Helicap raises USD 5 million in strategic funding from two global asset managers as demand for alternative financing soars in Southeast Asia

Helicap, one of the first FinTech private investment platforms specialising in the alternative lending space in Southeast Asia (SEA), has raised USD 5 million in a strategic funding round from two global asset management powerhouses. The round was led by Temasek-backed international alternative asset management group Tikehau Capital, and integrated Asian financial house PhillipCapital, each with over USD 35 billion in Assets Under Management (AUM).

The new capital will enable Helicap as a group to achieve its goal of democratising access to private markets and becoming the dominant digital private investment platform in Southeast Asia. Jean-Baptiste Feat, Global Co-CIO of Tikehau Capital and Grace Tang, Executive Director at Phillip Private Equity, will join Helicap’s advisory team, lending their expertise and network to Helicap’s founders and the broader team.

Helicap group CEO David Z Wang described the new fundraise as a key milestone for his management team and a vote of confidence from institutional asset managers.

Wang said, At Helicap, our vision has always been to provide liquidity to alternative lenders with the mission of enabling financial access for millions of underbanked MSMEs. Over the coming months, we will be expanding our suite of data-driven products and services to establish Helicap as the go-to private financing arranger in SEA. We will continue to democratise access to private investments through a data-driven FinTech investment platform that prioritises risk management.”

Private credit can offer stability and diversification in an inflationary environment

With the global economic landscape expected to face higher and broader inflation in 2022, and public markets witnessing a correction since the beginning of the year, private markets can present a portfolio diversification opportunity for investors. Private debt markets have shown a low correlation to public markets and can provide consistent risk-adjusted returns when robust risk management frameworks are applied. Helicap provides curated access into the private placements space in SEA while financially enabling underbanked individuals and enterprises across the region.

Helicap’s flagship private debt fund recently raised USD 10 million from a regional bank-backed asset management firm, making it the fund’s largest single investor. The asset manager, which has approximately USD 20 billion in AUM, is looking at doubling its commitment to Helicap’s fund product.

“We recognise that risk management is of the utmost importance with every investment we make,” said Quentin Vanoekel, CIO of Helicap Investments and co-founder at Helicap. “With our tried and tested technology, we can make swift yet informed decisions on where to deploy our investments and the terms of these placements. Against the backdrop of challenging global market conditions, the investment from Tikehau Capital and PhillipCapital is a testimony to Helicap’s institutional-grade execution capabilities and a mandate to capture the growth prospects of private investment opportunities in the region.”

On the rationale behind investing in Helicap, Jean-Baptiste Feat of Tikehau Capital said, “As alternative asset management and private credit investment specialists ourselves, we firmly believe in Helicap’s compelling value proposition. Helicap’s philosophy is very much in line with ours, and their data-driven risk management framework is very effective in this regard.” Feat added, “Our primary goal at Tikehau Capital is to create long-term value for our clients and shareholders. This investment in Helicap from our own balance sheet demonstrates our long view for the alternative financing industry in Southeast Asia and our backing of a team that will shape this growing space.”

Grace Tang, Executive Director of Phillip Private Equity, a member company of PhillipCapital Group said, “As alternative financing models emerge, it is essential to identify companies that can deliver financial services to the underbanked in Asia. At Phillip Private Equity, we have been impressed by Helicap's leadership team and their ability to build a successful and resilient business model over the past few years despite the volatility presented by the pandemic.”

Since its founding, Helicap as a group has arranged USD 150 million in volume in over 300 completed deals, working closely with leading alternative lending platforms and presenting investors with positive returns throughout. To achieve this consistent performance, Helicap has developed a proprietary technology that can crunch millions of loan data points to evaluate the creditworthiness of more than 500 digital lenders and businesses across SEA and Oceania.

Adrian Tan, a Singapore-based Director of a global investment bank and an early investor with Helicap said, “As a registered client on the Helicap platform, I am most compelled by the professionalism and rigour of the team – it’s been a great experience.“ He added, “I have real-time access to my investment portfolio, and I have been delighted with the performance of my assets that I have deployed through Helicap, even throughout the pandemic.”