Share this article
Fintech Tala Raises $145M to Launch Crypto Product for Emerging Markets
The startup will also expand its financial services for the unbanked.
By Brandy Betz
Updated May 11, 2023, 4:09 p.m. Published Oct 14, 2021, 1:14 p.m.
Fintech startup Tala has raised $145 million in a Series E funding round to expand its financial services and develop a mass-market crypto product for emerging markets. Lending platform Upstart led the round, which Tala says brings its total funding to more than $350 million.
The company said in a blog post that it will use the funding to “accelerate the rollout of our new financial account experience, which provides fresh new tools to grow, save and manage your money. We’ll also work to develop one of the first mass-market crypto products for emerging markets to help make crypto solutions more affordable and equitable for those who need them most.”
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Other participants in the round included the Stellar Development Foundation, Kindred Ventures and the J. Safra Group. Returning investors included IVP, Revolution Growth, PayPal Ventures and Lowercase Capital.
Tala offers financial services to the traditionally unbanked through a consumer credit app that underwrites and distributes loans ranging from $10 to $500 with rates starting at 4%. The company says more than 6 million people have used the mobile app to borrow more than $2.7 billion across Kenya, the Philippines, Mexico and India.
Visa partnered with Tala earlier this year to drive crypto adoption in emerging markets by offering access to USD Coin, the stablecoin backed by the U.S. dollar. Tala provided access to USDC through its digital wallet, and Visa offered the ability to link payment cards to the wallet. The collaboration also included USDC operator Circle and the Stellar Development Foundation.
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
French Banking Giant BPCE to Roll Out Crypto Trading for 2M Retail Clients
The service will allow customers to buy and sell BTC, ETH, SOL, and USDC through a separate digital asset account managed by Hexarq.
What to know:
- French banking group BPCE will start offering crypto trading services to 2 million retail customers through its Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Épargne apps, with plans to expand to 12 million customers by 2026.
- The service will allow customers to buy and sell BTC, ETH, SOL, and USDC through a separate digital asset account managed by Hexarq, with a €2.99 monthly fee and 1.5% transaction commission.
- The move follows similar initiatives by other European banks, such as BBVA, Santander, and Raiffeisen Bank, which have already started offering crypto trading services to their customers.
Top Stories
