By Nadine Schimroszik
BERLIN (Reuters) - German fintech N26, valued at $3.6 billion in its May fundraising, is targeting breaking even on an operating level by end-2021 and is eying at least one more financing round before going public in 2023 at the earliest, its founder and Chief Executive said.
"If we list on the stock exhange in three years that would be fast," Valentin Stalf told Reuters, adding that conditions for raising cash from private investors remained attractive.
N26's smartphone banking app offers a scalable, low-cost model that has already attracted backing from, among others, insurer Allianz (DE:ALVG), Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, Chinese internet giant Tencent, venture capital firm Earlybird and Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel.
Founded in 2013, N26 is Germany's most valuable fintech, having raised $570 million. It has more than 5 million customers and competes with other mobile banks such as Revolut und Vivid Money.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has not had any negative impact on its trading, the company has put the foray into new markets on hold, including plans to launch in Brazil, and is instead focusing on its core markets Germany, France, Spain and Italy, Stalf said.
N26 decided to pull back from the UK on Brexit, but is continuing with its rollout in the U.S., he added.
Under fire in Germany for his foot-dragging on letting employees organise a works council - a standard procedure in Germany - Stalf said that a global employee represenation was being set up by the end of the year.
"We have to work on making our more than 1500 employees feel comfortable with us. That is essential to get talent, he said.