Israel-based peer-to-peer lending platform Blender has received $16m in a funding round featuring an investment subsidiary of media group Bloomberg, Geektime has reported.
Asset management firm Eiffel Investment Group also took part in the round, which increased Blender’s overall funding to $23.5m.
Blender runs an online lending marketplace that utilises data from sources such as social media to assess the creditworthiness of a potential borrower. It is backed by Aviv Technological Development, a subsidiary of construction firm Aviv Group.
Venture capital firm Blumberg Capital led a $5m series A round for the company in 2014 that included various angel investors from the banking industry. Brokerage firm Psagot Investment House subsequently paid an undisclosed sum for a 20% stake in its Israeli business in 2016.