Tensec, a fintech innovator transforming cross-border financial services, announced it has secured $12 million in seed funding to provide real-time, seamless payments. and financial services for global companies operating in the $190 trillion cross-border payments market. The round was led by Costanoa Ventures, the round also includes investments from Quiet Capital, WillowTree Investments, Cambrian VC, Ignia Partners, Montage Ventures, Renegade Partners, and Endeavor Scale Up Ventures.
What Tensec does: Tensec utilizes AI and real-time payments and a global fintech infrastructure to create a no-integration platform that enables global trading companies to offer foreign exchange (FX) services, cross-border payments, treasury and other financial services to their SMB clients. And the company is already working with customers who facilitate $10 billion in annual trade volume. Tensec also projects this will grow to $30 billion in annual trade volume after its upcoming service expansion into APAC and the EU markets.
Tensec’s platform consolidates payment, hedging, and trade finance capabilities into a single and user-friendly interface that requires no integration work, making it simpler for trading companies to offer clients services previously only available from banks. And banking services in the United States are provided by Stearns Bank, Member FDIC. The benefits for Tensec customers include:
— No-API or coding required–just a simple login to access all services, eliminating months of engineering work.
— Unified FX transactions, cross-border payments, and banking services tools in one platform, removing the need for multiple systems.
— Client onboarding in minutes, instead of week,s with intelligent KYB/KYC verification that improves with each onboarding.
— Real-time global payments that cut traditional waiting periods of four days.
— Revenue management optimization through the use of real-time exchange rate information, instead of fixed rates.
— Built-in risk assessment and AI-powered compliance checks with real-time regulatory updates.
— USD FX hedging services to capitalize on exchange rate fluctuations.
— Support for transactions in 150+ countries, 100+ real-time payment markets, and 70+ currencies.
How the funding will be used: The funding round will be used to advance Tensec’s mission to provide global trading companies and their clients access to cross-border real-time payments and transaction banking services that have historically been available only through large financial institutions.
KEY QUOTES:
“SMBs drive nearly half of global trade but have long been excluded from the financial tools that larger players rely on. We’re flipping the model by empowering global trading companies to deliver these services directly to their partners—making global commerce faster, cheaper and more accessible.”
“Legacy banks built their cross-border infrastructure when fax machines were cutting-edge. We’re skipping that entire stack. Our services let the companies already engaged in global trade to offer their own financial services innovations. It fills a real need – and their clients thrive.”
Helcio Nobre, CEO and co-founder of Tensec
“Tensec lets global trade companies seamlessly integrate financial services to better serve their clients. It’s a win-win—new revenue for trading companies and modern financial tools for SMBs who’ve been underserved for decades.”
Amy Cheetham, Partner at Costanoa Ventures
“While tariffs shift trade patterns, they don’t slow it down. Our platform connects existing and emerging trade corridors with financial muscle that traditional banks simply don’t provide.”
Sandrine Okasmaa, who is Tensec’s Chief Operating Officer and co-founder and previously led compliance at Bond and held senior legal roles at Goldman Sachs, Mastercard and American Express
“The next wave of fintech is about contextual finance, not standalone financial apps. We’re embedding sophisticated financial capabilities exactly where and when global traders need them.”
Yang Wang, co-founder, VP of Engineering at Tensec and former Head of Product Engineering at Bond
