement,” said Jasmine Jirele, President and CEO of Allianz Life. “We are pleased to partner with Halo and play a key role in their expansion.”

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