WeLab

WeLab Limited is a Hong Kong financial technology company offering online lending and virtual banking services. It was founded in January 2013 by Simon Loong and Kelly Wong, and best known for being the parent company of WeLab Bank, one of the first virtual banks to be granted a license to operate in Hong Kong. It has raised a total of $580 million in funding.[1]

WeLab Limited
Private
IndustryFinancial technology
FoundedJanuary 2013 (2013-01)
HeadquartersHong Kong
Key people
  • Simon Loong (Co-founder & CEO)
  • Kelly Wong (Co-founder & COO)
Websitewelab.co

The company operates in Hong Kong, mainland China and Indonesia with 300 financial institution partners in Asia. As of 2020, it has 42 million individual users and 300 enterprise customers.[2]

The former Secretary for Financial Services and Treasury of HKSAR Chan Ka-keung has joined the company as an adviser back in 2018.[3]

History

In 2013, WeLab launched WeLend – Hong Kong’s first online lending platform. In 2014, WeLab expanded into Mainland China with Wolaidai (我来贷).

In 2018, WeLab expanded into Indonesia through a partnership with Astra International.[4]

In April 2019, WeLab was granted Hong Kong's fourth virtual banking licence, and the company launch the WeLab Virtual Bank.[5]

In late 2019, WeLab raised US$156 million (HK$1.2 billion) of Series C strategic financing.

In May 2020, WeLab offered a HK$10,000 loan to borrowers without any charge provided they agreed to pay it once they receive the government handout.[6]

Investments

In January 2015, WeLab raised US$20 million in its Series A fundraising round. Key investors include CK Hutchison's TOM Group; Silicon Valley venture capital firm Sequoia Capital; Yuri Milner, founder of DST Global; ICONIQ Capital; and Ule.com, a joint venture between China Post, China's state-owned postal service and TOM Group.

In January 2016, WeLab raised US$160 million in its Series B fundraising from a consortium of international and domestic Chinese investors led by Khazanah Nasional Berhad. Other investors include ING Bank and state-owned Guangdong Technology Financial Group (GTFG). This fundraising round was ranked as the 5th largest FinTech fundraising round out of 413 deals across the globe in the first half of 2016.

In November 2017, WeLab raised US$220 million in its new financing from Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund and global financial institutions China Construction Bank (International), Credit Suisse and the World Bank's International Finance Corporation.[7]

Technology

WeLab analyzes unstructured mobile big data to make credit decisions for individual borrowers. To date, the company has recorded zero fraud loss, despite not having met any of its customers face-to-face.[8][9]

Products

Hong Kong

  • WeLab Bank
  • WeLend

Mainland China

  • WeLab Digital
  • Taoxinji
  • Tianmian Lab

Indonesia

  • AWDA
  • Maucash

Recognition


  • WeLab has been named #23 globally and #7 in China to KPMG's “2018 Fintech100” and it is also the only Hong Kong fintech company that has been named to the list for three consecutive years [10]
  • WeLab was listed as one of China's top 50 fintech companies by KPMG from 2016-2018 [11]
  • WeLab recognized in 2018“一带一路”金融科技创新案例 [12]
  • WeLab wins The Asian Banker's "The Business Model of the Year" and "The Best Data Analytics Initiative, Application or Programme" awards [13]
  • Simon Loong, Founder and CEO of WeLab, was awarded "InnoStars Award" by Our Hong Kong Foundation [14]
  • Simon Loong, Founder and CEO of WeLab, was awarded "世界傑出華人青年企業家獎" [15]
  • WeLab is the only Hong Kong company and only 1 of 5 in Greater China, to be recognized in a joint report by the World Bank's IFC, Stanford University Graduate School of Business and CreditEase as one of the top 100 fintech companies globally leading the way in solving financial inclusion [16]
  • WeLab wins Hong Kong's Technology Company of the Year 2016 awards [17]
  • WeLab is one of top 18 featured startups in Asia for Tech in Asia [18]
  • Simon Loong, Founder and CEO of WeLab, is the top ten FinTech influencer in Asia [19]
  • WeLend is a finalist at Enterprising Hong Kong Brand Awards 2016, held by South China Morning Post [20]
  • Wolaidai wins Talking Data 金融应用潜力榜亚军 in year 2016 [21]
  • Wolaidai wins 2015年度互联网金融大奖 [22]
  • Wolaidai wins 移动互联网2015年最具潜力奖 [23]

References
  1. "WeLab". CNBC. 16 June 2020.
  2. "WeLab". CNBC. 16 June 2020.
  3. "South China Morning Post". South China Morning Post. 16 July 2018.
  4. "Indonesia Gets Yet Another Mobile Lending Startup Backed by Hong Kong's WeLab". Fintech Singapore. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  5. "WeLab gets Hong Kong's fourth online-only banking licence". Reuters. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  6. HSBC, Standard Chartered, and online lenders Airstar, WeLab race to offer high interest rates, cash prizes to capture new customers claiming their HK$10,000 government payout, South China Morning Post, 12 June 2020
  7. Financial tech startup WeLab raises $220M from investors including Alibaba, the IFC and Credit Suisse, Techcrunch, 7 November 2019
  8. Shai Oster beijingscribe David Ramli Davidramli (20 June 2016). "Phone Tracking, Nude Selfies See Chinese Bare All for Credit". Bloomberg. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  9. Qishin Tariq (20 June 2016). "WeLab mulls insurance sector, maintains China focus". Dealstreetasia.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  10. "WeLab（我来贷）再登2018毕马威全球金融科技100强". 25 October 2018.
  11. "毕马威发布2018中国领先金融科技企业50榜单". 28 December 2018.
  12. "WeLab我来贷印尼业务获认可 荣获"一带一路"创新案例". 25 January 2019.
  13. "The Business Model of the Year". 22 March 2018.
  14. "OHKF Announces "The InnoStars Award" Winners". 21 March 2018.
  15. "世界傑出華人青年企業家獎". 29 August 2018.
  16. "Financial Inclusion in the Digital Age" (PDF). 13 March 2018.
  17. "Tech Company of the Year Awards recognize local success | Computerworld Hong Kong". Cw.com.hk. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  18. "Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". Tech in Asia. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  19. "Here Are the Top 38 Fintech Influencers in Asia You Should Know About – FinTech Asia". Fintechasia.net. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  20. "English — Enterprising Hong Kong Brand Awards". Ehkba.squarespace.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  21. "我来贷荣登Talking Data金融应用潜力榜亚军_科技_新民网". Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  22. "颠覆者我来贷斩获"2015年度互联网金融大奖"_海南频道_凤凰网". Hainan.ifeng.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  23. 编辑：潘沈思 (9 March 2016). "我来贷荣获"移动互联网2015年最具潜力奖"_财富资讯_南方网". Finance.southcn.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
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