Verafin Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors

Verafin was acquired by Nasdaq for $2.8B in November 2020, a 19.5x multiple on $141M of revenue.

Verafin acquisition price

$2.8B

Acquired by Nasdaq · Nov 2020

Verafin revenue at acquisition

$141M

Last twelve months · Nov 2020

Verafin revenue multiple at acquisition

19.5x

EV/Revenue · Nov 2020

Cumulative funding Verafin raised

$449M

across 2 funding rounds

Verafin Overview

About Verafin

Verafin is a St. John's, Newfoundland-headquartered provider of cloud-based financial crime management software used by over 2,600 banks and credit unions across North America. Its platform handles fraud detection, BSA/AML compliance, high-risk customer monitoring, and secure 314(b) information sharing through big data analytics and visual investigation tools. Verafin serves as the exclusive provider for associations including the Texas Bankers Association, Western Bankers Association, and CUNA Strategic Services, with endorsements in 47 U.S. states. Acquired by Nasdaq in 2020, it streamlines regulatory processes for community financial institutions.


Founded

2003

HQ

CanadaSt. John's

Status

Acquired

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Subscription

Revenue

$141M (Nov 2020)

Valuation

$2.8B (acquired Nov 2020)

Verafin Acquisition

Verafin was acquired by Nasdaq for $2.8B on 19 November 2020.

The acquisition price implies a 19.5x revenue multiple on $141M of revenue.

Before the acquisition Verafin had raised $449M across 2 funding rounds.

Verafin acquisition details
AcquirerDateTypePriceEV/Revenue
19 Nov 2020Strategic M&A$2.8B19.5x

Verafin Funding History

Verafin has raised a total of $449M across 2 funding rounds.

Verafin's first fundraising round was a $60M undisclosed-stage round in May 2014. The most recent completed round was a $389M undisclosed-stage round in September 2019.

Verafin funding rounds

Verafin funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Sep 2019Undisclosed stageInformation Venture Partners (lead); Spectrum Equity (lead); Teralys Capital; Northleaf Capital Partners; BDC Capital; Business Development Bank of Canada$389MVerafin, a St. John’s, Newfoundland-based company, provides a cloud-based software platform for financial crime management, including fraud detection, BSA/AML compliance, high-risk customer management, and information sharing. Nearly 3,000 banks and credit unions use its platform, leveraging big data intelligence and visual storytelling to reduce false positives and streamline compliance. In September 2019, Verafin completed a C$515 million equity and debt recapitalization, the largest venture capital deal by a Canadian company at the time, with investors including Information Venture Partners, Spectrum Equity, BDC Capital, Northleaf Capital Partners, and Teralys Capital. This funding enabled aggressive growth pursuits while maintaining independence. The recapitalization followed rapid growth, with Verafin achieving C$100 million in annual recurring revenue in Q1 2019, an 87% increase since early 2017. Sales bookings grew 108% from 2017 to 2019, average deal size rose 102% over the same period, and 97% of customers renewed annually. The company had signed 25 financial institutions with over US$5 billion in assets in the prior 18 months, employing over 500 people and serving 3,000 clients. The financing positioned Verafin as a leader in Atlantic Canada's startup ecosystem, breaking records for regional equity capital raised in 2019, though it dominated the year's totals. Verafin was later acquired by Nasdaq in 2023.
May 2014Undisclosed stageSpectrum Equity (lead)$60MVerafin Inc. is a leading provider of cloud-based fraud detection and anti-money laundering (FRAML) software as a service (SaaS) to North American financial institutions, helping them combat financial crime through innovative risk analytics, secure information sharing via platforms like FRAMLxchange, and compliance with regulatory mandates. On May 15, 2014, Verafin received a C$60 million growth investment from Spectrum Equity for a substantial minority stake to fuel rapid expansion and platform investment, with RBC Capital Markets as placement agent. Prior to this, Verafin had received initial venture funding from Information Venture Partners (IVP) in 2009. The 2014 round supported Verafin's commitment to addressing rising fraud threats and regulatory pressures for financial institutions of all sizes. Spectrum Equity highlighted Verafin's state-of-the-art, easy-to-deploy FRAML solutions converging as the optimal risk management tool. Post-2014, Verafin achieved significant organic growth, including 45% revenue increase and 200 new clients by around 2016, evolving from focus on small/mid-sized banks and credit unions to larger institutions via a 'bowling pin' strategy. Spectrum Equity's involvement continued through a 2019 recapitalization and participation in the 2021 C$515 million equity-debt round led by Spectrum and IVP with Northleaf, BDC, Teralys, and debt from Wells Fargo/Scotiabank, where Verafin reported $100 million ARR amid explosive growth serving nearly 3,000 institutions. By 2021, revenue had grown 4x from prior levels, establishing market leadership, culminating in Nasdaq's $2.75 billion acquisition.

Who has invested in Verafin?

6 investors have backed Verafin across its funding rounds, including Spectrum Equity, BDC Capital, Business Development Bank of Canada, Information Venture Partners, Northleaf Capital Partners and Teralys Capital.

Lead investors include Information Venture Partners and Spectrum Equity.


Verafin Investors

Investors in Verafin by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Spectrum EquityUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2LeadMay 2014
Teralys CapitalCanadaMontreal1ParticipantSep 2019
Information Venture PartnersCanadaToronto1LeadSep 2019
Northleaf Capital PartnersCanadaToronto1ParticipantSep 2019

This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all 6 Verafin investors.

Start Free Trial

Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples

Sign up to see data on 350K+ funding rounds and disclosed revenue and EBITDA valuation multiples, from seed, through growth stage, to pre-IPO.

Start Free Trial

Verafin Competitors

Verafin competitors include listed companies like Mitek Systems and Verisk Analytics, and private ones like Feedzai, TrustDecision, Fenergo and Unit21.

Public and private companies comparable to Verafin
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
FeedzaiPortugalCoimbraPrivate--$2B-
TrustDecisionChinaShenzhenPrivate--$1B-
FenergoIrelandDublinPrivate--$800M-
Unit21United StatesSan Francisco, CAPrivate--$700M-
Mitek SystemsUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$180M$37M$781M3.7x
Verisk AnalyticsUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$3.1B$1.7B$23B8.5x

Verafin Public Comps

Verafin is no longer listed, but its public comps include Intapp, Tieto, AJ Bell, Servyou Software Group, Ncino, Diebold Nixdorf, NCR Atleos, iFAST Corp, Alkami Technology and CorVel.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Intapp$578M($16M)4.6x4.5x(164.3x)20.9x
Tieto$2.1B$186M1.3x1.4x15.2x7.9x
AJ Bell$427M$180M6.8x5.8x16.1x13.6x
Servyou Software Group$306M$35M7.4x6.6x64.6x44.3x
Ncino$595M$65M4.3x4.0x39.0x15.8x
Diebold Nixdorf$3.8B$329M0.7x0.7x8.6x5.5x
NCR Atleos$4.4B$730M1.4x1.3x8.1x6.6x
iFAST Corp$349M$106M3.7x2.7x12.2x8.9x

This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Verafin competitors and their valuation data.

Start Free Trial

Common questions about Verafin

When was Verafin founded?Verafin was founded in 2003.
Where is Verafin headquartered?Verafin is headquartered in St. John's, Canada.
Is Verafin publicly listed?No, Verafin was acquired by Nasdaq in November 2020.
Who acquired Verafin?Verafin was acquired by Nasdaq in November 2020.
How much was Verafin acquired for?Verafin was acquired for $2.8B in November 2020, a 19.5x revenue multiple.
How much funding has Verafin raised?Verafin has raised $449M across 2 funding rounds.
What was Verafin's last funding round?Verafin's last funding round was a $389M undisclosed-stage round in September 2019, led by Information Venture Partners and Spectrum Equity.
Who are Verafin's investors?Verafin's investors include Spectrum Equity, Teralys Capital, Information Venture Partners, Northleaf Capital Partners, BDC Capital and Business Development Bank of Canada.
Which companies are comparable to Verafin?Companies comparable to Verafin include Feedzai, TrustDecision, Fenergo, Unit21, Mitek Systems and Verisk Analytics.

See companies similar to Verafin

Start Your
Free Trial Today

Try Multiples for free for 3 days. Got questions or need a demo? Schedule a call with us below.

Start Trial