Judo Bank

About

Judo Bank is an Australian SME-focused neobank offering relationship-based small and medium enterprise lending and deposit services, operating nationally and serving thousands of business customers.

Mission

Judo Bank is a small business-focused neobank that began as a small business lender and has expanded into other banking services. The bank primarily competes with other lenders rather than consumer neobanks. Judo says it is now profitable and has increased its business lending activity by about 80% since March 2020. The company operates in Australia and has raised multiple capital injections to fund growth, including a prior $230 million cash injection in May last year. Leadership emphasizes long-term relationships with investors, noting many backers join after multi-year conversations and observing performance benchmarks. Management frames continued fundraising success as evidence of confidence in Judo's proposition and in the broader SME banking market. Judo Bank focuses on providing loans and deposit services to Australian SMEs. The bank’s core product is SME lending, and it obtained a licence to take deposits last year. Judo now has more than $1.5 billion in deposits and has written more than $1.5 billion in loans, serving around 10,000 customers across loans and deposits. Management says it intends to rapidly grow its national footprint and expand the products and services offered to thousands of Australian SMEs. The company has raised roughly $500 million in equity to date alongside about $450 million in known debt. The Series C pushed its valuation north of A$1 billion (about $653.7 million USD). Judo Bank offers relationship-focused lending tailored to small and medium-sized enterprises, positioning itself against larger banks’ one-size-fits-all approach. The company has recently launched a deposit business to complement its lending activities. It secured wholesale debt lines from Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs to bolster its funding capacity. Judo completed a second-round equity raise of $400 million, which will support its mission to transform SME lending in Australia. Management says the financing plus debt lines adds substantial depth to the bank’s ability to fund SMEs and grow its business.

Quick Facts