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Salmon

Category: AI in Fintech

A consumer finance app in the Philippines using AI-driven underwriting to expand digital credit access for underbanked Filipinos. Salmon was founded in 2022. The company is led by George Chesakov. Based in Manila, Philippines. Team size: 1001-5000. Total funding raised: $310M. Latest round: Venture Round. Key investors include IFC (World Bank Group), ADQ/Lunate (Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund), Antler, Spice Expeditions, Washington University Investment Management Company, Moore Strategic Ventures, FJ Labs.

Founded
2022
Headquarters
Manila, Philippines
Team size
1001-5000
Total funding
$310M

Value proposition

Providing accessible credit and banking products to Filipinos with little to no credit history using AI-based risk assessment and fraud detection.

Products and solutions

Product Loan (installment loans for purchases), Revolving credit lines, Cash loans, Motorbike loans, Deposits

Target customer

Underbanked Filipinos and those dissatisfied with traditional lenders

Industries served

Financial Services, Consumer Lending

Technology advantage

AI-powered credit underwriting and fraud detection using biometric security and machine learning

How they differentiate

Acquired a rural bank (Rural Bank of Sta. Rosa) to secure a banking license faster than applying for a digital banking license, enabling immediate market entry as a regulated bank.

Main competitors

Home Credit Philippines, BillEase, Tala, Traditional PH banks / digital banks (Maya, GoTyme, MariBank/Sea), Akulaku

Key partnerships

NBA (multi-year official partner in Philippines, Aug 2026; presenting partner NBA 3X PH Open), SM Store, FC Home Center, Dyson, Suerte Motoplaza, 10,000+ partner stores nationwide (Inquirer Jul 2026)

Notable customers

1.5M+ users (official site mid-2026), ~2M monthly active users (Antler founder story Aug 2026; Forbes/Fedorov Apr 2026)

Major milestones

Acquired controlling stake (59.7%) in Rural Bank of Sta. Rosa in January 2024 (BSP approval), Bank renamed Salmon Bank (Rural Bank) Inc. effective August 2025, Raised $100M dual-tranche equity+bonds (April 2026); $310M total ($160M equity / $150M bonds), NBA multi-year official partner in Philippines (Aug 2026), 1.5M+ users / ~2M MAU (mid-2026)

Growth metrics

1.5M+ users / ~2M MAU; 4.8 App Store & Google Play rating; 99.9% uptime; 7M+ app downloads (LinkedIn); Salmon Bank deposits grew ~3.9x in 2025; hundreds of millions USD revenue (founder-stated)

Market positioning

Digital banking challenger targeting the underbanked in the Philippines

Geographic focus

Philippines (primary); Southeast Asia expansion planned (founder-stated 2-year horizon)

About George Chesakov

Tinkoff founding team member; Chairman of Tinkoff Bank Management Board (2009-11) and later Board Chairman; co-founded OTP Bank consumer lending and Mokka in-store lending; rebuilt Tinkoff POS to #1; built Tinkoff MVNO to 1.3M MAU; MA Computer Science (Princeton), Math (Moscow State)

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