Judo Capital raises A$140 million to build Australia's first challenger bank

August 2018

1 August 2018

Judo Capital raises A$140 million to build Australia’s first challenger bank

We are pleased to announce the successful close of the initial equity raise for Judo Capital, a specialist lender to the Australian SME sector. Investors committed an initial A$140 million with substantial follow-on capacity over the next five years. This is one of the largest fundraisings of a pre-revenue company in Australia’s corporate history.

First Avenue Partners acted as placement agent for Judo.

Ashurst acted as legal counsel for Judo.

Co-CEOs of Judo, David Hornery and Joseph Healy said: “We are delighted with the outcome of our Round One Equity Raising and the tremendous support provided to us by First Avenue.”

First Avenue’s Managing Partner, Paul Buckley said: “The success of this fundraising was in no small measure due to investors recognising the quality of the Judo team and its credibility in being able to execute on a plan to build Australia’s first challenger bank.”

First Avenue’s Sydney based Partner and co-Head of Asia, Martin Donnelly noted: “The success of the Judo capital raise is a great testimony to the rigour of preparation of the Judo team, the integrity of the Australian financial services marketplace and the long term, sustainable growth of the Australian economy. These factors allowed us to attract a globally diverse investor base.”

About Judo Capital

Judo Capital is challenging the one size fits all approach to transform SME lending in Australia. Built from the ground up by a small group of deeply experienced and highly credentialed banking professionals, Judo was formally launched in March 2018 to provide a genuine alternative for small and medium sized businesses to access the funding they need and deserve. Headquartered in Melbourne, Judo has a team of close to 50 with plans to roll out nationally in the coming months. Judo has lodged with APRA (Australia’s banking regulator) its formal application for a full banking licence, expected sometime in December 2018. For more information on Judo, please visit www.judocapital.com.au

About FIRSTavenue

Founded in 2006, FIRSTavenue is a leading independent global placement agent and advisory firm dedicated to raising capital for a distinguished group of alternative asset managers and private companies across private credit, private equity, real assets and real estate in developed and emerging markets. With an experienced team of 56 professionals located in London, New York, Dallas, Sydney, Hong Kong and Seoul, FIRSTavenue provides global distribution and accessibility to an extensive network of institutional and professional investors. For more information on FIRSTavenue, please visit www.firstavenue.com.

Contacts:

Paul Buckley, Managing Partner

FIRSTavenue, London

+44 20 7016 6601

pbuckley@firstavenue.com

First Avenue Partners LLP is registered in England and Wales under the no. OC319893. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

FAP USA, L.P. member FINRA/SIPC

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