Statrys secures US$5 million funding

Hong Kong-based digital payment services platform Statrys has secured a US$5 million fund which will be used to help kick off its newest products.

Statrys is an innovative payment solution alternative for SMEs, startups and entrepreneurs who require flexible banking and advanced forex solutions that can enable them to grow globally.

The funding was secured via a closed-door funding arrangement with an angel investor in the region with the expectation for Statrys to carve out market share in the growing digital payment and remittance space, while it's also part of Statrys' global growth strategy, starting with a big push into Asia to help support SMEs and entrepreneurs with business accounts, forex needs and other payment solutions that larger payment processors charge higher fees for, or banks simply won’t provide.

"This new financing will help us accelerate the development of the company both in terms of products, with the addition of local currency accounts, payment cards, integration with accounting software, and geographically, as we will target new markets in Southeast Asia,” said Bertrand Theaud, founder & CEO of Statrys.

One of the main services that Statrys will bring to SMEs, especially in Asia, is the ease of setting up a business account. By offering a payment platform that can operate with the same functions of a traditional bank while not actually being a bank, Statrys said it can fill gaps for SMEs and startups that couldn’t find themselves with a bank, or with a bank that restricts smaller businesses in overall services offerings.

The first project that utilised the new funding was the website overhaul in September, reinforcing Statrys’ branding and delivering a better user experience when it comes to site navigation and usability.

Among other platform features, Statrys is working on the Statrys-Xero integration that will help clients synchronise payments to their Xero account, bridging the gap between payments and accounting software that never existed before with traditional banks.

Statrys will also be launching its own Statrys debit payment Mastercard for Hong Kong entrepreneurs. They can make payments from their Statrys business accounts at all Mastercard participating retailers and vendors. This service will be completed by using Hong Kong dollars only.

“The flow of business, and therefore the flow of payments, between China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia is rapidly growing. We anticipate that this trend will accelerate with the combined effect of the China-US trade war and the changes in the global supply chain that will result from the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to position Statrys to answer the needs of companies present in these regions as they are looking for better solutions to deal with payments and FX," Theaud added.