Nium, a financial technology startup, has secured $50 million in new funding and is eyeing an initial public offering (IPO) within the next 18 months.
Led by an undisclosed Southeast Asian sovereign wealth fund, the funding round included support from venture capital firms BOND, NewView Capital, and Tribe Capital, valuing Nium at $1.4 billion—a 30% discount from its previous valuation of $2 billion in 2022.
Prajit Nanu, Nium’s CEO, indicated that the fresh capital would be used to pursue mergers and acquisitions, particularly targeting other growth-stage payment firms.
Despite the lower valuation, Nanu remains confident in Nium’s growth trajectory and is optimistic about going public in the third or fourth quarter of 2025.
He emphasized that the IPO valuation is not a primary concern, citing examples such as Stripe, which saw fluctuations in its valuation before going public.
Nanu also mentioned that Nium is currently not interested in acquiring companies in the cryptocurrency space, citing a lack of significant merchant demand for crypto payments.
He noted that Nium operates as a layer on top of many banks worldwide and views crypto infrastructure as still in its early stages.
This decision comes despite the recent surge in cryptocurrency prices, including bitcoin, which has seen a 150% increase in the last 12 months following the approval of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the U.S.
