A shareholder in Revolut has cut the value of its stake in the UK financial technology firm by 46 per cent, the latest indicator of how investor caution is impacting the fintech sector.

An investment trust managed by Schroders disclosed a £4.7 million (S$7.8 million) writedown in its 2022 results published Apr 17. That brought the valuation of the stake held by Schroders Capital Global Innovation Trust to £5.4 million as of Dec 31, from £10.1 million a year earlier. 

The writedown comes after the Telegraph reported last month that TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC had lowered the value of its stake in Revolut by 15 per cent. While Revolut’s delayed accounts showed the fintech firm made its first annual profit in 2021, its auditor said it was unable to satisfy itself on the “completeness and occurrence” of almost three-quarters of its revenue in 2021. 

“We do not engage in speculation on our valuation,” Revolut said in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg. “Since our last funding round, in which we were valued at US$33 billion, Revolut has continued to perform strongly in all its markets, has continued to hire and expand, and reported its first full year of profitability.”

But a broader gloom has enveloped the startup world since Revolut raised US$800 million at the US$33 billion valuation in 2021. The UK’s fintech sector saw investment drop US$22 billion to US$17 billion in 2022, as higher interest rates, inflation, and declines in valuations hit investor appetite.

Revolut chief executive officer Nikolay Storonsky in July 2022 said that Revolut was profitable and had enough funding for two years, allowing it to sidestep a gruelling period for fintech fundraising that has seen rivals such as Klarna cut billions of dollars from their market value. 

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London-based Revolut applied for a UK banking licence in 2021 and is still waiting for a decision from the Prudential Regulation Authority. The company is “nearly there” with gaining the licence, chief financial officer Mikko Salovaara said last month.

A spokesperson for Schroders – which invested US$13.7 million in Revolut in 2021 along with investors including SoftBank Vision Fund 2, according to earlier filings – declined to comment. The Times reported on the Schroders’ writedown earlier. BLOOMBERG