GoKawiilThe Philippines has millions of unbanked adults, and its consumer lending market is starting to catch up. Salmon, a Manila-based consumer finance app, just raised $60 million in equity and $40 million in debt to bring digital banking to Filipinos.
Salmon was founded by Pavel Fedorov, George Chesakov, and Raffy Montemayor, all of whom previously worked at Russian digital bank, Tinkoff. Montemayor was, in fact, Tinkoff’s first employee in the Philippines, and led the company’s expansion in the country since 2016. In March 2022, the three parted ways with Tinkoff, and launched Salmon.
“We saw that the Philippines and broader Southeast Asia were proving themselves in terms of innovation,” Fedorov said in an interview with TechCrunch. “The Philippines is probably one of the most exciting markets for disruption in the financial services industry in the world.”
Indeed, the Philippines is one of the most active mobile markets in the world, with a young, tech savvy population, and is often cited as the social media capital of the world. But its financial system has struggled to keep pace.
Salmon is targeting underbanked Filipinos, with little to no credit history, as well as people unhappy with the incumbent lenders’ reliability issues.
Notably, Salmon took a shortcut to set up shop: The company in January 2024 acquired a rural bank that was established in 1963 to secure its banking license. The startup is currently building out a full suite of financial products, including revolving credit lines, installment loans, cash loans, motorbike loans, and deposits.
“We started by solving the hard things first, lending, and then followed up with many other products. By now, we have around seven or eight different products,” Fedorov said. “It’s impossible for a traditional bank to solve this problem given the current credit market infrastructure in the Philippines.”
Techcrunch event Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at Disrupt
Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $410. Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at Disrupt
Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $410. San Francisco, CA | REGISTER NOW
... continue reading