UniCredit has acquired a minority stake in VC Trade, a Frankfurt-based fintech platform for debt transactions.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
The deal gives UniCredit the option to increase its shareholding over time.
It is also meant to support VC Trade’s growth and strengthen UniCredit’s own digital debt-financing business in Europe.
VC Trade was founded in 2016. It provides digital infrastructure for the full lifecycle of debt transactions, including syndicated loans and Schuldscheine.
The platform connects banks, issuers and institutional investors across Europe.
According to the company, it ranks among the more active platforms in Germany’s Schuldschein market by volume and number of transactions.
“The challenge facing European capital markets is not a shortage of capital. It is the cost of connecting capital with the companies and projects that can put it to productive use, particularly in the mid-market and SME segments,”
said Sam Kendall, Head of Advisory & Financing Solutions at UniCredit.
“UniCredit’s investment is an important milestone for VC Trade. We share a common vision for the future of debt markets, one built on end-to-end digitalisation, connectivity and artificial intelligence supporting all involved transaction partners,”
said Stefan Fromme, CEO of VC Trade.
The investment follows other recent moves into digital finance. These include a 16% stake in blockchain-financing specialist BlockInvest, the launch of AI-powered SME matching platform DealSync, and a tokenised minibond issued in Italy.
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by magnific
