Oriente runs Cashalo in the Philippines and Finmas in  Indonesia aimed at delivering fast access to affordable credit for the underserved in the emerging middle class and MSMEs

Geoffrey Prentice

Hong Kong-headquartered financial services and technology company Oriente has secured US$105 million in initial funding from the founders and a group of family offices, including members of Malaysia’s Berjaya Group, Philippines-based JG Summit Holdings, and Indonesia’s Sinar Mas.

The financing is being used to accelerate technology and product development, scale multi-market operations, and power the growth of Oriente’s digital solutions into new markets, expanding its reach to millions of new customers in Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economies.

Oriente was founded in 2017 by Geoffrey Prentice, former Skype Co-founder; Hubert Tai, former founding CTO and COO at LU.com; and Lawrence Chu, Founder of BlackPine Private Equity. The startup uses cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and data science to build solutions that provide real-time credit scoring, digital and O2O lending and other tailored financial services in Southeast Asia.

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The company recently rolled out mobile-first ventures in the Philippines (Cashalo) and Indonesia (Finmas), aimed at delivering fast access to affordable credit for the underserved in the emerging middle class and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

“Oriente was founded on the principles of inclusion and innovation to open financial access, freedom and opportunity for underserved people and micro-entrepreneurs, helping them build financial identities and participate in the global economy,” said Prentice.

Currently, Oriente has over 1,200 employees across offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, Manila, Jakarta, and Ho Chi Minh City.

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