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IPO values Chime at roughly $11.6 billion on fully diluted
basis
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Chime was valued at $25 billion during last major funding
round
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Chine generates bulk of its revenue from interchange fees
(Adds background)
By Echo Wang
June 11 (Reuters) -
Financial technology company Chime said on Wednesday it
raised $864 million in its initial public offering after pricing
shares at $27 each.
The company had marketed the offering between $24 and $26
per share.
The IPO values Chime at roughly $11.6 billion on a fully
diluted basis.
Chime's IPO marks one of the biggest by a U.S. financial
technology firm in recent years. It follows a period when
valuations reset from highs touched in the wake of the
coronavirus pandemic, which turbocharged investments into
fintechs and e-commerce companies.
Founded in 2012 by former Visa Inc executive Chris
Britt and Comcast Corp alumnus Ryan King, Chime offers its
services through partnerships with brick-and-mortar banks. Its
products include branded checking accounts with user-friendly
features such as fee-free overdrafts.
Chime, which was valued at $25 billion during its last
major funding round in 2021, counts the likes of Yuri Milner's
DST Global, private equity firm General Atlantic, and investment
firm ICONIQ among its investors.
Chime is set to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global
Select Market on Thursday under the symbol 'CHYM'.
The IPO comes on the heels of a strong market debut by
stablecoin issuer Circle earlier in June, helping inject fresh
momentum into a U.S. IPO market that had been subdued amid
uncertainty triggered by the tariff policies of the Trump
administration.
Chime had been expected to offer shares earlier this
year before delaying its launch after Trump's "Liberation Day"
tariffs announcement roiled financial markets.
The recent pickup in listings has encouraged more
companies to revive plans, with June shaping up as a key window
as firms look to capitalize on relatively stable market
conditions ahead of the traditional summer slowdown.
As of March 31, Chime had 8.6 million active members.
According to its IPO prospectus, the company earned average
revenue per active member of $251 in the first quarter. Members
averaged 54 transactions per month, 75% of which were purchase
transactions using Chime-branded cards.
The company generates the bulk of its revenue from
interchange fees - a share of transaction fees paid by merchants
to payment networks like Visa each time a customer uses a Chime
debit or credit card.
Chime's net loss narrowed to 39 cents per share for the
year ended December 31, down from $3.22 in 2023 and $8.12 in
2022.
Morgan Stanley ( MS ), Goldman Sachs ( GS ) and J.P.
Morgan Chase are the lead underwriters for the IPO
offering.