Mike Bloomberg is a sizable investor of neobank N26 as well as Ant Financial, according to a German report. The American billionaire's ties to fintech come by way of a secretive U.K.-based hedge fund.
The banking billionaire-turned-politico is one of N26's biggest financial backers, German blog «Finance Forward» (in German) reported on Thursday. Mike Bloomberg is one of the key backers of Hedosophia, a U.K.-based venture capital fund that is in turn one of the weightiest European fintech sector investors. The portfolio's holdings also include stakes in China's Ant Financial and Oscar, or American insurtech.
The ties between Hedosophia, run by Ian Osborne, and Bloomberg have been documented before. However, the German outlet is the first to report that Bloomberg is much of Hedosophia's financial muscle. Osborne is a secretive financier who began his career as a type of «fixer» and public relations man for the wealthy, according to «Sifted».
Bloomberg is estimated to be worth $55 billion even after a pricey, short-lived, and unsuccessful run for U.S. president earlier this year. The 78-year-old owns 88 percent of the eponymous news and data provider which is a mainstay for investment bankers.
Alongside Peter Thiel
N26 is one of Europe's most promising financial start-ups: the Berlin-based company has grand plans for Europe including Switzerland as well as the world's largest financial market, the U.S., its top European executive told finews.com in May.
Hedosophia's other holdings include U.K. neobank Transferwise as well as Billie, Raisin, and Wefox in Germany. N26's other major major shareholders besides Hedosophia, which owns 15 percent, include Peter Thiel’s venture capital firm.
