2026-03-31
9fin Raises $170M Series C at $1.3B Valuation to Scale AI Debt Intelligence
London-based 9fin raises $170M Series C led by HarbourVest at a $1.3B valuation, becoming the latest UK fintech unicorn.
The Round
| Company | 9fin |
| HQ | London, United Kingdom |
| Amount | $170M |
| Round | Series C |
| Date | 31 March 2026 |
| Valuation | $1.3B |
| Total Raised | $250M+ |
What They Do
9fin provides an AI-native intelligence platform for global debt markets. Credit professionals at banks, asset managers, hedge funds, and law firms use it to source deals, analyze risk, and monitor leveraged finance, private credit, and distressed debt positions. The platform combines structured data, document extraction, and AI-powered workflows into a single interface for the $145 trillion global debt market.
Founded in 2016 by former J.P. Morgan banker Steven Hunter and Deutsche Bank engineer Hussam EL-Sheikh, the company has posted multiple consecutive years of 100% ARR growth. More than 300 institutions rely on 9fin as their core credit platform.
Investors
This Round
| Investor | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HarbourVest | United States | Lead |
| CPP Investments | Canada | New investor, also a 9fin client |
| British Business Bank | United Kingdom | $20M commitment |
| Highland Europe | United Kingdom | Returning |
| Spark Capital | United States | Returning |
| Redalpine | Switzerland | Returning |
| Seedcamp | United Kingdom | Returning |
Previous Funding
| Investor | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Highland Europe | United Kingdom | Led Series B ($50M, Dec 2024) |
| Spark Capital | United States | Series A, Series B |
| Redalpine | Switzerland | Seed onwards |
| Seedcamp | United Kingdom | Pre-seed investor (2017) |
| 500 Global | United States | Seed (2017) |
Cap Table (Known)
| Investor | Round(s) | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| HarbourVest | Series C | United States |
| CPP Investments | Series C | Canada |
| British Business Bank | Series C | United Kingdom |
| Highland Europe | Series B, Series C | United Kingdom |
| Spark Capital | Series A, Series B, Series C | United States |
| Redalpine | Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C | Switzerland |
| Seedcamp | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C | United Kingdom |
| 500 Global | Seed | United States |
Total disclosed funding: $250M+ across five rounds.
Use of Funds
The capital goes toward three priorities: embedding AI deeper into client workflows for automated credit analysis, expanding the proprietary dataset across new asset classes and geographies, and accelerating US market growth where the company is already growing faster than in Europe.
Market Context
The debt intelligence market has been dominated by Octus (formerly Reorg Research), which was acquired by Permira for $1.3B in 2022. 9fin now matches that valuation as a public-market alternative, competing on AI-native architecture versus Octus's editorial-heavy model. Debtwire and traditional terminals like Bloomberg also serve parts of this market.
The timing works in 9fin's favor. Private credit has ballooned into a $1.7 trillion asset class, creating demand for structured data and analytics that legacy tools were never built to handle. 9fin's approach — applying NLP and machine learning to parse loan documents, indentures, and filings at scale — fits the moment better than manual research teams.
From two flatmates in London in 2016 to a unicorn in 2026, 9fin has followed an unusual path: building for a niche audience (credit professionals) rather than chasing broad fintech adoption. The British Business Bank's $20M co-investment signals institutional confidence in that strategy.