AI Engineer

Philippines startup Zed secures US$16.5M Series A funding from Accel. Get the hottest Fintech Philippines News once a month in your Inbox Philippines credit card startup Zed has raised US$16.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Accel, the venture capital firm known for backing global tech giants like Facebook, Spotify, and Slack. This fresh capital brings Zed's total funding to US$22.5 million. The investment marks a significant milestone for the local fintech sector, signalling growing confidence from top-tier Silicon Valley investors in Philippine-founded financial technology. Founded by Danielle Cojuangco-Abraham and Steve Abraham, Zed targets young Filipino professionals who are often overlooked by traditional banks. Instead of relying solely on outdated credit scores, the company utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to underwrite customers based on current income, transaction data, and other alternative sources. "We're reimagining financial tools to match the speed and ambition of this generation," said Co-Founder Danielle Cojuangco-Abraham. The startup's credit card offers premium features tailored to modern spending habits, including zero foreign exchange fees, unlimited virtual cards with customisable spend limits, and auto-closure settings for enhanced security. Steve Abraham, Co-Founder of Zed, noted that the funding would accelerate their plans to rebuild the financial stack. "We envision a future where we can deliver a level of personal, proactive banking that used to be reserved for the few, and make it accessible to everyone," he said. Since its invite-only launch, Zed has seen significant demand, with nearly 200,000 sign-ups on its waitlist. According to the company, it has recorded a 500% increase in monthly transaction volume since early 2025.

We’re thrilled to share that Zed has raised a $16.5M Series A led by Accel, with participation from Rainfall Ventures, bringing our total funding to $22.5M between our Seed and Series A! We’re grateful to have the support of Accel and Rainfall alongside our Seed investors, Valar Ventures LLC, Immad Akhund, Dalton Caldwell and others. Danielle Cojuangco Abraham and I started Zed to serve young people across Asia and build a bank for this moment. There is a massive opportunity to define the banking experience for a generation that is coming online just as large foundational models and agent infrastructure mature. Particularly in a region where greater than 50% of the population is under 30 and where there are 200 million (and growing) college educated, young professionals whose rapid ascension puts them in a position where traditional banks are unwilling or unable to serve them. To do this, we’ve had to rebuild the primitives that banks are built on – in our underwriting and in the architecture of features that focus on a young professional’s lifestyle (travel, online shopping and peer-to-peer payments). Our mission is to deliver a hyper-personalized version of banking to this next generation that’s akin to a great private banker. If we can deliver this experience to the world’s largest and fastest growing consumer class in Asia, then it will lay the groundwork to serve young people everywhere. If you’re a product‑minded engineer, designer or builder who wants to work on hard, high‑leverage problems — real‑time credit with sparse data, safety‑critical consumer systems, multi‑currency payments and AI‑driven experiences — we’d love to talk. We’re hiring in San Francisco (product, design, data science and engineering) and Manila (operations, risk and support). Come help us design the bank that this moment and that this generation deserves. Email us at [email protected] Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gbaKV-Zp | 18 comments on LinkedIn