9fin
London-founded AI platform for global debt markets; raised $170m Series C at $1.3bn valuation in March 2026.
Last refreshed: 13 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How is 9fin's AI upending the way banks source and price debt deals?
Timeline for 9fin
Raised $170m Series C, achieving unicorn valuation
UK Startups and Innovation: 9fin crosses unicorn threshold at $170m- What does 9fin do and who uses it?
- 9fin is an AI-native platform covering global leveraged finance and debt capital markets. More than 300 Banks, asset managers, law firms, and advisers use it to source deals, analyse credit risk, and monitor debt markets.Source: 9fin press release
- How did 9fin become a unicorn?
- 9fin crossed unicorn status in March 2026 with a $170m Series C led by HarbourVest, valuing the company at $1.3bn. It had been growing ARR at 100% year-on-year for multiple consecutive years.Source: Bloomberg / PR Newswire
- What is 9fin's competitive advantage over Bloomberg or traditional credit research?
- 9fin uses AI to aggregate and analyse debt market data faster than traditional research subscriptions, covering leveraged loans, high-yield bonds, and distressed debt in near real time — at a fraction of the cost of Bloomberg terminals.Source: 9fin website / TechCrunch
Background
9fin raised $170m in a Series C in March 2026, achieving a $1.3bn valuation and unicorn status. The round was led by HarbourVest, with participation from Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Redalpine, Highland Europe, and Spark Capital. Total funding now exceeds $250m. The company has delivered multiple consecutive years of 100% ARR growth and will use the capital to expand its AI capabilities and accelerate growth in the United States.
9fin was founded in 2016 by Steven Hunter, a former J.P. Morgan banker, and Hussam EL-Sheikh, a Deutsche Bank engineer. It operates from London, New York, Hong Kong, and Belfast, and more than 300 leading Banks, asset managers, law firms, and advisory firms use 9fin as their core platform for sourcing deals, analysing credit risk, and monitoring global debt markets. The platform combines proprietary data with AI-powered analysis to surface actionable intelligence on leveraged loans, high-yield bonds, and distressed debt — markets that have historically relied on expensive research subscriptions and fragmented data.
9fin occupies a fast-growing segment where AI is compressing the research cycle for credit professionals. Its rise mirrors the broader shift of institutional finance toward data platforms and away from traditional research houses. As one of two UK fintech unicorns to emerge from the March 2026 funding wave (alongside Granola), 9fin demonstrates that British fintech can achieve global scale in highly specialised institutional markets, not just consumer payments.