Digital trade finance platform Olea has unveiled plans for investment and expansion after raising US$30mn in a Series A funding round led by BBVA.
The cash injection will be used to support investment in technology and greater presence in “high-growth markets”, the company said.
Existing shareholder SC Ventures, the innovation catalyst arm of Standard Chartered, also participated in the funding round, alongside blockchain platform XDC Network and maritime logistics venture capital firm theDOCK.
XDC invested US$1mn in this latest round, GTR can reveal.
Launched in 2022 as a joint venture between Standard Chartered and China’s Linklogis, Singapore-based Olea has now facilitated US$3bn in financing, connecting more than 30 institutional funders to suppliers and buyers in over 70 trade corridors, the company said.
“The new capital will focus on innovation,” Olea said in a December 16 statement. This includes investing in AI-driven analytics, Web3 readiness and expertise in emerging solutions such as embedded finance.
“Olea will also scale origination in high-growth markets, leveraging its global partnership ecosystem.”
BBVA’s involvement is expected to help the platform expand into more corridors across Europe, the Americas and Asia, with a focus on digital supply chain solutions and risk analytics, Olea said.
Eva Rubio, head of global transaction banking at BBVA Corporate and Investment Banking, said the investment will help build “a more agile, transparent and inclusive model that connects global liquidity with the real needs of companies”.
BBVA has previously collaborated with Olea, announcing a strategic alliance in June intended to expand its supply chain finance offering for companies operating internationally.
The involvement of XDC Network “strengthens Olea’s ambition to support tokenised and stablecoin-enabled trade flows”, the latter said.
The plan follows Olea’s announcement earlier this month it would support real-time stablecoin payments via USDC, which is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar and is issued by New York-headquartered payments technology firm Circle.
Meanwhile, theDOCK’s participation “opens new commercial pathways and ecosystem partnerships” in the maritime logistics sector.
“This funding marks an important milestone in Olea’s journey,” said Olea chief executive Amelia Ng. “The confidence shown by our new and existing investors is a powerful validation of the business we’ve built: institutional-grade, scalable and ready for the next phase of growth.”
Olea, which holds a Capital Market Services licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, sealed a funding facility in November 2024 arranged by HSBC and Manulife | CQS Investment Management.
