TheĀ European Banking Authority (EBA)Ā said that banks may not rank as high-risk investments the resources they pour in those private equity and venture capital funds with which they want to establish a strategic business relation (see here aĀ previous post by BeBeez). EBA also said that bank financing to SMEs will not be a high-risk activity for banks.
BrunoĀ BagnuloĀ andĀ Antonio ClementeĀ are developing fintechĀ platformĀ HUB 5, a lending firm with a focus on the assignment of one-fifth of the salary, a special kind of consumer loan activity in Italy, together with industry peerĀ IFE, in whichĀ Carlo Alberto MondiniĀ holds a controlling stake (see here aĀ previous post by BeBeez).Ā HUB 5 platform, operated by Near Solutions, owned by Bagnuolo, Clement and Claudia NicoloĀ (a manger at IFE) and by IFE’s holding Pumo, will start its activity on 1 February.
H-Farm, the Aim-listed innovation platform, sold its remaining stake inĀ Depop, a mobile marketplace for fashion and apparels thatĀ Simon BeckermanĀ developed in 2011 (see here aĀ previous post by BeBeez). In January 2018, H-Farm sold part of its interest in Depop as the company launched a capital increase of 20 million of US Dollars thatĀ Octopus VenturesĀ subscribed together with fundsĀ Balderton, Creandum, HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, Red Circle Investments, andĀ Lumar. US venture capitalĀ TempoCapĀ acquired a stake in Depop from the targetās shareholders and H-Farm sold part of its holding in the company and achieved a 5X cash return on its initial investment. After having sold its remaining stake in Depop, H-Farm cashed in di 2.59 million euros and a capital gain of 2.5 million. Such sale meant to H-Farm a 6X return on its initial investment for total proceeds of 4.57 million and a capital gain of 3.78 million. Depop has its headquarter in London, and branches in Milan, New York, and Los Angeles.
Portobello, an Aim-listed media & advertising, subscribed the Series A fundraising ofĀ ClubDeal, the owner ofĀ ClubDealOnline.com, an equity crowdfunding platform for High Net Worth Individual (HNWI), thatĀ Ā Antonio ChiarelloĀ founded (see here aĀ previous post by BeBeez).Ā Pietro PeligraĀ founded Portobello in 2016.Ā Further to Portobello, ClubDealOnline belongs to Chiarello, London based Italian startup acceleratorĀ i-Starter, and toĀ Simone Cimminelli, the managing director of i-Starter, that is in charge of the selection of the SMEs and startups for ClubDealOnline, whose chairman isĀ Roberto Ferrari, the former coo ofĀ CheBanca!Ā (part ofĀ Mediobanca) and chief digital and innovation officer of Mediobanca.
