Jimubox - the Xiaomi-backed P2P lending startup - has just raised a large Series C round led by Investec. The company has seen about RMB 6 billion to RMB 7 billion (US$971 million to $113 million) in new issue loans since launching in August 2013, and about 25% of that tally has ended up going into secondary trading.
Haitong Kaiyuan Investment also joined in, alongside new investors Mandra Capital and Zhong Capital Fund. Existing Jimubox backers Matrix China Partners, Xiaomi, Shunwei, Ventech China, and Magic Stone Alternative also invested funds. In November 2014 report, Jimubox disclosed it expectation to triple its lending business to $1.6 billion in 2015. The company lent a total of 100 million Yuan ($16.3 million) in 2013 after launching in August. Earlier in 2014, Jimubox announced as $37 million Series B funding round led by mobil phone creator Xiaomi leading to industry speculation of a greater mobile tie-up for investors and borrowers. This funding round pushed Jimubox to $47 million invested since 2013. Jimubox intends on increasing its lending business to 10 billion yuan or approximately $1.6 billion through 2015.