$33 billion fintech giant Revolut reports first-ever annual profit

Monetary know-how big Revolut reported its first-ever annual revenue in 2021, based on monetary accounts launched Wednesday, as subscriptions to its paid packages and general utilization of its app grew sharply.

The corporate reported revenues of £636.2 million ($767.1 million) for the 12 months, thrice what it made the earlier 12 months, and swung to a pre-tax revenue of £59.1 million. In 2020, Revolut recorded a pre-tax lack of £205 million.

Mikko Salovaara, Revolut’s chief monetary officer, instructed CNBC the outcomes have been the product of Revolut’s diversified enterprise and diligent value management.

“The worst attainable situation can be if Revolut wasn’t sustainable or if it have been to require exterior funding,” Salovaara mentioned. “The truth is we do not require exterior funding. We proceed to put money into our enterprise offering merchandise individuals can depend on.”

For 2022, Revolut gave a buying and selling replace saying it expects revenues to have grown greater than 30% to £850 million. As a privately held agency, it isn’t required to share frequent quarterly studies.

Revolut’s announcement is a uncommon optimistic piece of reports in a fintech market that has been tormented by mass layoffs and large valuation cuts as traders reassess the area amid worsening macroeconomic circumstances.

Klarna, the Swedish purchase now, pay later fintech, noticed its valuation plunge 85% to $6.7 billion final 12 months. On Tuesday, the agency posted a report $1 billion loss in its 2022 fiscal 12 months.

Requested about Revolut’s valuation Wednesday, Salovaara mentioned he could not say how a lot the agency was value because it hasn’t raised money since 2021, however he’d be “arduous pressed to consider traders would not proceed to be happy with our efficiency.”

Nonetheless, Revolut was late to producing its accounts to the U.Okay. firm register, Firms Home, in time for a Dec. 31 deadline. They have been lastly signed off by BDO, Revolut’s auditors, final month.

Revolut reportedly confronted considerations from U.Okay. regulators over the robustness of its inside monetary controls. In September, BDO’s audit of Revolut’s 2021 accounts was deemed “insufficient” by the Monetary Reporting Council, which mentioned that “the danger of an undetected materials misstatement was unacceptably excessive.”

The corporate, which has no bodily branches, affords digital banking, cash transfers, and cryptocurrency and inventory buying and selling by a single app. It competes with the likes of Clever, Monzo and Starling.

Based in 2015 by former Lehman Brothers dealer Nikolay Storonsky and software program developer Vlad Yatsenko, Revolut has shortly grown to develop into certainly one of Europe’s largest fintech unicorns, with a valuation of $33 billion.

Revolut has been pushing arduous into abroad markets, particularly the U.S., the place it presently has over 500,000 purchasers. The agency has additionally opened operations in Brazil, Mexico and India. In November, Revolut introduced it has 25 million customers worldwide.

Nearer to dwelling, although, the corporate’s development plans have been dealt some setbacks. Revolut has been pursuing a banking license within the U.Okay. for the previous two years, in an effort to supply extra of its revenue from lending exercise.

That course of has been a drawn out one, and it’s believed the wait is in reference to the delays to the publication of Revolut’s outcomes. Revolut has additionally confronted criticisms over an aggressive working tradition, which has reportedly led to departures of key regulatory and compliance executives.

Revolut hopes to acquire its U.Okay. banking license “very quickly,” Salovaara mentioned. Pressed on when the agency would ultimately safe its license, he instructed it was more likely to occur earlier than the 12 months is out.

Whereas Revolut’s full-year 2022 outcomes are but to be disclosed, one factor is obvious — the agency’s crypto enterprise deteriorated sharply. Salovaara mentioned that in 2021, crypto accounted for roughly a 3rd of gross sales, however in 2022 this dropped to between 5% to 10%.