London-based fintech 9fin has reached unicorn status with a Series C round of $170 million. The company is valued at $1.3 billion — double what it was in 2024. Lead investor is HarbourVest, joined by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) as well as existing investors Redalpine, Highland Europe, Spark Capital, and Seedcamp. In total, 9fin has raised more than $250 million since its founding in 2016.
AI-native platform for global debt capital markets
9fin positions itself as an AI-native platform for global debt capital markets, combining data, analytics, and AI-powered workflows in a single system. The company was founded by former J.P. Morgan banker Steven Hunter and former Deutsche Bank engineer Hussam El-Sheikh. The market is enormous: debt capital markets encompass $145 trillion globally, making them the largest asset class of all. Yet the infrastructure behind them is outdated, argues 9fin — information is trapped in data rooms, emails, and PDFs, while leveraged finance, bonds, and private credit are increasingly converging.
The fresh capital will flow into three areas: expanding AI capabilities, growing the proprietary dataset, and further scaling in the US. “AI will redefine the credit markets, but only if it is powered by proprietary data and embedded into how professionals actually work. That’s exactly what we’ve built at 9fin,” explains CEO Steven Hunter. The company operates offices in London and Belfast as well as locations in New York, Asia, and Latin America.
Rapid growth and strong customer base
More than 300 banks, asset managers, law firms, and advisory firms use 9fin daily — including CPP Investments, which was a customer before joining this round as an investor. The company reports 100% ARR growth for multiple consecutive years and industry-leading retention rates. 9fin is growing particularly strongly in the US, a market where the company had no presence three years ago. The firm now employs more than 400 people across engineering, AI, data, editorial, and debt markets expertise.
“Debt markets are undergoing a profound transformation as AI reshapes how finance professionals work,” says Michael Guiness, Principal at HarbourVest Partners. “9fin has built a powerful platform combining proprietary data with AI-driven workflows — exactly what we’re looking for in next generation market leaders.”
Houda Hamdouch, also Principal at HarbourVest, adds: “We’ve followed 9fin closely over several years and have been consistently impressed by the team’s execution and vision.” CEO Hunter frames the ambition this way: “Our ultimate goal is to be the only platform credit professionals ever need. This capital gets us there even faster.”
