SAO PAULO/JOHANNESBURG, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Brazilian

digital bank Nubank said it has invested $150 million in

Tyme Group, a digital bank with 15 million customers in South

Africa and the Philippines, funding that will help Tyme Group

finance its push into Southeast Asia and list by 2028.

In a statement on Monday, Nubank said Tyme Group's series D

funding round totalled $250 million, with M&G Catalyst Fund

subscribing for $50 million and existing shareholders providing

a further $50 million.

Having completed its latest investment round,

Singapore-based Tyme Group, backed by China's Tencent ( TCTZF ),

has also achieved unicorn status after securing the funds that

give it a total valuation of $1.5 billion, it said in a separate

statement. Unicorn status refers to a startup valued at more

than $1 billion.

"This funding will propel our growth strategy, enabling us

to realize our stated goal of being a top three retail bank in

South Africa in the next three years," said Karl Westvig, CEO of

TymeBank in South Africa.

"Additionally, the enhanced credibility and market

visibility that comes with the affiliation with Nubank, along

with the large established networks of global investors,

including GIC, Berkshire Hathaway, helps pave the group's path

towards a potential listing by 2028," he added.

Coen Jonker, co-founder and CEO of Tyme Group, told

Bloomberg in June that the company was looking to list in New

York and most likely have a secondary listing on the

Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

Tyme Group has operations in South Africa through TymeBank,

which was launched in 2019 and has 10 million customers. It

launched its second digital bank, GoTyme, in the Philippines in

partnership with the Gokongwei Group in October 2022.

The group is now gearing up for expansion into Vietnam and

Indonesia.

Tyme Group's largest shareholder is African Rainbow Capital

, controlled by African billionaire Patrice Motsepe.

(Reporitng by Andre Romani in Sao Paulo and Nqobile Dludla in

Johannesburg; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle and Jamie Freed)